(Note:
This is not instructions
in "how to", just
simply a brief explanation.)
Because of the labor intense process of finishing a guitar by "French
Polishing", few manufacturers do it. Lacquers &
Polyurethanes are
mostly used. Some luthiers feel that French Polishing a
guitar, which
actually is not polishing but shellac varnishing, is the best way to do
it
because the guitar sounds better. French polishing now is
usually only
done for the finest hand made classical guitars. General
liquid shellac
you buy in the store doesn't seem to suit acoustic guitar making
because it
dries too slowly, soaking into the wood too deeply and changing the
tone of the
wood. Using the French polishing leaves a thin coating and a
gloss after
many rubbing and sanding steps. The amount of rubbing needed
is probably
where the word polishing came from. The French polish finish
is a more
delicate one than the ones mentioned above but is easily
repairable. As a
matter of fact, some luthiers use French polishing to touch up damaged
lacquer
finishes. The shellac used for French polishing comes in
flakes.
Denatured ethanol is added to small amounts as needed to dissolve it
and it
dries more quickly than store bought liquid shellac. Pumice
is used as a
filler and as an abrasive during the process. Pure olive oil
is used as a
lubricant while applying more layers.
Bob, Gman ( o )==#