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1. 
   Frank_Biscardi | Sep 05, 1999 03:42am | #1

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   Jeff,

   I recently rubbed out a French Polished solution (shellac).Don't use water. I would recommend mineral oil and rottenstone. However, be carefull as you can haze the finish faster than you think.Check out the string on the FWW discussions page recently. It is still there.

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   Frank_Biscardi | Sep 05, 1999 03:50am | #2

   *Taunton Press Discussions: Knots- Fine Woodworking discussion Rubbing out French PolishList Messages Added to this Topic in Your New Messages Frank Biscardi - 08:20pm Aug 18, 1999 ESTDespite my better judgement and good advice from bright people I broke down and attempted my first french polish on an 18ft2 table top. Actually it came out pretty well with a few minor rough spots you can only see with a bright light.The orthopedist says he wont need to operate on my sholder. I feel like I aught to rub this out to get things as smooth as possible. Usually I like a more flat finish but I really love this glossy finish. I have read you don't need to rub out French polish.I have also read you can use steel wool or rottenstone. I am concerned it will haze over too much with either.Any advice would be appreciated -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frank Biscardi - 11:54pm Aug 20, 1999 EST (1.1) Reply | Add to Your New Messages | Delete Message | Frank Biscardi's Homepage David, I used rottenstone and mineral oil. I probably overdid it as I hazed it up a bit. Wax didn't really buff it up. I am sure I got all the grime off. Its not objectionable and I can live with it. If I wanted to shine it up how do I get the wax off so I can build up a little gloss with more shellac?Would denatured alcohol also strip off the finish?Can I just get some car polish and a big buffer and buff thru the wax? I am at the stage where I could really futz it up and am tempted to leave it alone if there isn't a foolproof (novice proof)option. Thanks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sgian Dubh - 02:33am Aug 21, 1999 EST (1.1.1) Reply | Add to Your New Messages | Sgian Dubh's Homepage Read the two previous posts. Haze you still have left is probably mostly residue from mineral oil. Try a teeny bit of naptha on a bit of cloth wrapped around your index finger on the smallest spot. See if that removes the residue, and go from there,....or not, as the case may be. Repeat. Tiny spot, perhaps an edge? Do NOT use alchohol. It will soften shellac and cause you more problems than you already have. Sometimes, the trick with finishing, is to know when to finish finishing. Sounds like you are just about finished, apart from the naptha trick. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frank Biscardi - 02:22pm Aug 21, 1999 EST (1.1.1.1) Reply | Add to Your New Messages | Delete Message | Frank Biscardi's Homepage Sgian, I think you are probably right as I can draw marks in the haze with my finger as though there is a film.If the naptha works I take I should probably use a very small amount with light pressure? Will naptha rub off the shellac? Thanks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sgian Dubh - 05:57pm Aug 21, 1999 EST (1.1.1.1.1) Reply | Add to Your New Messages | Sgian Dubh's Homepage No, naptha won't remove shellac, but in a circumstance like this I make such statements with caution because the piece you are working on is not in front of me. I can't see exactly what you have there. Try the index finger, rag, and naptha trick, as I said, perhaps on an edge. If no damage occurs, be a bit bolder, and do a small patch. Build up the amount you slosh on with your growing confidence. I'm just being cautious at this end. I don't want to cause you more work. If for some reason there is a problem with the technique, I want you to find out in a small unimportant way. Another way of being absolutely sure of not encountering problems is to sand up a piece of timber, and apply 2-4 coats of the same polish you used for the table. Obviously, there is no need to get too prissy about the quality of application. Then apply Naptha and see what happens. Actually, there is a technique for levelling off shellac with polish highly diluted in alchohol and using a rubber, but it's rather tricky and needs a little practice. It's called spiriting in GB because alchohol is called methylated spirits, and is a 'pullover' technique to remove any oiliness. I believe you said this is your first effort at french polishing, so your huge table is not the place to experiment. I'm pretty sure all you need to do is get the oiliness off, and the Naptha should do it. Just proceed with caution to start with. Hope this works. As I said before, sometimes you just need to know when to finish finishing! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frank Biscardi - 07:01pm Aug 21, 1999 EST (1.1.1.1.1.1) Reply | Add to Your New Messages | Delete Message | Frank Biscardi's Homepage Sgian, The Naptha didn't really help, but it didn't hurt anything either. What I ended up doing was going over the table with an electric buffer with a new, dry, buffing pad. It took about 80% of the haze out of the shine. There was a very light dirty brown colour on the pad when I was done. I suspect I stripped off the oil and maybe a molecule thick layer of shellac. I re-waxed it and buffed it again. I am about 90% pleased with it so I will leave it be less I muck it up properly. Thanks for all your help! Frank p.s. I looked at the pictures on your web page. Very nice work. I particularly liked the bed. Show Me More: Earliest Messages | Previous Messages | All Messages | List all Messages by Title (1 previous message )