This brings back so many sentimental memories for me. My father was a professional French polisher for over 30 years. He had so many different stains, oils, vanishes, coloured wax strips in his tool collection. He could transform the most beat up piece of furniture into an heirloom. I admired this so much. My dad passed away a few months ago at the impressive age of 89. I've been cleaning up his home in preparation of selling it. I discovered his tool kit. Just opening it up and inhaling the aroma brought back so many memories. I wish I had paid closer attention to my dad's work when I was a kid. I wish I had asked him to teach me his craft. He truly was an artisan.
Hi David, what a lovely message I’d be happy with 89 , bless him and you my friend I totally get what you mean about opening up the box and smelling the polished , it’s so Etching I will need all my life , It’s never to late for you too , even just waxing a chair is Therapy and a great feeling . All the best to you my friend Rob
Never done French polishing before, always thought it was a dark art or too hard but you make it look achievable. Plus I like the idea of setting fire to things. That would look impressive in a shop display.
You get to 20 or more buildup coats with two or three days between the meth rubs to avoid sag then ya hope for consistent temp so it does not microcrack. This is almost applying shellac and rubbing it out. The real trick is identifying the previous finish. If you know its a shellac oil wax type you can clean it and re melt the shellac with alcohol. This top was mostly moisture wax marks. A good wool rubdown after cleaning would have removed allot of the cloudy water marks. I will only use applied heat to reset veneer down all heat comes from the elbow.
Mr Rob the side table in this video is gorgeous Look at what it was, and how you have brought it back among the living. What an amazing talent you have. Mr. Kim
You really inspired me! Decided to try it on an old desk. So I took it to the garage, poured a quart of lighter fluid on it, lit it and went for lunch. But it didn't come out like yours. Guess I have to keep practicing...
Loved this it seems so easy so Im Thinking of giving it a go lol not on something that big just a wee coffee table that’s been passed down the family line but it’s so bad, but think I will give it a try anyway...what will I lose... nothing I think. So thanks for the info.
Thanks for making this and showing how to do a French Polish....I always thought it was done with the mouth. I love this table ! The entire time I was watching, I was thinking of how much this would cost to produce in today's market.... thousands ?
✨🌟"Wow" the results are Gorgeous!!! I'm to chicken to try that fire technic , I have a few antique furniture that need this ..... Maybe one day I'll get courage too give it a try!!! Thanks For Sharing.and wish me luck.
You make learning your art so pleasant and relaxing and whenever we do hear you talk it is a nice pleasant English accent voice and not over bearing in ur face..That's why i have enjoyed watching your tutorial vids of your work and tricks of wood ,antique furniture, finishing cleaning and of course french polishing...I am going to try to do this one...only trouble is trying to find one with this kind of damage..would some of these stains be from solvents or water ?
It's just the alcohol burning like brandy on a Christmas pudding .. Gently it re heats the polish and warms the marks out..thanks for watching see you again soon...
I have a couple of guitars i want to make and a couple of vintage mandolin banjos that will get shellac,honey and a dark brown colour,used shellac to finish tweed amplifiers i built/builtd,i love the finish it gives,not done wood yet,but the tone should be nice,works for violins and cellos. One question what is the best day to use this stuff for wood,atmospherically talking ,i'm up here in scotland,so we share a climate mostly,cool,warm, cold dry?,the latter we have,though cold damp is more usual. Nice,sorry very nice finish on that piece. Cheers.
Great all up, I really enjoyed this and another of your videos. Lighting the alcohol stunned me, but I get it. That is really interesting. Thanks... PS, good hat, good farmer.
This video is so calming and lovely to watch. I would love to have ago and learn how to do it. I have a beautiful antique Georgian repro dresser which could do with a bit of TLC. Maybe I'll start with something smaller and less treasured! ;)
Super work. Do you have a video of you cleaning and polishing ornate and decorative edges? Like the ones on this table and barley twist work on a piece.
Now I feel I can tackle my grandmothers dining table. It is a drop leaf mahogany table with four straight, unadorned legs. People tell me they are not the original legs for the table, what do you think might have been there?
some great vids and easy to watch and understand - shame I auctioned off all those old family washstands 20+ years ago - could have used a bit of elbow grease on them and got more for them than I did :(
So many questions… 1. What kind of alcohol are you using? Rubbing? Denatured? 2. At the 2:02 mark, what oil are you using? 3. How do you deal with scratches that go beneath the polishing & into the wood. 4. Towards the end you use mineral oil? Is that right?
I watch every video of yours and you are UNBELIEVABLE !! You make it so easy. What type of polish are you using when your using the brush . The ones that put their thumbs down are idiots.
Music!! You credit Andrea Tomasi and I have purchased some of her work happily, but the other musicians on the video are not shown where I can see. I'd very much like to find them!!!!
Dear sir, my hobby is the lathe, I use the doll made of nightgowns with enough use and I charge it from the outside, but leave the marks on the finish, I should use another kind of fabric or that I do wrong. Thanks a lot.
Fantastic video -- and what a beautiful piece! I would greatly appreciate your expert advice if you can spare a few moments:- For Christmas I bought myself an early Victorian mahogany and silky oak side-board, which, while obviously very well cared for, is in need of a new surface. The timber itself is still in prime condition somehow, and there are no ring or water marks on the shellac ... the problem is one sheer heat and age -- I'm in Outback Australia, where 40 C inside inside the house is quite the norm, so the shellac is more than 'crazed' -- it's cracked, and needs refinishing. I intend to French polish to finish it, but need advice on how to best prepare the antique surface for that. Should I use steel-wool and 'Restor-a-finish' or sand it back? Much of the vertical surfaces are hand carved so sanding really won't be an option here, but on the top it should be doable, if sanding is the better choice (which I hope it's not, as I'd like to preserve as much of the old patina as possible, but I also want to do it right). In anticipation, thank you for your time.
Hello The English Polisher! I have been watching your videos since I found them, great videos, easy to watch, music is calming, techniques are bang on and your attitude is brilliant. Please keep making them they are much appreciated! A question if I may pick your brains - I have been french polishing for several years on a small scale to resell so have a fair bit of time served experience. I have recently started mixing/dissolving my own polishes (Liberon). I have started to find that I am leaving rubber swirl marks all over top surfaces that I cant seem to get out! Its infuriating. I can see some rubber marks on your top as you start the rubbing process (on the left of the top with the light reflection) but they seem to go by the end of the process. So how do I resolve this? Is my polish too thick?? ALso, what kind of delay do you leave between coats. I have tended to give several coats one after the other, then come back after a brew and do a few more. Is this about right or is the polish being left too soft leading to marks being left easily? Thanks for any advice :)
Hi you must always pull your rubber at the end out in straight lines, so you start with figure of eights but in that same action pull the finish in straight lines straight after..
I will try at some point to just do a video showing the the fad and technique on rubbering and bodying up,, thanks for the nice message too spk soon Rob
Could be too thick. Some spirit off at the end. Could be too oily. Could be you are pressing too hard for the amount of shellac you are spreading. You can press harder as it thins out, but I wouldn't recommend push hard at the end, as you want it to glide on your final strokes for less streaking. Could be your first coats were so thick, that you are having a hard time burning/blending them in with subsequent strokes. If so, use a lower # cut and press less hard when the rubber is wetter. You can also sand it a bit after your thick coats to get rid of bad streaks and dust/fibers.
does flash remove white marks on an otherwise decent table? I have an antique in I want to French Polish but I wonder about removing the white marks on it. Seem to be heat marks. Still learning here :) what ought steel wool do you use with the oil to polish the rest?
That looks beautiful.........I have just stained and Danish Oiled a dining table top....can I french polish on top of that or do I need to strip it down again?
French polish can go on almost everything. Make sure your danish oil is well dry and, if you can, make a test on an invisible part before you commit to the entire table.
I just acquired an antique game table- looks to be walnut. When table is closed, an artisan stained in hand drawn roses with various stain colors- they are beautiful! I want to do a french polish and my question is: there is no top coat on the roses- will the initial pumice stage of french polish ruin/distort the stained roses? If so, is there a technique I can use to protect the art work yet achieve the french polish? Thanks bunches! Patty J
Hi English polisher saw your restoration on that fine piece what kind of cloth do you use and can you tell me what you use to get to this condition. Thanks
Beautiful work and nice video. A couple quick questions. 1) If you're working on a piece that might have been waxed at some point in its history, do you need to do something to strip off the wax first? 2) Right now, I have access to pre-mixed, waxed shellac in a can that is a 3 pound cut (Zinnser brand). If I thin this to a 1 or 2 pound cut, can I make it work for learning? Even though I never stop moving, I'm having trouble with the rubber grabbing and sticking when I use this to repair a dining table, but I've not tried adding oil.
No need to remove the wax. Yes, that # cut is standard. Yes, you need to add a bit of oil as the rubber begins to dry and/or the finish becomes more tacky. Tackiness of the finish is a good indication to wrap up your polishing and come back when it has dried a bit.
Ive got what I think is an old veneered Art Deco dining table. My eldest lad has recently ruined it by spilling nail varnish remover over one end. Its has removed the colour and grain. Will this stripping repolishing technique your using restore it do you think?
Most furniture peices that I meet are coated with urethane or poly. Will these techniques work with those things, or would it have to be stripped first?
Is there a short cut. Everything sticks to my dinning room table and cups leave water marks. Is there something I can cost it with to make it kitchen and everyday living friendly?
Hi, Whats that round thing that you apply the French Polish with? Is French Polish durable can it deal with being touched by hands? I'm looking for a finish for my bar top and beer leavers! Do you make your own french polish? Thanks for sharing your video, really interesting. Cheers Andy Yorkshire
Love it, what a neat trick with the alcohol. Is that isopropyl? Just got a fairly big chair that's very old and tattered, going to give it a go. It's a little more detailed than what I have seen in your vids so far, but just getting started with your vids ;)
Great video! Thanks. Do you recommend adding oil before you polish, even if some of the original shellac has worn away? I don't think the shellac would adhere to the surface. The large area in the front of the table had no finish...
Hello English polisher, this is Jim , I really enjoy your Videos, form a real pro, can you tell us how to deal with ink stains my daughter have often purchased desks etc most of em have ink stains, very best wishes
hi jim i love an ink stain really adds a bit of character for me,however if they are not for you then oxalic acid you can purchase it in chrystal formula and dilute with water its very strong so where gloves apply with a brush and leave to dry then lightly rub off with fine wool and oil..this is pretty specialist work for a first timer?? if you are? other wise tsutwith me powder colours and polish as i show in some of my videos.(more to come).. many thanks and speak soon..Rob
Can you only do this to a piece that was previously Fench polished or can you also do it to pieces that were once varnished and how can I tell the difference?
varnish looks a bit false as a finish im not sure why someone would want varnish a piece furniture but should you come across one i would strip it.. most ofurniture antique will have traditina finishes n them and my methods work best with them.. many thanks
What color of shellac flakes do you recommend for mahogany furniture? I have several items that need to be done and would like to try doing it myself based on your video
You're a star. I just ditched my art deco furniture for some arts and crafts stuff in my bedroom and it's pretty marked. I am definitely going to give this a go. Can I use teak oil by the way?
Teak all is ok but pretty spirited of you want to polish over it I would use linceed raw or not either is good or just mineral oil( white oil..www.rydenor.co.uk
Shellac is pretty obvious. Oil vs water based poly is kinda hard, and lacquer can be difficult to distinguish from poly sometimes, although sometimes it has such a cheap "wrapped in cellophane" look to it, you know it's lacquer.
Like the table, like the work, but if I would've put the song you were playing on, I'd have fallen asleep between flash 1 & 2 & burned the building down
