Slightly Sticky French Polish on a Kalamazoo KM11

[John Scime]

Hi there. I recently finished restoring an old Kalamazoo km11 mandolin, including application of a thin french polish preservation coat.

Overall, I am very happy with the result. However, while I am getting pretty good at french polish, I find my end result is *slight* sticky. Not really perceptable accept after you've been playing for a while.

I know I need to work on my technique - reduce the amount of oil or maybe use a better oil than the cheap lemon oil I used. However, for now, is there a product I can use to reduce the sticky feel? Do tell.

[Alan Carruth]

It's hard to say what might be in that 'cheap lemon oil', so it's hard to know how to fix it. Most of those polishes have various solvents in them, and often have silicone oil as well, and some of those things can be hard to get rid of. Some non-drying oils seem to 'lock up' alcohol, and this can keep the shellac from drying properly. There's also the chance that the shellac itself is old, and may not harden right, although in that case it usually doesn't dissolve properly.

What I'd try to do is find a solvent that won't eat into the shellac, or the finish under it (whatever that was), but that will tend to dissolve the oil. Naptha might work, or acetone, but you'll have to do some experiments to find out. Put a drop of solvent on an area that doesn't show up, such as under the string anchor, and allow it to sit for several minutes. If the finish doesn't take up the solvent and swell you could try wiping it off and see whether the spot is less sticky. There's probably no way around the need to do a few careful experiments.

[John Scime]

Thanks very much for this thoughtful suggestion. I will try this and report back. J

[Chris Reed]

Naptha is pretty safe on shellac, at least once it has cured a week or so.