Question about French polish

[Dennis Duross]

So this is my first attempt at FP, and I've completed 3 body sessions. I think. I mean, I've never seen a finish go on more thinly in my life, and at this point I'm just taking it on faith that I'm actually ADDing to the thickness with each session.

In any event, my question has to do with manhandling the guitar during the process, and the delicacy of the finish.

I'm assuming that all of you do the entire body with each session? Which means that within minutes of applying shellac to the back, you're flipping the body over to do the top, and the freshly applied finish of the back is now resting on your benchtop? With no adverse effect?

Or do you finish the top and one side, then wait 2 hours and do the back and the other side?

Sorry in advance if this is a stupid question.

[Charlie Schultz]

There are a number of ways to do it. I generally clamp the neck and work on the body. I'll do the back (and part of the neck), then rotate it and do the sides, rotate again and do the top (and the headstock). Then I'll clamp to the fretboard and finish up the neck.

[Mario Proulx]

Yes, working in "sections" is better. No need to wait two hours, though; 15 minutes should be plenty of time for the surface you worked-on to toughen-up enough to handle. But when in the final stages, just work one surface, and let it be for a few hours or overnight.

You can set up a turntable of sorts that will allow you to work on all of it at once, if you're in a hurry.

[Steven Odut]

One thing I found when learning to French Polish smaller objects, like guitars, is that I tended to work the surface for too long - it would look fine, but I had softened the polish too much. Then when I turned the piece to work on the other side, the first side was still soft and was damaged.

I also tended to apply too much shellac. I guess I could summarize my failures as "too much shellac and too fast".

I haven't French Polished a guitar, but I would guess I would only work on one side for maybe 30 seconds to 1 minute before stopping...then because I've been burned by this before, I would wait an hour before flipping the piece over.

Finding an alternate holding method, such as holding the guitar by the neck, would be preferable.

[Randy Roberts]

Last Christmas I received one of the Stew Mac vacuum "vise" clamps. It's about a 6 inch disk that holds the guitar by vacuum, and then you can position the guitar however you want with friction clamps in the vise. I've found myself using it for darn near everything, but FP is where it really shines. Clamp the back and it lets you FP the top, sides, neck, etc., without having to touch the guitar while you polish.

I hit all the edges first, then do the top, then sides, then peghead, then edges again. Next time I clamp the the top and do edges, back, sides, neck, then edges again. This way the edges get hit 4 times, and the sides twice for every session on top and back. Puts the most shellac where it will get the most wear.

I can't picture only going 30 seconds to a minute per session though, I'm slow enough as it is. I tend to be at least an hour per session.

The picture gives a good idea of the access you have to the guitar with this vacuum clamp. The clamp is the aluminum thing clamped to the bench with the blue clamp, just behind the hose. You can just see the black handles that are the friction clamps for positioning the vise.

I've found that having a fan on low blowing across the guitar while you FP, especially while bodying, is a big help in flashing off the alcohol faster and helps prevent softenintg up what you've already applied.

[Chuck Tweedy]

Damn Randy! Not only are you making beautiful guitars - They levitate as well!!