French polishing

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drumgerry

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I'm deep in the planning stage for my first ukes and inevitably my thoughts have turned to the question of finishing. I don't have a spraying set up or the wherewithal to aquire one. I have used tru oil in previous guitar projects and have once used Stewmac's Colortone waterbased laquer with foam brushes. Although these finishes are nice I want something a bit shinier for the ukes :D.

So I'm thinking about french polishing. I found this great tutorial -

http://www.milburnguitars.com/frenchpolish.html

But I have absolutely no experience of anything that has in fact been french polished. I know it is supposed to be a fragile finish but I'd like to know how fragile. Is relatively ordinary but careful use going to trash the finish? Or is it durable enough if you're not stupid with it? If I happen to bump it on something will it ding? Or worse?

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers

Gerry
 
I'm no expert by any means but I've tried french polishing after attending a workshop on how to do it. One of the most important things I learned is to use Everclear as your alcohol with your shellac. It has a much higher percentage percentage of alcohol and it applies better without dragging. It's very time consuming and it seems to me better to do two or three instruments at a time to make all the waiting worth while. The nice thing about FP is that it's relatively easy to touch up, which may be pretty often depending upon it's use. It's a beautiful, thin finish though. Good for you for trying it.
 
Just make sure you're willing to put in the time to do it right, I french polished my Uke and found myself rushing alot because I wanted it to be done.

As far as the hardness goes I think its very comparable to other finishes, my uke has fallen off my coffee table and survived ding free. Supposedly it takes a while for the shellac to fully harden though, so just be extra careful for the first month or two after it is complete, not that you shouldn't always be careful.
 
And you're in Scotland so the chances of getting the proprietry brand mentioned by Chuck for FP is nil... However Behlens Ltd supply lacquer in a spray-can as does Tonetech - both UK suppliers found on the net. My first venture in nitro finishes was using clear cellulose car lacquer. Came out really well. Don't try acrylic - it doesn't 'burn-in' like cellulose.

If you follow the epoxy grain filling video found in another thread (can't remember who posted it but it's really good) and then do the one coat vinyl sealer 6 coats lacquer over 2 days you should get a good finish that will be much more durable than FP. I have the guitar finishing video produced by Behlen's which shows them finishing a guitar with their spray can products. It is a great tutorial.

When I used cans I used to stand at the back door of the house and spray into the outside. It's a small amount entering the atmosphere and won't endanger your minimal carbon footprint... For ukes it is an easy way to apply a finish. One can of each should do at least 2 instruments.
 
Last edited:
Matt

Just reviewed that FP video. Interesting - not the way I learnt it. For instance: no FP'er that I know (and I have worked with a few) ever applies polish to the face of the pad (called a 'fad' in UK). The pad is usually a cotton/linen cloth (a used but washed handkerchief is best) - not a T-Shirt. As he says on VideoII - there are many ways of FPing. For me, I would have used a mop to do the spit coats. I'd also use paste filler... etc. I'd certainly not use Olive oil - you want a white/paraffin style oil... Oh boy, I wish I never started :(((
 
When I was doing some research to french polish my Uke I found so many different styles and techniques and ways of doing it, some of them contradictory. I think your best be is just to do a little experimenting and find out what works for you.
 
Everclear is also illegal in many states in the US.
 
You can get 99 point something percent isopropyl alcohol. It works a treat, smells a bit medicinal but better than household spiritus. We use it all the time. And I haven't seen the shellac go cloudy when made with this stuff, which it does sometimes do with other (lower percentage) alcohols like spiritus.
 
Superb replies guys - many thanks. Interesting what you're saying about spray can lacquer Pete. I'd be worried I didn't put the coats on thinly or evenly enough.

I like the fact that FP is a slow, meticulous finishing method. I'm in no particular hurry so it might suit me. Spraying from a can strikes me as a "once you've started you're kinda stuck with it" method - for one instrument I mean.

Isn't it the case that methylated spirits is the alcohol base used in the UK or have I got that completely wrong?

Cheers

Gerry
 
I used to have a pair of FPs finish my work for me. When they did FP the oil used was a clear mineral oil and the spirits used was also clear. Methylated spirits is purple in colour. Spraying is not as difficult as it sounds and getting an even coat using an aerosol can is simple. I've FP guitars an ukes and know what I prefer doing. Ken Timms who posts here under the avatar Timbuck FPs his, or is it your wife that does it Ken? I don't like the 'softness' of this finish. When my FPs worked in London they had clients whose furniture they went back to every year to 'refesh'. If all of those makers back then had the finishes we had now FP would be completely obsolete. Martin and Gibson couldn't get into cellulose fast enough in the 20s...

My only issue with all this is the waiting game you have to pay while finishes harden off.
 
Pete you make a strong case for non FP finishes. If I thought I could get a decent even, gloss finish out of a can I'd be very tempted. Plus I could try doing a sunburst at some point.

Cheers

Gerry
 
Pete Howlett said:
Matt

Just reviewed that FP video. Interesting - not the way I learnt it. For instance: no FP'er that I know (and I have worked with a few) ever applies polish to the face of the pad (called a 'fad' in UK). The pad is usually a cotton/linen cloth (a used but washed handkerchief is best) - not a T-Shirt. As he says on VideoII - there are many ways of FPing. For me, I would have used a mop to do the spit coats. I'd also use paste filler... etc. I'd certainly not use Olive oil - you want a white/paraffin style oil... Oh boy, I wish I never started :(((
Click to expand...

Pete, it's been a couple of weeks since I watched these videos, and I had forgotten about the olive oil. I believe he said he was trying something new, that he wasn't quite sure about--I could be wrong. Half way through an educational video struck me as a funny time to try something new, but then it's interesting to note you pros are never satisfied and are always trying something new.
 
Olive oil makes the final finish very soft - that's why professionals use a mineral oil. That's the good and bad about YouTube and self publishing. It works for him but is VERY non-standard and evidence of an autodidactic nature. Frank Ford's offering on FP are probably better and that chap Carruth also has some good stuff. In the end, you have to accept that this is not a good finish for instruments and is technically quite demanding for a novice.

Furthermore the other quitar making videos on his website show a similar keen but misguided amateur leading the innocent to the slaughter!
 
I think it's much easier to get a even finish with spraying than with French polishing. With FP, the pressure you apply, the length and type of stoke used, will all effect the finished job. For a very nice result, we are talking many, many hours of tedious work.
And yes, Everclear is illegal in most states. Through much research I found one company on the east coast that would ship a case of it to me in Hawaii. Apparently interstate shipping is legal.
 
Hi drumgerry, I've just finished french polishing some ukes. A few observations. The positives; It's cheap. You don't need a dust free room. It's not very toxic. It is very satisfying. It looks beautiful and has a nice feel. The negatives: It takes forever I mean weeks. You need a glass like filled finish before you even start. It's fickle and unpredictable ie you get a really good finish then when you string the uke up the surface changes as the top is tensioned. On the other hand it has a certain authentic look to it and an aesthetic quality that a lot of people like. Not everything has to be shiny and tough and a french polished uke will look old before it's time in a nice way if you know what I mean. I say go for it, it's a skill worth learning. My own compromise at the moment is for an oil finished body and french polished neck. Isopropyl alcohol works fine btw. Steve
 
Another vote here for non slippery, non gloss finish on the neck. Heck I might even revert to tru oil for those. Oh and thanks for the great insight Steve. I was thinking it would be great to have FPing as a skill as well.

Cheers

Gerry
 
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