UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

Retired · 6th Dec 2009, 12:46 am

Hi,

Thanks for the information Ben. I'm an experienced glass fibre laminater and ended up with mild dermatitis in my hands which cleared after leaving the job so now I'm very careful with what I handle; I only use warm water and washing up liquid hence it takes ages to get shellac off my hands if I don't wear gloves. Stain is even worse as it bites deep.

Like Tony I've used sanding sealer for many years but only used mine whilst wood turning and its the Cellulose based kind which is not a nice product to use in a confined workshop as I'm looking at the instructions on the tin;

Highly flammable; Harmful by inhalation; Keep away from sources of ignition;Take precautionary measures against static discharges; No smoking; Do not breath vapour/spray: Avoid contact with skin and eyes; Do not use in confined spaces with little or no ventilation. Reading this I don't know how I dare remove the cap off the tin?

Mylands Lacacote sealer looks a much better option because its thinned with meths and can be applied by mop or rubber and I note it's stocked by Restoration Materials so I'll buy some on my next visit and dispose of this cellulose type I have. Any product containing meths still requires careful handling but in my opinion is a safer bet than cellulose and can be applied directly over dried linseed oil.

The best french polishing jobs are grain filled with shellac; this uses more shellac and takes more time to accomplish but is the time honoured way and the way I work as I'm not in production and enjoy the process anyway.

I'm of the same opinion as you Tony regarding spraying French polish; I thinned shellac right down until like water but as already stated created one heck of a fog whilst trying to air brush it; I also have large spray guns but was worried about clogging these up with dried shellac.

I did a quick web search and found spraying french polish is available but I'm unsure what solvent would be used in this product as it is descibed as made with modified solvents and it can be purchased at; http://www.wsjenkins.co.uk/polishes.htm

Many thanks for the kind words John please form an orderly queue.

Thanks to Ben I've learnt something new and will now change to meths based sealer. Out of interest a quick grain filler many years ago was to add a handful of powdered chalk to shellac and this was used on furniture backs the mixture being agitated frequently during use. Regards, Col.

6th Dec 2009, 12:46 am	#32
Retired Heptode Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK. Posts: 673	Re: French polishing for beginners. Hi, Thanks for the information Ben. I'm an experienced glass fibre laminater and ended up with mild dermatitis in my hands which cleared after leaving the job so now I'm very careful with what I handle; I only use warm water and washing up liquid hence it takes ages to get shellac off my hands if I don't wear gloves. Stain is even worse as it bites deep. Like Tony I've used sanding sealer for many years but only used mine whilst wood turning and its the Cellulose based kind which is not a nice product to use in a confined workshop as I'm looking at the instructions on the tin; Highly flammable; Harmful by inhalation; Keep away from sources of ignition;Take precautionary measures against static discharges; No smoking; Do not breath vapour/spray: Avoid contact with skin and eyes; Do not use in confined spaces with little or no ventilation. Reading this I don't know how I dare remove the cap off the tin? Mylands Lacacote sealer looks a much better option because its thinned with meths and can be applied by mop or rubber and I note it's stocked by Restoration Materials so I'll buy some on my next visit and dispose of this cellulose type I have. Any product containing meths still requires careful handling but in my opinion is a safer bet than cellulose and can be applied directly over dried linseed oil. The best french polishing jobs are grain filled with shellac; this uses more shellac and takes more time to accomplish but is the time honoured way and the way I work as I'm not in production and enjoy the process anyway. I'm of the same opinion as you Tony regarding spraying French polish; I thinned shellac right down until like water but as already stated created one heck of a fog whilst trying to air brush it; I also have large spray guns but was worried about clogging these up with dried shellac. I did a quick web search and found spraying french polish is available but I'm unsure what solvent would be used in this product as it is descibed as made with modified solvents and it can be purchased at; http://www.wsjenkins.co.uk/polishes.htm Many thanks for the kind words John please form an orderly queue. Thanks to Ben I've learnt something new and will now change to meths based sealer. Out of interest a quick grain filler many years ago was to add a handful of powdered chalk to shellac and this was used on furniture backs the mixture being agitated frequently during use. Regards, Col.