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 )==#