Thread: Specific questions about shellewax cream on canned Poly.

Originally Posted by Tegmark

Are the swansdown mops disposable? NO... Not unless you're extremely well heeled or someone's buying them for you. if not, how exactly do you clean the eee ultra shine off them? You don't, there is no real need to clean it off. Just turps, & soapy wash?

I assume you need a mop separate for the shellewax cream? Preferably but not essential. If you are using a mop with Shelawax or Shellawax Cream the mop needs to be conditioned and not cleaned of old polish if it is new or cleaned it will pull the shellawax off into the buff rather than burning it into the finish through friction.

I don't understand exactly how to use the shellewax cream, the instructions seem confusion. Do I use the mop the same way as with the eee ultra shine? If so I don't know how to as it dries up very quickly & i'm not sure what is going on, so I sanded it all back again ready for cutting. Shellawax Cream is basically designed as a friction polish for use on the wood lathe. The info about finishing on flat surfaces is because no matter how many times we say don't use it for flat work people will always try it and in most instances will make a mess of it.

If someone could help & give some detailed advice I woild really appreciate it, thanks.

Please have a look at the Data Sheet CLICK HERE for information on using it.

As for using it over canned poly.... NO WAY. It is supposed to be used on raw timber. Over poly you will only end up with a mess and most likely a heap of melter poly to boot if you use a Swansdown Mop as the friction from the rotating mop created heat. Poly is basically a plastic and plastic melts under heat, resault..... Yuck!

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers Neil

I would have thaught that mops (variuos) where more light buffing items rather that an item best suited to friction pollishing or hard burnishing.

Would a a harder flatter item like a felt or cloth pad, or even a brush not do a better job than a mop.

If I where to use shelawax on a large flat surface (I wouldn't)...but if I did, I be looking at a felt pad on a random orbit sander.

If you want to pollish over polyeurtahne......um yeh right.....Id be letting it harden at least a week or more, then rub it out with 800 up to 1200 wet & dry ( wet) then rubbing with a compound....if you like EEE for that fine.....but a modern automotive compound would be my choice...followed by u beaut traditional wax.

Fact is.....polly is a plastic coating and will never polish up well.

I would not bother with the compound....Id rub it out to 1200 gritt and then give it a good coat of wax.

I'd be doing none of that with a mop of any type.

cheers

Originally Posted by ubeaut

Please have a look at the Data Sheet CLICK HERE for information on using it.As for using it over canned poly.... NO WAY. It is supposed to be used on raw timber. Over poly you will only end up with a mess and most likely a heap of melter poly to boot if you use a Swansdown Mop as the friction from the rotating mop created heat. Poly is basically a plastic and plastic melts under heat, resault..... Yuck! Hope this is of some help.Cheers Neil

Thanks Neil. So is there a product that one can hand polish the cutting scratches out on the poly clear? Similar to how they polish automotive clear after a buff has been used on the surface.

you could use EEE ultrashine....but I would not say it is best suited.

I always have some EEE on hand, But it pretty well only gets used on the lathe.

I'd be looking for a modern professional auto refinish compound.

Note I have not used the word "cutting", because that evokes old fashon expectations and inevitable disapointment.

The latest generation autorefinish compounds are just fabulous....they contain no ploish only a carrier ( usually water and kero) and the abrasive.

The abrasives are very regular shaped grains and of a very narrow size range.

I have been using a previous generation compound on cars, acrilic turnings and CA finishes....and it is just fabulous....I have found no need to go further than the medium grade.....the fine is just so rediculusly fine.

the current generation of compond I am told is even better


If however you are trying to get a piano finish out of PolyU.....I think you will be disapointed.

cheers

Originally Posted by soundman

you could use EEE ultrashine....but I would not say it is best suited.

I always have some EEE on hand, But it pretty well only gets used on the lathe.

I'd be looking for a modern professional auto refinish compound.

Note I have not used the word "cutting", because that evokes old fashon expectations and inevitable disapointment.

The latest generation autorefinish compounds are just fabulous....they contain no ploish only a carrier ( usually water and kero) and the abrasive.

The abrasives are very regular shaped grains and of a very narrow size range.

I have been using a previous generation compound on cars, acrilic turnings and CA finishes....and it is just fabulous....I have found no need to go further than the medium grade.....the fine is just so rediculusly fine.

the current generation of compond I am told is even better


If however you are trying to get a piano finish out of PolyU.....I think you will be disapointed.

cheers

Thanks soundman. Do you have examples or a name of this fabulous compound? What do you mean I will be disappointed in trying to get a piano finish? Does that mean I will still see tiny scratches? I saw in a auto shop what they called cutting compound with a buffer & it looks like very fine haze & scratches on the clear after & in need of hand polish with rag.

Poly urathane will never Be a fine finish, it will never be as hard or crystal like as shealc or laquer and it will never have the depth of lustre on its own that comes when it is blended with the reactive oils.

That is because it is a plastic coating that will always be soft n never becomming crisp & hard and is always slightly opaque.

It never becomes intimate with the timber like shelac and the oil finishes and the opacity..that is always there prevents the light in the timber showing.

It does not polish well, because it is soft and it will never get that glassy depth, because of the ever present opacity

We have a never ending string of people trying to get pollyU to do things it never will.

PollyU is a hard weraing, utility finish, suited to everyday use furniture

Yeh with a bit of work, you can get a pretty fair gloss out of the stuff.

But Ive never seen the sence in going much past a 1200 grit rub back and a wax polish.

You could do a heap of work and still not get close to what you can get straight off the gun on a final coat of nitro laquer.

As far as the compound I use.
It was imported by the 44 by my refinish suppler and packaged in bottles market as L2.....I baught a liter and a little goes a very long way...this product is now obsolete.

If you go to any good refinish suppler and ask for a good compound they will have something in the current technology...don't think you need the finest compound.

cheers

Originally Posted by soundman

Poly urathane will never Be a fine finish, it will never be as hard or crystal like as shealc or laquer and it will never have the depth of lustre on its own that comes when it is blended with the reactive oils.That is because it is a plastic coating that will always be soft n never becomming crisp & hard and is always slightly opaque.It never becomes intimate with the timber like shelac and the oil finishes and the opacity..that is always there prevents the light in the timber showing.It does not polish well, because it is soft and it will never get that glassy depth, because of the ever present opacityWe have a never ending string of people trying to get pollyU to do things it never will.PollyU is a hard weraing, utility finish, suited to everyday use furnitureYeh with a bit of work, you can get a pretty fair gloss out of the stuff.But Ive never seen the sence in going much past a 1200 grit rub back and a wax polish.You could do a heap of work and still not get close to what you can get straight off the gun on a final coat of nitro laquer.As far as the compound I use.It was imported by the 44 by my refinish suppler and packaged in bottles market as L2.....I baught a liter and a little goes a very long way...this product is now obsolete.If you go to any good refinish suppler and ask for a good compound they will have something in the current technology...don't think you need the finest compound.cheers

Hi again. Curious what does Piano finish refer to? Is it shelac finished? As far as I can tell using shelac, just sand, use compound & wax or polish. Is there a big difference from shellac in a can to French polish method? Also, about PolyU's opacity, why does it look very see thru when off the brush? Thanks.

A Piano Finish is generally accepted to be a full gosss high clarity finish as would be found on high end pianos.

Traditionally Pianos would have been french poished using shelac or some other rubbed brew of antiquity.

In more recent times pianos may have been finished with nitro ceulose laquer.

Speak to any serious piano resorer, they will tell you most modern pianos are rubbish and could be finished with just about anything that gives a fast full goss finish, many particularly opaque colours will be finished in two pack...like a high end kitchen.


As far as pollyU looking see thru....it simply does not have the crisp crystal clarity of properly refined shelac, good quality laquers or a good rubbed out oil finish......it will always have a slight milkyness and low optical clarity to it.

Of all the pacstics available, they don't make lenses or even clear glazing sheet out of polyeurathane...for good reason.

Polly will never show the bright irredescence ( not the correct technical term) that comes from deep in high figured quality timber.


There is a great difference to applying shelac as a laquer and rubbing it out as a french polish...both in the effort required and the result achieved.

cheers

I recently tried my hand at what might be loosely called French polishing (I apologise to any REAL French polishers out there).

The depth and warmth of layers and layers of shellac, grain completely filled, is beautiful, almost mesmerising. With some timber, one can see different shades from different angles and some times almost glowing.

The process is a laborious one, but results stunning.

Not quite as simple as slopping on a couple of coats of shellac and then waxing IMHO.


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Can you buy samples that have been French polish just to see what its like? Or any places that have furniture that is French finished in yarra valley would be good.