Morning everyone. First post.
I’m finishing a ring box (3.5’’ x 3’’ x 2’’) right now that I would like to finish to a high gloss using shellac.
originally I planned to use can spray shellac as it would be much easier to apply to a small item. However after reading into the French polish technique I’m curious if that would be viable for such a small item, or if leveling and buffing the spray on shellac would be a better option. If anyone with experience could help me understand what my best course of action would be I would be greatly appreciative.
thanks in advance!
Replies
Try both on small pieces of scrap that approximate the smallest surface of the live project.
Always test your finishing routine on scrap, until you've done it enough times that you totally own it.
I think it'll be easier to spray or brush a 1 lb. cut then level and buff. There are all kinds of shellac products out there though. Check out the stuff from General Finishes.
I don't know how to French polish so I can't be of much help on that. I've tried the spray can of shellac but end up getting runs as I haven't done much spraying. I have done a lot of brushing of shellac. It's easy and fast. For such a small item, I just use a brush and apply shellac. Some boxes I made for Christmas are similar to the size of what you have.
You can absolutely use a French polishing technique for this. Use very thin coats. I use 1 pound cut further diluted with alcohol. Don't go over the same area too much in a session. If you have access to a buffing wheel, that could be helpful. Otherwise you can rub out with rottenstone if you get some surface imperfections.
Or you can use auto polish, that work too.
No expert, but I think rattle can shellac (which I use a lot) dries too fast to work in a true french polishing process (which Ive only tried twice). I thought the magic of French polishing was in the application of the shellac with an oiled pad that requires a lot of control and timing. Some people refer to FP as just the post-dry polishing with pumice/rottenstone abrasives, but I dont think thats correct. Thats just polishing or hand rubbing.
Spraying and polishing shellac will not give you a French polish, it will yield a shellac finish alone. French polishing starts with filling the grain with a mix of pumice stone and shellac followed by building a film with successive coats applied with a cotton pad and a little oil when the pad starts sticking and finishing with a light rub of pure alcool to remove the oil and bring out the shine. It should be easier on a small object than a tabletop and with practice and patience you can get there.
Nothing beats a French Polish in my opinion . It has its own rules/techniques as Gulfstar stated, you have to follow the steps to get the finish your after . I’ve tried shortcuts and they never work for me . On a really small project I do a lot of very quick sessions allowing the shellac time to dry in between each session .I personally get better results using oil when shellac starts getting “sticky”. Keep the pad fairly dry(cool to touch) . I do it while watching tv and take lots of breaks in between applications. Plan on taking lots of time .When it comes out right it is amazing.
Small items present the problem of having too little surface area so that you must, must, must give each surface a little time between passes. I have found that 2 sq ft of surface is the minimum where you can go back to the beginning immediately after you've gone over the whole surface. This is just my own experience. I do small boxes by doing three sides, let it rest a few minutes, do the remains three sides, let it rest, then go back to the beginning. FW has my video buried in the video section. Might be helpful.