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how to do a shellac application and french polish on the top of my first electric? I have looked at examples on the internet on how to do it. I had done it a couple of days ago by applying a coat every hour for about 5 coats. It looked nice and shiny, but then I went to level sand it and it got cloudy. I used micro mesh at 1200 and 1500 and 2300 grit with a little water.
Anyway, I ended up re-sanding and re-dying, and am ready to shellac again.

I thought of 2 things maybe I should have done different.
1.) I should have added a small amount of mineral oil to the shellac pad to slow the hardening process
2.) I should have used oil instead of water when sanding since I read shellac doesn't like water very much

I plan on doing a final finish in Nitro..

With that said, can someone give me or point me to a thorough "hold my hand" type of direction on this.

Thanks...

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Barron Wesley Guitars

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Barron Wesley Guitars

Rusty,
If you are planning on using Nitro for final finish, then why want to do a french polish? That is a finish that results in a final finish in it's self? So if you have got your color correct with the shellac, then spray your nitro. But make sure your shellac is completely dry before spraying it. Then after a few coats of nitro, level sand and spray your final finish coats.

Just my .02cents worth.
MK

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Oh - that threw me. Hmmmm? That makes it easier I guess, but was unaware I could do it like that. So do I actually not need to shellac and just go right for the nitro after the dying process? I did shelac as a sealer.

Also, what do you sand the nitro with exactly, and how?

Thanks.

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Barron Wesley Guitars

Yep, nitro doesn't really need a sealer. You can sand it with 320 grit wet-or-dry paper between coats. For final sanding, start with something finer like 1000 grit.

I'm not good enough with FP to get a result that needs no leveling. I do believe that wet-sanding a FP finish with water is counter-productive. I use a quick walnut oil and mineral spirits mix to spot level but I never let "wet" stand on a shellac finish, no matter the primary liquid. Also, I use the micro-mesh pads, even though expensive, because even after maybe 75 gunstocks with oil finish, I find those pads to be ideal "in my hands." Thus, they contribute to speed of "get in" and "get out."

I might note that the oil finishes I did followed a skeleton of a French Polish procedure. I used a cut mix of MS and the oil and sanded in the fill; then I would literally rub up and pressure apply the oil coats over that fill, literally padding on to the point of feeling friction warmth. As I closed in on a satisfactory thickness of the cover coats, the cut of the MS/oil would get more "oil rich." On average, the rubbed in/up coats numbered in the 30's- 2 per day. Before micro-mesh and Scotch-Brite, I used bronze wool, or traditional wet/dry; some backed and some with just fingers sanding.MT