How To French Polish Part 3/3
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- čas přidán 12. 08. 2021
- The final part of three 'How to' videos produced by Gilboys.
Simon demonstrates the art of creating and using a French Polisher's rubber and in a very short period of time he builds a body of shellac polish, which really does bring the wood to life.
He then goes on to show a way of spiriting the newly french polished finish, then dulling it and finally the crowing glory of wax polishing it with Gilboys Gold beeswax polish.
Our website www.gilboys.co.uk
The processes of French Polishing are..
1) Staining
2) Grain Filling
3) Fadding
4) Colouring
5) Bodying
6) Spiriting
7) Dulling / Waxing
INDEX
01:45 Gently cutting the surface back with '0000' steel wool
03:14 Making a French Polish Rubber
06:00 How to charge your French Polishers Rubber
09:50 The 'Bodying Process'
10:58 Using mineral oil to lubricate the surface
20:00 How to preserve your 'Rubber'
22:40 How to make a 'Spirit Rubber'
27:00 Charging the 'Spirit Rubber'
28:05 Carefully 'de-nibbing' the surface prior to spiriting
29:20 Spirit Rubber Tips
29:52 Applying the spirit rubber to the surface
33:47 Dulling the surface using mineral oil and steel wool (trade Tricks and Tips)
37:48 Reveal of the newly dulled surface
40:15 The secret of using Gilboys wax polish to create a silky 'antique finish'
41:40 Applying beeswax polish to the wood surface
42:55 Beeswax drying on the surface
43:10 Buffing the surface to a soft sheen
44:52 The newly wax polished, french polished surface is revealed
47:15 All the processes of French Polishing described and shown - Jak na to + styl
Best series on French polish I’ve seen. By far! Thank you!!! Excellent series!
As a professional restorer/ conservator of 35 years experience I enjoyed your videos . They are well paced and clearly spoken.
Thank you Andrew. That means a lot. ✅ 🙂
Best demonstration on this subject I've seen!
Thanks Curtis
I gotta say. This was sooooooooooooooooo well done. Especially the coloring part. No the bodying part. No the dulling part! I guess I just loved it all!!! I would really love to take a class in this.
Thanks Paul. That's very kind of you. 😌
Thanks so much for doing this short series, really fascinating to see the stages broken down. As a picture framer I can see endless possibilities in using some of these techniques both for natural wood and using colour. Looking forward to having a play.
Thanks for watching.
Get stuck in. The only way to understand it is by repeatedly doing it. But follow the methods I show here ✅.
Awesome videos mate!
A great video done by a master. So much information and demonstration of skill. Thank you so much. I am currently busy with restoration of a bow front chest needing repolishing with french polish. This gives me inspiration to improve my technique
This type of knowledge is so valuable. Thank you for taking the time to pass it down. Very much appreciated.
This is incredible to see! What goes into this is truly remarkable. Thank you.
Brilliant series on how to French Polish. A pleasure to watch a skilled craftsman at work. Thank you.
Most enjoyable set of videos.... Brilliant.... thanks
very educational. Thank you, very enjoyable
Thank you for taking the time in showing us very detailed techniques in French Polish. Beautiful workmanship! I love your enthusiasm, I clearly see how much you love what you do. You are a true Master.
Thank you. That’s very kind of you.
This has been an enjoyable series to watch. It is pretty much the way I do things, except I have started spraying sanding sealer for the fad element. I know how it is frowned upon, but it just works so well. Thanks for posting.
Excellent series and as a side note I love the hand-hewn look the planing left on the wood.
Superb as always. Thank you for such a great trio of videos.
Thanks Stephen.. I hope it goes in some way to help understand the finishing process. 🙂
Thank you a very very much for these lovely videos and advices! I did my first French Polishing watching again and again these videos and I made also mistakes. For example, I used all too much oil to lubricate the surface but I took a sheet of papers and just wiped it away. Finally - I think I succeeded quite a well. Thank you again! It would be wonderful to travel by that nice train next to your workshop! Have a nice end of this year! Greetings from Finland!
Fascinating process. I’ve been looking at antique French furniture and noticed they have such good glossy finishes even after 200 years, so I looked up the processes they used and came across this video. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you.
This was enjoyable and i learned a lot. Thank you!
After watching this series i achieved my first ever attempt at french polishing a coat rack plinth in my hallway makeover. For my first ever attempt at making a fad, a rubber and then french polishing i am blown away by how beautiful it looks! Thank you so much for this series i cannot wait to try it on my mango-wood chest of drawers!
Well done you. 👏👏👏
Thanks for letting the light in on magic.
Fascinating and very enjoyable.
Thanks Alan.
Brilliant series of videos. Great to see the use of traditional skills and techniques.
Thanks John.
What a lovely structured approach. So accesible and easy to follow. You've made me feel like it might be achievable!!! I'll have to get on and find out now! Thank you.
Thanks John. I hope you have had some success. 🙂
Simon
You make it look so easy. I'm soon to find out that I'm not the pro I think I am. Now, off to the store for supplies. Thank you!
I hope you enjoy the process. ✅
Thank you for this. Using some of these techniques, I was able to create a gift that turned out far better than I could have ever imagined.
Glad it helped. Thank you
I am so grateful to you for this wonderful presentation on French polishing. I had some very basic knowledge about this topic but had no idea how much is needed to be learnt about the different processes used. Your presentation helped me tremendously and once again, thank you.
Thank you
Awesome video! Its nice to learn about the old ways of finishing. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it. Simon
Brilliant. Thanks.
You're welcome. 🙂
Love it.
Great series. Many thanks for this excellent and detailed tutorial. Best wishes from Australia.
Many thanks Garuda.
A million years of expertise in half a million seconds - wow - Old git, UK
Thank you.
really enjoyed the three vids.
Thank you.
Excellent lesson...well done...
Thank you. 😃
I'm currently renovating my house, keeping as much old wood as possible. I will be making my own furniture pieces, and at least one will get the beautiful French polish I've learned from you. Thank you.
Thank you Been Pickin. I hope you have success. 🌿
I’d always wondered what French Polishing was and I now know 😊 thank you for a great explanation and demonstration, it’s magnificent and you’re a true craftsman indeed. Cheers from 🇦🇺
Thanks Donna. I bet it's warmer with you down there.. 🙂
@@GilboysRestoration Yes, it’s getting warm here that’s for sure! The afternoon (and weirdly, morning) storms are rolling in and we’re hitting the 30 degrees +….summer is coming ❤️😊
Looking forward to seeing more of your wonderful craftsmanship
Just need to go back to the beginning of the first video now because I’ve forgotten most of it😉. Great trio of tutorials both for anyone starting out or as a reminder those who have had mediocre success in the past😬. 👍
Thanks Dan. I tried to condense it as much as possible. 😁
what a finish, Love it.
Has inspired me to do a home project on my coffee table.
I hope you have success. It takes a little while to learn. ✅
@@GilboysRestoration I'm sure it will definitely be better than how it look now
I was always interested in French polishing , the finish is really so pleasing on the eye , it just gives you an appreciation of the article you own . You are a true craftsman in your profession .
Thank you for your time & trouble to show us mere mortals an insight into your profession .
Thanks Patrick
@@GilboysRestoration sir I am India , I also work in Polish, in India. i want to learn french polish
@@GilboysRestoration sir if you have a polish work please tell me ,
Very well done video.Most of the times if the video starts to be very long it gets boring and I just forward it. But this one I watched it right to the end .Very clarifying. Keep it going.
Thank you Jose. That's very kind of you.
Excellent demonstration of how to do it. A very enjoyable watch. The only thing I can think to add would be please list all the materials/chemicals used at each stage.
TY 😊🙏🏻
And thanks again
It would be interesting to see the acid finish. What i see available on the internet is lacking any detail. Nice series. Thank you.
When I French polished a table I had difficulty removing the oil. So I used white spirit on a cloth. Thinking it wouldn’t damage the polish, but it can remove the oil. It worked very good.
Hi Kevin.
It's certainly not something I would recommend as white spirit is itself oil based, but if it worked for you...
I’ve applied french polish on several guitar bodies in the past and I’m working on another. Each previous job I employed olive oil on a small muñeca which you call the rubber. Olive oil was indicated by luthiers of classic and flamenco guitars. This time I’m suing some Tru-Oil I have on hand which is mostly linseed, designed for gunstocks. I figure it will dry more quickly and harder than a polish employing olive oil. My past efforts resulted in mixed success, where a spirited-off finish that looked glassy became cloudy after it was polished. I think the shell was bodied up too deeply resulting in a shell which was taking forever to fully harden.
More minimal finish depth probably results in fewer problems. Im going to try not to get carried away on the bodying phase which results in too-thick shell of lacquer.
Brilliant series! Thank you so much for sharing your impressive knowledge with us. I recently fell in love with shellac and made my own mixture. But I didn't do the complete polishing process yet. After watching your video I am now encouraged to do so. My actual project is a dining table. I stained the top with oil based stain and sealed it with shellac. I'm planning to finish the piece with your hardwax oil (which hopefully will arrive tomorrow). What do you think about putting hardwax oil on top of shellac? I though it would make the surface more durable. Greetings from Hamburg
Excellent series of videos, I have just purchased one of your kits, and other materials I need. I have a small old side table that once belonged to my Great Aunt. It was painted over, but I am sure it’s mahogany underneath, so need to strip it back.
Hi Rhona.
How did you get on? assuming you've started. 🙂
@@GilboysRestoration Hello Happy New Year !
I have come to a crashing halt at the moment, I have uploaded a short video of the table now I have managed to remove most of the paint. Not sure what the wood is.
The original stain is not lifting so made need a more aggressive stripper as I used a water based one.
I purchased an ethanol based wood dye, however, on reading the back it says it’s not compatible with french polishing !!
Back to the drawing board and search for a suitable dye.
Hope the team are all well, look forward to watching more of your content this year.
Brilliant videos and very enjoyable presentation I must say. When you mention that you can pretty reverse each process and begin again if needs be, I take it this doesn't apply the staining process, so one would have to be careful here in matching the top to say an apron or leg for example ?
Yes. You are right Michael.
You need to get the staining process right. Sometimes it’s easier to dilute the stain, making it lighter and then stain the surface a number of times to bring the colour down closer to the colour you are trying to achieve. ✅
I want a guitar smooth and shiny.
How do you go around corners?
Many thanks for these very interesting videos about frensh polishing! It is one of the best and most informative videos about this topic! Do you use the same colouring process, when you have a piece with intarsia, or are there other techniques? When someone wants a very high gloss finish, do you use a Benzoin resin finish, also appliable with a polishing pad over the shellac polish? Do you also use dragon blood powder as a colouring pigment for the shellac stain? In a very old book I once read, that they used powdered Saffron spice a a natural colour pigment in wood stains. A violin maker told me some times ago, that he uses several pads with diffent coloured shellac polishes. He begins with a polishing surface of yellow, then a next layer is a more orange finish and then he applies a next layer with a more red or brown colour the get the rich and deep colour he wants for his instruments. When a deep black but high gloss french polish is wanted, for example on columns of a piece of furniture, is there a special technique to get so much colour pigment into the shellac, without altering the features of the shellac? Best regards from Switzerland, bluearcturus
Thank you.
We use all the methods you see me demonstrate in these trio of videos to create a high gloss finish. Also the same method for an ebonised finish. Everything you see doing here (3 videos) can be applied to make many different finishes.
I’ve never tried dulling using oil, I normally use 0000 and wax
Simon on one of your previous videos I commented that's it's a pity we can't buy 'elbow grease' in a bottle.
Well... last week I saw dozens of bottles of some sort of household cleaner, in a supermarket, named.... *"Elbow Grease".*
It looked the same colour as sugar soap. Obviously no help taking the effort out of French Polishing but maybe I should have taken out a copyright on the name!
Thanks for all your informative _(and entertaining)_ videos.
😅. I think you should have! Next time don't share your thoughts on social media . 😜
@@GilboysRestoration... 😜
What is the ratio of shellac polish to Meths used in the last stage?
Can we miss the colouring stage if we don't have all the colour pigments?
Great explanation of the process. I am a furniture maker hobbyist and am working on a project that I want to french polish. Is it acceptable to was it after the spiriting? Does this process need to be done on the entire piece (legs, aprons, etc.)?
very informative thank you , i was wondering for how long would the home made shellac be effective if kept sealed in a jar ??
Yes. It will be fine for many years kept in a jar.
I am finishing a small rdwd table and had to re-do some steps because I let the sun at it for an hour or two in the car.
Tiny bubbles appeared. I didn't do the cure step, I guess.
I've not heard any discussion of this, heretofore.
What a great series thank you very much. I have a question how long would the shellac take to dry if the oil is kept in it after bodying
Hi Paul. It depends on how much oil you used. A small amount will be okay and won't really affect the drying. If a lot has been used it may months to dry properly hard. That is why it is important to spirit off as much as possible. ✅
Excellent Tutorial ... thanks.
When bodying would you ever work until it begins to resist, then leave to harden and continue to build up on top? I have found that in bodying I can only work for a limited time before needing to stop .... fine for applying wax but not really the glass finish you see on some pieces .... or perhaps practice makes perfect?
Yes you can stop there if you wish to. Or you have two choices: either 'recharge' your rubber or add mineral oil to lubricate the surface which will allow you to continue bodying. 🙂
So many helpful processes shared.. I feel silly asking about your onion board. Where did you get that?
I think we bought it on Ebay. They are more often found on car body repair websites. ✅
Thanks for this series, it has really helped me troubleshoot and better understands my own process. You mentioned using a hard wax oil to start, is that a blend you make yourself or one of the ready made products? Also could you link to the materials used for each style of rubber?
Hi Luir.
I have been using one of the branded hard wax oils , up to now . But we are in the process of developing our own.
The rubber consists of cotton wadding, with a cotton outer cloth. (pillow case, bedsheet)
Kind regards
Simon
Great instructions, iv just started to do a bit of woodworking, since lock down, I couldn’t knock a nail in, but now have progressed to dove tails. Since i have made a few boxes, I have played around with finishes, and have now had a go at French polishing. My problem is I end up with a shine but I have streaks in it. Can anybody tell me what am I doing wrong?.
Hi Allan.
Well done on your achievements so far, its very satisfying isn't it. 👏
All I can say is keep trying. Experiment by adding more meths or reducing the meths. Also the amount of pressure you apply to the surface.. you will get the feel of it but not without failure first.
Streaks can happen for many different reasons. But the only way you will work it out is, by continuing to apply the methods I have demonstrated in this series of videos.
Keep going..
Best wishes
Simon
Thanks for this series, it helped me a lot! A problem I ran into recently, was that I built up a french polish too quickly, leaving the finish soft enough to dent with my finger nail, even after 2 weeks. Aside from removing the finish and starting again, are there any tricks that could help the shellac harden?
Hi. I'm glad I could help. A body of polish should be hard to the touch within 12 to 24 hours, and after a few weeks hard enough for every day use. It sounds like it may be down to the polish you used.
kind regards
Simon
@@GilboysRestoration Thanks for the insight Simon. I already removed the offending polish and will do some test pieces to see if I can reproduce the problem.
Many thanks-another awesome video. How long do you need to wait between bodying coats, and also before spiriting off?
Hi Paul. The bodying process is a continuous process. The aim is to build up a body of polish in one go. If you go wrong you can leave it overnight to dry and sand it back flat, using ‘0000’ wire wool to get it really flat. Then you can start again.
The spiriting process is done immediately after you have bodied it. You can leave it if you want. But it’s better to get the oil out there and then. ✅
@@GilboysRestoration great-thanks.
Great stuff. I have an antique Dutch cabinet for keeping special China in. It has 2 drawers which fall down when you pull them out due to there being no runners from the original making of it. Any advice on what i could do?
Pull the drawers out and see if you can fit some internal drawer guides in above the drawer. ( two lengths of wood approximately 15 x 20 x 250 mm long ) 🙂
@@GilboysRestoration thanks. I’m just worried it would decrease the value of it as it wouldn’t be original. Your thoughts on this?
Love your channel and products. Would you mind answering a question for me? "I have a 4 foot diameter "tilt" table. The two halves don't seem to be glued together so there's a slight gap in the joint down the middle) - is there a reason for this or should the two halves be glued together? Any advice on this would be gratefully appreciated".
Hi Papa.
This is a common problem on period Tilt or Snap Top tables. The two sections were usually flush butt joined together with hot animal glue. The glue sometimes fails with time Other factors that may cause the faces to separate may be down to the cabinet makers selection of timber, also how dry it was or has been in the past.
We have rejoined dozens of these tables. Often the top is only held together by the rails or frame on the underside.
If you do take it apart clean the faces with a very hot wet towel to remove any residual glue. ( the may not be any left) If you are lucky the faces will butt together nicely again.
If not you may have to plane the faces but great care must be taken. (a skilled hand is needed for this) If too much is taken off you will change the shape of your table.
Good luck
Simon. 🙂
@@GilboysRestoration Thankyou so much for your reply - You were right about no glue being left. The two halves separated as soon as the rails were removed but didn't butt together nicely. I used a 5 1/2 plane like a shooting plane to carefully remove the "hump" in the middle of one of the halves. Although not perfect it was a vast improvement - I didn't want to push my luck so I stopped there and glued them together using biscuits for alignment. Hopefully it will do the trick, (at least I know they're meant to be joined together). This is my first project so I really appreciate your help - I'm certainly on a big learning curve!
Fantastic and informative series, thank you. Is it necessary to to do the colouring stage? Not the colouring of the gouge, I can see why you do that, but the mixing of colour on the fad like you did?
Hi Shaun. No its not necessary. The idea was to demonstrate all the processes of french polishing (as I know them). Only if you feel you need to do it. It all comes down to what you are trying to achieve.
@@GilboysRestoration Right, so we can essentially pick and choose a bit towards the end of the series there. I realise the front portions of the tutorials are actual French polishing and that's that but I was curious about the other information, Thanks for that, I'm going to practice on my cigar humidor as a learning project.
Hi there,
I really hope you can help me with that .. it’s months I’m trying with no results.
How to make it like a mirror on a 0.6mm veneer with deep pores/veins?
Thanks,
Iacopo
Hi.
The french polished mirror finish is quite hard to achieve. It can take years for a french polisher to achieve a high gloss deep shine. I'm afraid its not something I can guide you through via a CZcams comment.
Have you seen this series of video's? czcams.com/video/Nu93hys1N58/video.html
They may help you.
Kind regards
Simon
Hello, many thanks for the video and excellent instruction!
I have a mahogany hall table which is very badly faded by the sun. The colour has been completely bleached out leaving it very pale and unattractive. I would like to restore the colour as close to its original dark mahogany, as possible and finish with several coats of French polish. Are you able to tell me at which point in the finishing process I apply stain, please?
Hi Rick.
Right at this point 05:14 in part 1 of 3 of How to French Polish
I hope this helps
Simon
I am an aboslute beginner and I bought Colron French Polish but I could not manage its thickness. I am in a bit of trouble.
I found this series very helpful and wish to have another go. May I know the exact brand of "very pale Vanish" mentioned? Thanks
Hi Dora
I think I used Fiddes Transparent Polish. ✅
Hi, I’m repairing an antique walnut burr veneer chest of drawers. The leg is missing a piece, I’ve managed to craft a new one out of oak, I’ve veneered it with some walnut burr. Yesterday I’ve sealed the wood with 4 coats of shellac waiting a few minutes in between for alcohol to evaporate and dry. Today I’m going to start bodying because I don’t want to change colour so I’ll go straight to here. It’s only a few inches big though so any tips for polishing such a small piece. Can I just keep doing figure of eights for half an hour without letting it dry when bodying, since I can apply polish to the whole area within a few seconds. Thanks
Hopefully I've replied to this question above. 🙂
How much longer will it take to dry if you omit the spiriting process? is it hours/days/weeks ? will it end up in time the same if you don't do it ?
If you don't perform the spiriting process it can delay the drying for days and sometimes weeks.
Also there is the danger of the polished finish staying soft
kind regards
Simon
I built a Queen Anne style tea box in walnut and have applied polish. The result is a little streaky but not horrible. It has not been brought to a high gloss. If I move on to dulling and wax, can I achieve a good result or will the current faults limit the outcome? My goal is the cared-for antique appearance you demonstrated. If I can get there from where I am, I'm happy to say that what is in hand is just my current experience level and move on: I'm guessing this item probably isn't a good piece to practice refining high gloss polishing technique because of all the mouldings and details. I'm willing to keep after, though, if that is what is best.
Hi. Yes, you can move on to the dulling and waxing from the point you are at. It should work well. If not, don't blow a gasket. Just use the '0000' wire wool to remove the wax and key the surface a little, Then continue with the french polishing process and try again.. ✅
@@GilboysRestoration Is blowing a gasket permissible if I make a new rubber and it fills the surface with unbelievable amounts of lint and fuzz? :-) I'm playing with your method of French polishing, working with something I had previously brushed a few coats of blonde shellac on (just a couple days ago) and the more I try to body, the duller the surface becomes. Part of it is the lint, but I also think it is my technique or shellac / meths mixture. It's as if I'm removing the polish rather than putting it on. On the other hand, I think I see the grain filling better than at the brushing stage. The piece is curly maple and, when brushed, would become glossy over the hard grain, but much of the curl remained starved. Polishing has made things more uniform, but dull.
@@ef2b "(Is blowing a gasket permissible)": Lol, Yes it is. Why are you getting lint all over the surface? If you are bodying, do so with a rubber. It sounds like you may be burning off the polish you have applied, with too much meths in your rubber or fad. It's not an easy thing to do. it takes a lot of practise. 🙂
@@GilboysRestoration Yup, am using a rubber, but it seems that the cloth that I chose for the rubber is very linty. After seeing all the lint, I switched to a bit of loosely woven linen I had at hand, just to see what it would be like. I might try an old handkerchief as it would be cotton instead of linen and shouldn't have all the lint that the new cotton wiping cloth had. I realize you adjust by feel, but can you estimate what pound cut of shellac is in your bottle of finish? That will give me a starting point. I'm definitely going to keep practicing!
I no it’s old video, if I was using black polish would I stain the wood black for a black wood effect or would the polish alone turn it black
Hi. It's not that old!
Yes I would stain the wood black first, then apply the black polish. ✅ 🙂
@@GilboysRestoration hi I’ve been looking at black polish and I can only seem to find ones that block out the wood grain, is there a type of black polish that doesn’t?
What’s an onion board and where does one get one? Looks handy.
It's a board which has white sheets of glossy paper, that peel way after use to reveal a fresh new layer. They are made for the car repair industry, they use it for mixing filler. We found them very useful for mixing colours on.
You could use an artist's palette board which you need to clean off immediately after use.
Google: onion palette mixing boards
I hope this helps.
Simon
@@GilboysRestoration Thank you, kind sir. I found it on Amazon (of course) and also found your waxes and polishes. Two unrelated questions - 1) Did you develop the waxes yourself or did you have an outside company create it? 2) Why is the first “pad” you use called a “fad”? Perhaps you covered this in a vid I’ve not seen. It’s just a curious word that to an American sounds odd.
@@kmparadice6254 Hi K.M.
1) Yes we developed the wax polish from scratch. It is all made here in our workshop by us and shipped all over the world. 🌎
2) Yes I do cover this subject in the earlier videos 🙂. A ' fad' is the correct term for the shaped cotton material French Polishers use before prior to making a 'rubber' 🙂✅
I hope this helps.
Cheers Simon
Beautiful!👴🏻🇦🇺
Thanks Mark.
Why not just use linseed, walnut or tung oil to lubricate the shellac when applying, and then let the oil naturally harden and become part of the finish, instead of removing it?
After that lot, I am surprised there isn’t a condition called ‘French polishers elbow’
😆
You speeded the film so we couldn’t see clearly how you charged the rubber and how you achieved the 75%25% ratio of polish to meths. 😩
Rocket Science?.....
Am I thye only person who thinks the end result looks really bad?
In what way Hercules? Please expand 🙂
this is confusing,when you mention polish do you mean the shellac ,? its confusing as its not clear as you seem to call shellac polish !.
Hi Paul.
Shellac is often called french polish or polish here in the UK, I know it can be confusing in some circumstances. But for the sake of the video which is about 'How To French Polish' I would assume they are the same thing.
Kind regards
Simon
@@GilboysRestoration how long does it need to be left to dry before spiriting off,ie after 16/16 build coats?