Thread: french polishing

Why would you put olive oil on a table you are polishing?

Originally Posted by kaid

when i wipe olive oil off a table i am polishing it losers all lustre. have had this problem before. need help as i can't figure what i am doing wrong
thanks
kaid

I'm not sure who told you to put olive oil on your timber,but you should stop Now.If the table has no other finish you could try sanding of the oil.If there is a finsh I'm not sure how you can fix the damage.Maybe a toweling rag (dry,no oil) and heat carefully with an iron.Do a test spot somewhere you cannot see.I would not try to put a finish over the top.Could take years before you can.
all the best
mark

Were you using olive oil as a lubricating agent for the french polishing rubber?
Cheers,
Jim

I hope the responses to this thread haven't put Kaid off. It was his first post after all.
Firstly olive oil is sometimes recommended as a lubricant for the french polishinng rubber. I've always used linseed myself but there you go.
Secondly, whatever oil you use as a lubricant on the rubber, use it very sparingly. I just dip my finger tip in the oil and put a tiny amount on the rubber. When you've finished polishing you shouldn't have more than a mere smear following the last movements of the rubber. This is removed by using a clean rubber without shellac and just containing a breath of metho.
If it turns out that it wasn't French polishing Kaid was doing and he just got the terminology wrong, he won't be the first person to do that. Done it myself often enough.
Cheers,
Jim

thanks jimbur
am doing pretty much as you said but dull patchs still persist tried everthing
from dry polishing to bees wax can't get a result
kaid

It happens sometimes and can be difficult to sort out. It may be trapped oil or even a faulty batch of polish. At least french polish is easy to strip off and start again.
Good luck with it.
Jim