How Do You French Polish Inlaid Ends?

[david robertson]

I've been teaching myself the rudiments of French polishing - so far, so good, albeit a process of learning by my mistakes - but while idly considering the purchase of a Lachenal Excelsior for restoration, I'm wondering how one would deal with inlaid ends. Anyone got any helpful tips, or experience of doing it?

[martyn]

I've been teaching myself the rudiments of French polishing - so far, so good, albeit a process of learning by my mistakes - but while idly considering the purchase of a Lachenal Excelsior for restoration, I'm wondering how one would deal with inlaid ends. Anyone got any helpful tips, or experience of doing it?

Hello David

 

I am a french polisher, so I might be able to help you.

 

The first thing to establish is the condition of the existing finish and the type of wood.

If it is not too bad and just needs a brighten up then the ends can be gently cleaned with kichen paper and a small amount of methylated spirit. This will remove any dirt and grease from the surface before re-finishing with french polish using a polishing rubber (wadding covered with white cotton cloth to make a small pad).

Polish should be added to the rubber a small amount at a time, never making it too wet.

 

If the condition of the existing finish is very poor it will need to be stripped off.

There are two ways to do this. the first being to use a chemical paint stripper such as Nitromores. The second method is to sandpaper the old polish off by hand using something like 120 grit silicone carbide or garnet paper and once all the finish has been removed change to a 240 or 320 grit silicone carbide paper.

 

One important thing to remember is that if the ends are rosewood and have faded a little over the years heavy sanding will change the colour to a deep purpleish brown.

 

If the first method is chosen use a plastic scraper (your credit card will do) and green pan scourer to remove the stripped polish rather than steel wool - as this is more likely to get caught on the fretwork and cause damage also will not damage the inlay.

 

One of the most important rules to french polishing is not to rush and try to get it completed in one day.

Leave each application of polish time to dry before applying the next. Once you have achieved a good body of polish leave it overnight or longer to harden.

If a high gloss finish is required the ends can be burnished using a burnishing cream or if a softer sheen is required a dark wax applied with 0000 grade steel wool will do the trick.

 

Hope this helps

Martyn

Edited September 4, 2006 by martyn

[david robertson]

Thanks for that, Martyn - several useful tips there. But what I really want to know is how to deal with metal inlays, such as those on a Lachenal Excelsior. Should they be masked somehow? Is there a neat way of removing the shellac from the inlays without screwing up the finish on the wood? Or would it be better (if possible) to remove the inlays and replace them after polishing? (I think disaster might be looming in that direction!)

[martyn]

Thanks for that, Martyn - several useful tips there. But what I really want to know is how to deal with metal inlays, such as those on a Lachenal Excelsior. Should they be masked somehow? Is there a neat way of removing the shellac from the inlays without screwing up the finish on the wood? Or would it be better (if possible) to remove the inlays and replace them after polishing? (I think disaster might be looming in that direction!)

David

 

I would use a pale polish (which when applied is virtually clear) and just polish over the top of the metal inlays.

This will also stop the metal from tarnishing and you will still see all of the detail.

 

Martyn

Edited September 4, 2006 by martyn

[wim wakker]

David: If you use platina (clear) polish, you can polish over the inlays. If you use black, you should go over the inlays with either Cripowa or Benzoe after each session. If you don’t have these hardeners/resins, you can also use a clean pad with ethanol/alcohol only.

 

Just be carefull when filling the pores with pumice or Tripoli, they can scratch the inlays.

 

Good luck

 

Wim Wakker

Concertina Connection v.o.f.