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Hello viewers first post.

I did a small search on the forum concerning FP but didnt find the particular information i was looking for.

To date I have porefilled and completed 7 bodying sessions.
The porefilling went from bad to good to bad again. Sometimes I was knocking it outta the park and others just making a mess; frustrating.
In the end the back was relatively smooth and the sides left something to be desired.
Just decided I had to learn and make my mistakes and move on.

So the question I have is about application pressure.
When I load up the pad with shellac/alcohol and start bodying my pressure is all over the board. What I THINK I find is that when I am met with resistance while bodying I am getting better results. At this point the resistance builds quickly and before long i have to exit the wood before i get stuck!

Any general comments on application/pressure would be appreciated.
Thank You

Guess I will include a pic. (first guitar/ first FP).

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Wake up and smell the rosewood!

Generally, after loading, start with light pressure and increase it gradually as the pad becomes drier.

IMHO, it's a waste of time to mess with counting drops of alcohol and shellac when loading the pad. If you get your shellac strength right, you should be able to dribble it in straight from your squeeze bottle (or wine bottle with slit cork if you prefer). Drops of alcohol can always be used to adjust the pad if needed.

If you're sticking, you're going in too wet or with not enough oil or both.

You should feel very little resistance. If you do you may be diggin up more shellac than you're putting down. Look for the cloud!!!!

I learned to FP on furniture, so perhaps I'm a bit caveman about it.

Are you using oil? Use a small drop of olive oil when the pad starts to dry out to lubricate it so it doesn't stick. On bodying sessions, start with straight strokes with a very light touch (almost not touching it), when the pad starts to dry out with light pressure add a small drop of olive oil on the pad (quickly wipe off the excess on the edge of a cap, you want VERY little oil), then start with light circular strokes and gradually build pressure until the pad is dry, then go back with straight strokes and a heavy pressure...the heat from the heavy pressure will smooth out/flatten the shellac and remove swirl marks. Do this build process 3 or 4 times then do a spiriting off session to remove the oil and further flatten the finish (same technique but use only straight alcohol). Repeat this whole process until you get your desired sheen.

I highly recommend the Obrien French polishing DVD.

Good luck and welcome to the OLF Forum. Lots of great people here. Your first guitar looks fantastic.

Oil is the trick for me as well. As for filling you should almost feel like you are polishing with very fine grit sand paper. You can feel and actually hear the grittiness but only very subtly. I think you are going too far if you fell like you are getting to the point of getting stuck. Try some fine olive or walnut oil if not already and I think you will see a world of difference.

Thanks guys.

So what I'm hearing is little to no resistance. Check.

Goodin - I have been using oil (x-virgin olive) on and off. Basically experimenting and trying to get a feel for whats happening. And of course reading way too many techniques.
The Milburn literature is what i have been learning from mainly, which sounds very similar to the process you are describing to me.

Go back to using oil. Check.

appreciate the help guys.

gregor

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Wake up and smell the rosewood!

It's probably not a good idea to experiment too much with French polishing. You need to nail down a technique exactly as it is described and repeat the process the exact same way for each session. I suggest picking one method and sticking to it. Good luck! I really enjoy French polishing...something of a Zen meditative aspect to it. And the results are worth the effort.

Nothing wrong with using oil, just use as little as you can make work for you. Also, if you do use oil, you must spirit/stiff off after body sessions. It's also a good idea to spirit off before starting your sessions after the guitar has sat over night. Oil will most always surface during that sitting time.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

What do you call "spirit off"??

ZekeM are you setting up for a joke? If so then, I don't know what do you call "spirit off"?

If you are asking about what spiriting off is, it's the process of removing oil and further flattening the finish by using just alcohol and no shellac. Usually after 3 or 4 bodying sessions I'll spirit off...then repeat the whole process 3 or 4 times.

Technically, one should spirit off after every bodying session after the second. It makes a very big difference in how level the build is. When I get in a hurry and skip, I can tell after a few sessions that the ridges are building up. That usually results in having to use an abrasive to level. My results are better when I don't cut that corner.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

After each session of internet French polish instruction, you'll need to "spirit off" the misinformation. When you're done, you'll have no information at all. This is what makes French polish such a wonderfully thin, sonically transparent finish.