*
Good afternoon all,
I will be making a hope/blanket chest for a wedding present for a friend of mine. It will be made of cherry and the finish on the carcass will be shellac. For the lid, I intended to use 50/50 varnish/oil such as ‘Tried and True’ just in case the heathen decided to put down a glass of scotch on the top! I then thought that it might be a nice idea to French polish the lid only.
Heres the problem: although I have read extensively on ‘hot to do it’ I have never yet attempted it. Most of what I have read uses shellac as the medium as well as pumice and rottenstone, but I’m thinking that shellac may not be hardy enough for the lid. Is it posiible to use tried and true to polish it or must it be shellac. I know quite a few of you guys (and gals) out there have experience with french polish and I would appreciate your advise and guidance on this. I will, of course, be practising on a piece of scrap before moving onto the lid
Best Regards,
Ricky Briggs.
Replies
*
French polishing requires a fast drying finish, so this certainly rules out any kind of oil. You may want to try a padding lacquer, as these are easy to apply, and are reputed to have a little more resistance to water and alcohol damage.
*Good morning Rob,Please forgive my ignorance but I have never heard of 'padding' lacquer. Could you recommend a product/trade name I could try.Many thanks for taking the time to reply. Merry Christmas.Best Regards,Ricky Briggs.
*Padding lacquer is available from Woodworkers Supply (among other places) It is made by Belen and is called Qualasole. The woodworkers supply catalog number is 850-588 for the pint size and 850-595 for the quart size. They cost $12.95 and 24.95. I have not used these, since I used the product made by Constantine’s but I’m not sure they are still in business, but for all I know it’s the same stuff with a different label. There is a good article on the application of padding lacquer in the May/June 1996 issue of FWW, and a section on it in Jeff Jewitt’s book Hand Applied Finishes.
*If you are looking for protection from "adult drinks", neither an oil/varnish or shellac used singly or in combination will do it. About the only finish that will have moisture and alcohol protection is varnish. Lacquer has more protective qualities than shellac but less than varnish.I strongly suggest you get a copy of Jeff Jewitt's "Great Wood Finishes". He will help you decide on the appropriate finish and then walk you through the steps to applying it. French polishing is well covered.Shellac makes a nice finish but it takes some practise to apply it correctly and it is not very durable. But for a normal blanket chest, it would be very appropriate.
*Read this month's issue of FW for a recipe and methodology for a nice varnish finish that will look great on the project you're building.
*Dear Rob, Howard and Charles,Many thanks for the help. I now have a few choices to ponder and I think that Jeff Jewitts book may be a good investment. I have heard it mentioned on this forum a few times.Thanks again and a merry Xmas,Ricky Briggs
*Good Morning,I bought a copy of Jeff Jewitt's book and am very impressed with the various finishes that he covers. I didn't find much on French polishing, but I managed to also find a copy of 'Finishing and re finishing' in a second hand book shop. It is published by good ol' Taunton Press about the mid 1980's. There is a picture of Oscar MacQuiddy (sp) on the cover refinishing a chair.This book is full of information with a lot of emphasis on techniques etc as well as some anecdotes from George Frank a old master of finishing. It is a good read and I would recommend to anyone. It covers french polishing techniques in great detail.Best Regards,Ricky Briggs.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled