Thread: french polish fail

Moisture in there somewhere. Wait for a hot/fine day and give it another coat.

sweet thanks burra

yep, definitely moisture. Mid 20's day with dry conditions best for application.

ok thanks. So should i wait for some fine weather and give a light sand with steel wool, then apply more coats? Or blow up with semtex...

If I am reading this correctly and based on your location(Sydney) you most likely applied the finish just before the rains came.

correct Christos. I'm getting the feeling this is where i went wrong...

You may be lucky, I have had it clear up in the past with a bit of dry weather and just reapplying. But yes, a rub down and redo wont hurt. No need to blow it up just yet...

Some people have reported banishing the haze with dry heat. I've never tried it. Others have reported success with a bit of solvent on a clean, lint-free cloth and rubbed over the surface. I've had limited success with this.

ron

Hi TGuy,

I agree with the other responders that the white haze does sound like the shellac is affected by water. I'm not so sure about the source of the water though as I French Polish here in Brisbane in very humid conditions and even when it was raining a couple of days ago without any white haze.

Some metho contains a lot of water so one possible cause of your problem could be the solvent (metho is hygroscopic so it absorbs water from the atmosphere and some suppliers also dilute as water is cheaper than alcohol).

I haven't ever used the brand of shellac that you are using but it could also be the source of the water problem if it was old and had absorbed water from the atmosphere.

The good news is that your project will be OK - far from a write-off, even if it is frustrating at this time. Many years ago I purchased a set of antique cedar chairs that someone had tried to strip with some water containing cleaner and had turned white. They went very cheaply at auction! I gave them a light steel wool rub and then polished over the top with good quality button shellac (see below) and the finish revived beautifully.

Depending on the effect that you are trying to achieve it would be worthwhile trying some different shellacs and some good quality metho. The forum owner, UBeaut products, sells some really good ready-made shellac products that I have found to be great to use. They even have a modified shellac (Hard Shellac) that cross-links as it dries and become heat and water resistant (I use it for wooden coasters and food bowls) and is very hard wearing. For antique items (which I only polish if absolutely necessary as I prefer old finishes with patina) I use brown button shellac. This comes as flat, hard shellac discs about 50 mm diam. which you dissolve with metho and make to whatever strength you want. A company in Sydney called Shines sells the buttons by the kilo.

David

Definitely agree that you have moisture trapped in the layers.
I have done french polishing in the past but only on antique pieces and one or two reproduction pieces I made.

Personally I hate it as a finish especially on modern pieces as it is far too long winded to apply and has very little duarbility.
You may be far better of using a wipe on poly finish,Danish oil or something similar as they are very easy to apply and maintain.