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Old 5th Sep 2011, 10:26 pm   #58
Retired
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: French polishing for beginners.

Hi,

Many thanks Andrew.

I'm pleased to hear you've had a go at using a rubber. If the rubber sticks; let the surface dry out before going any further. The rubber should be kept moving all the time it is in contact with the surface but the tendency to stick is a warning.

The rubber needs charging correctly as applying too much shellac at once builds up a sticky surface which must be left alone until the surface has dried or the sticking will become worse and the rubber will possibly rip up the layers of shellac already applied.

Don't worry Andrew because I still have problems from time to time using the rubber; it's just a case of trying something slightly different; change the cloth; charge the rubber less or even thin the shellac a bit with meths; it will come if you keep practising; this is where patience usually works as it pays to leave the job alone for an hour or so after all French polishing isn't a fast process. As long as you don't disturb the stain the job can always be recovered easily by applying more brush coats of shellac and flatting again; shellac is very forgiving in this respect.

Trying to carry on using the rubber if the surface is becoming sticky will only make it worse and when everything is going well I find after working on a panel it will eventually reach the stage when the rubber begins to stick and this is the warning to leave well alone and work on another section; on a largish cabinet it is possible to work continuously by moving from panel to panel this allows the new shellac time to harden. I've even occasionally removed shellac with the rubber when I should have been adding it by having the shellac thinned too much with meths; I'm still learning but now I know what to watch out for and try to avoid.

On my Ekco TV cabinet I could use the rubber without problem working from panel to panel but my Pilot Little Maestro radio was totally different as it could only be worked with the rubber for short periods. I hope you keep trying as it would be a shame to give up when you are so near to success.

Regarding my Ekco T311 chassis; a very good point and I was only mentioning this to my friend Mike Phelan a couple of days ago; with the onset of summer this year I just could not tackle the restoration as too many other jobs around the bungalow demanded my time but I do intend to make a start on the restoration in the near future and Mike has kindly offered to help if I get stuck as others already have offered on this forum. I did actually have the chassis on the bench at one point and made a start but I ended up frustrated as I could not concentrate on it due to other jobs on my mind.

Kind regards, Col.
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