Reply To: Finishing with Wax over Shellac
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Thanks for the tip Matt – I’ll try some mineral spirits the next time I have the heart to go look at that project again. heh.
David – I’ve heard/read so many different descriptions of the French Polish technique that I’m thoroughly confused. I would very much like to hear what Paul has to say on the topic. A professional woodworker I met a few years ago said he used to do a lot of French Polish work and I *think* he said the early steps involved using a rubbing pad with a little shellac on it with some abrasive powders to do the pore filling. The powder sands the wood, creates some dust, combines with the shellac and fills in the pores. My attempt the other day was to rub the finished surface with shellac (thinned with extra alcohol) in an effort to partially sand and dissolve the existing shellac to get it to fill in the divots in the finish. I did use a little abrasive powder but may have forgot to mention it. I figured this technique was not standard but sometimes it’s fun to try something random. Thanks for the book reference, i’ll probably pick that up.