French Polishing Techniques
In the Victorian era, French Polish was used more than any other finish
to impart a high gloss to furniture made from Mahogany and other fashionable wood of the
day. Consequently, as a restorer you will almost certainly have to deal with the prospects
of refinishing French Polish. Unfortunately, the sheer quality of a French-polished
surface and the mystique that has surounded the technique for generations have tended to
make it a daunting process for the amateur. Traditional French Polishing does take
practice to master, but the actual method of applying the polish are relatively
straightforward. The key to a successful finish is not to rush the work, but build up a
translucent film with a number of thin coats applied over several days.
As with any finishing process, it is essential that the
French-Polishing is carried out in a dust free environment, with good lighting. Ideally,
one would always have a separate room for applying finishes rather than having to work in
the main workshop, but this is a luxury most amateur restorers cannot afford. A more
realistic approach is to keep the shop clean as possible and make sure you vacuum the
workbench before you begin polishing, remembering to allow plenty of time for any dust to
settle. Keep the room warm and dry, Damp conditions may cause milky "blooming"
to develop as the polish dries. However, do not use a fan heater to warm the workshop, as
this will disturb the dust again, portable Gas heaters release a large amount of moisture
into the air so these are not suitable either. Prepare the surface of the wood thoroughly
and apply any wood dyes prior to polishing. Although they are not essential, disposable
gloves will keep your hands clean and protect your skin from solvents.
All French Polishes are made by dissolving Shellac in Methylated
spirit or denatured alcohol, but there are several varieties to choose from. Standard French Polish is
perfectly adequate for most jobs, but dark red-brown garment polish is some times
preferred for restoring old mahogany furniture. Use milky white French polish or even
transparent polishes for finishing pale colored woods. Most D.I.Y shops stock French
Polishes, or you can obtain them from a specialist supplier
French Polish is applied with a Rubber, A pad of upholsterers wadding
or cotton wool wrapped in a 225 to 300mm (9 to 12inch) square of white cotton.
- Folding the wadding, Tear off a 150 to 225mm (6 to 9inch) square of wadding and fold it
in half. Fold in the corners of the rectangle to form a triangle.
- Forming the pad. Fold in the outer corners of the triangle to make a pointed
sausage-shaped pad with a smooth sole.
- Placing the pad. Place the pad of wadding diagonally across the center of the cotton
square.
- Folding the cloth. fold one half of the cloth to cover the point of the pad.
- Wrapping the pad. Wrap all the triangular corners of the cloth over the center in turn
to form a neat package.
- Twisting the Fabric. Gripping the wrapped pad in one hand, twist the loose fabric
together to make a firm rubber.
- Gripping the rubber. Fold the twisted ends of the cloth over the pad to fashion a
handgrip, leaving a smooth, crease-free sole.
At the beginning of the job, and each time the rubber begins to run dry, you should
pour polish onto the wadding, Never dip the rubber into the French Polish, and do not pour
it directly onto the sole.
Wetting the Pad Unfold the cloth and pour on enough polish to wet the pad
without actually saturating the wadding. Refold the rubber and press it against a piece of
scrap wood to squeeze out any surplus polish. Smear a drop of linseed oil or
mineral oil onto the sole
with your fingertip, this will lubricate the rubber.
Polish distributed by stroking the rubber across the wood. You need very little
pressure with freshly charged rubber, but as the work progresses , press harder to
encourage the polish to flow. Sweep the rubber smoothly on and off the surface; never let
the rubber come to rest while in contact with the work, or the sole will stick to the
shellac. Recharging the rubber occasionally as it becomes dry, and add another drop of
linseed oil or mineral oil if the sole begins to drag on the surface of the wood. Whenever it is not in
use, store the rubber in a screw top air tight jar to prevent it from drying out and going
hard. Begin by sealing the wood with a slightly thinned polish on a pad of wadding, using
overlapping parallel strokes.
- Filling the grain with polish. The first few applications of full-strength polish are
sufficient to fill close grain wood. Make overlapping circular strokes with the rubber
until you have covered an entire panel to the edges.
- Distributing the polish evenly. Polish the same area again, this time using a figure of
eight strokes, this combination of different strokes will distribute the French Polish
evenly. Again make sure you work right to the edges of the panel.
- Finishing with parallel strokes. Finally go over the panel once more, now using straight
and overlapping strokes. Leave this the first combination of strokes to dry for about half
an hour, and then repeat the whole process three or four times.
- Rubbing out the blemishes Leave the polish to dry overnight, then lightly sand out any
blemishes or dust particles that have become embedded in the surface. Use very fine ready
lubricated silicon-carbide paper, rubbing along the grain only, and wiping off the dust
with a clean duster.
- Bodying up. Give the wood another four or five coats of polish, with half hour breaks
between applications, and then leave it to harden once more. Gradually build up a
protective body of polish over three to four days, until you are satisfied with the
overall colour and appearance.
- Spiriting off Any linseed-oil or mineral oil streaks should be removed by "spiriting off".
Dampen the pad with a few drops of meths, sweep the rubber on and off the surface using
straight strokes, adding meths if the rubber begins to drag. Repeat the process every two
or three minutes until streaking disappears, occasionally changing the cloth to help
remove the oil.
After spiriting off, leave the surface to harden for half an hour and buff it to a
high gloss with a dry duster. Put the work aside for about a week until the polish has
completely finished the hardening process.
- Burnishing. If you are dissatisfied with the shine of the fully hardened polish you can
buff it, using a proprietary burnishing cream or finish reviver.
- Flattening Some restorers prefer a slightly flattened finish to a high gloss. Cut back
the surface slightly with 0000-grade wire wool dipped in wax polish. Rub lightly along the
grain until the polish is matted evenly, then wipe over with a duster.
It is not practical to polish carved work with a rubber. Instead, use a squirrel hair
brush to paint slightly thinned shellac on to carving, not too thickly in case it runs. If
you cannot buy a special brush, make do with a soft paintbrush. When the polish has
hardened, spirit off the high points with a rubber and burnish with a duster. Do not rub
too hard, or you will wear through the polish.
The furniture industry invariably employed traditional French Polishing
methods, but other trades would sometimes resort to a simpler method of applying shellac,
brushing it onto the work. Special brushing French Polish contains a retarding agent that
gives you enough time to paint it onto the wood: if you tried this with standard French
polish, the surface would be covered with brush marks.
- Building a protective coat. Apply the first coat with a paintbrush, allow to dry for
about 20 minutes, then rub down with silicon-carbide paper. Repeat the process twice more.
- Rubbing with wire wool. Applying soft wax polish to the now hardened shellac with a
0000-grade wire-wool pad. Rub fairly gently along the grain, making sure you cover the
whole surface evenly.
- Finishing with a soft duster. Finally bring the polish to a shine by burnishing with a
soft, clean duster.
Old World French Polishing Inc:
Copyright©1999