Simple Steps for a French Polish

Historical finishes expert Don Williams teaches the simple steps to make a traditional pad polish, or as we refer to it, French polish. Easier than you might think! To learn more about Don Williams, follow this link: bit.ly/WilliamsQA

[@kurikokaleidoscope]

Excellent presentation.

[@kevinkleckner6712]

Do you use steel wool for core , or fabric wool ?

[@fingeroffang]

I can't get the hang of this. When I try and apply a second coat a couple of days later it seems to lift the first coat in places so I end up with an uneven layer.

[@titanharvey4307]

i guess Im pretty randomly asking but do anyone know a good website to stream newly released tv shows online ?

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

Is your rubber (the 'pad', as he calls it) too wet, or maybe the polish is too dilute (too much alcohol in it)? You should be able to apply the rubber at any time - not just waiting for a couple of days) without that happening. See kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKacZJuvqJaBa5o (The man maybe talks too much, but his information is good.)

[@Ricardot434]

Dont let the dry part of your pad wipe over the wood the whole time , trim it shorter

[@Obscurity202]

Do you like let it dry at some point and then come back and do separate coats???

[@boonphitphanthavong4334]

So when you add little bit of oil on the pad and rub it into the wood, you leave the oil on as a finish product and let it dry out on its own?

[@Handles-R-Lame]

The oil is added as a lubricant because the varnish becomes tacky and will begin to pull out the prior layers you've laid down. So in essence as long as you dont drench the pad in oil, whatever is mixed into the shellac in the final coats will be negligible. I hope this makes sense.

[@boonphitphanthavong4334]

@@Handles-R-Lame thankyou!

[@mikegager]

is there a part 1 to this? you never mention what you are using, only calling it a varnish. unless im mistaken shouldnt it be shellac?

[@sawmillvalley]

Same question. The video seems to start in the middle of something else. What are the contents of the first bottle. The second bottle has Walnut oil, I caught that.

[@popularwoodworking]

The first bottle is shellac flakes cut with alcohol to create a liquid form. The process to do that is indeed another process as multiple types of shellac can be used and the amount of alcohol used (the "cut") can be varied for different uses. For a complete look at this and other historic finishes: www.shopwoodworking.com/creating-historic-furniture-finishes-group

[@sawmillvalley]

Thanks for the extra detail.

[@richzebco]

how can I french polish along a lip, i keep getting build up and poor coverage along the lip

[@rollingstone3017]

Never heard of getting pure liquor alcohol. Surely you don't mean like Jack Daniels.

[@ieatlegos]

Everclear

[@MrZOMBIE170]

Americans never make rubbers properly

[@shaunraymakers]

mrzombie170 I’m curious

[@Handles-R-Lame]

@@shaunraymakers prolly best not to be lol

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

@@shaunraymakers See kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKacZJuvqJaBa5o

[@belindamanning9851]

Why do this? It was not explained why a person should or would want to do this process. It did look nice but need a purpose.

[@popularwoodworking]

Why is a good question. It's certainly not the easiest of finishes, but it is held in high regard by refinishers and purists. This finishing process became popular in the 18th century and produces a very high-gloss surface and brings out the figure and color of the wood. While beautiful, it's also softer than modern varnishes and lacquers, so somewhat fragile, but easy to repair.

[@peybak]

Belinda Manning This is also a good finish for musical instruments.