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There are lots of things that will work fine for the muneca wool, cotton balls, cheesecloth. I like wool but that is personal preference just as I like worn muslin for my outer covers. I know some tht use mohair pads for working around intersecting surfaces like a bridge or fretboard and neck. The main thing is that the inner pad be able to retain and release shellac, be contaminate free, and free of dyes and such. And not melt from the interdiction of solvent (alcohol)

I was given by a weaver friend of mine a ton (not literally) of non-dyed wool roven. Enough to last years. This can be bought on line at weaver supply houses. I get my muslin and or linen fro a top end hotel here in town for free. I just ask for worn sheeting and check the labeling.

Wool roven?? I looked roven up in the dictionary but no luck. Weave perhaps???

it is just combed and rough spooled wool prepeded to spin Roving not roven

Chris,
Do a google search for "wool roving". Or go to Amazon and search for wool roving.

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Matt Jacobs

"Don't tase me bro"

Chris, I don't think I have enough experience to say what I prefer. I, so far, have only used wool, and that, because I was told that's what I should use. I'm a follower, not a leader in this. I'm still learning FP, and with only one guitar under my belt, I can't offer much advice. I still read everything I can, hoping to pick up a tid-bit here and there.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

That's one ahead of me. I'm out of here as I found a medical supply / Parmacy that has the Dr. Scholl's lambs wool padding for $3. Thanks guys.

I have been using surgical gauze for the centre of the muneca and linen for the wrap and have gotten good results so far. Of course this is my first FP finish so I'm no expert.

I will be picking up so wool from the knitting store here and giving that a try, just to compare, but I imagine that the difference in the finish won't be really noticable maybe just in the application.

Cal

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Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

Chris,

You might want to place a call to one of the gift shops at the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs. I think I remember seeing a bunch of wool products there. They also have pumice stone. I think I had just read something about French polishing the last time I was there and was thinking I could pick up supplies once I knew what I needed. They all have pretty much the same stuff, so if I'm wrong one call should do it for you. You can also stock up on car washing stuff. And eat.

John

Tarpon Springs is 50 minutes and about 30 miles from here. Home Depot and the pharacy 10 minutes and 2.5 mi.

Like I said the man issues are pliability, retention, and purity. I like wool because I feel it gives the best of all the attributes.

It appears to me that the Dr Scholl’s wool padding is nothing more than wool roving that has been sterilized. It may be handy to buy local and will work fine but you get about half the quantity for the same price as buying from a weaving supply.

I don't doubt you're correct but I have it in hand and I don't know of any weaving suppliers locally and for $2.79 I have a piece 6" X 18". I don't know what the shipping cost would be on an order but it seems like it's $10 to have someone put anything in the box and ship it these days.

yea but i be there is a weving supply store near you. That said $3 is no big deal what you bought will make up probably 10 inner munecas

Michael, I'll check it next time for sure now that I have a lead. I made up one now that's about 1" dia. at the base and 3/4" thick and presses to about 1/4". Does that seem like the correct size or should it be more of a ping pong ball size.? I'm thinking that's about right for guitar sessions but just want to check to make sure.

Roll it in your hand and how big is it compressed. You can wet it with water to get an idea if it springs back to quick to judge. Let it dry completely out of course be fore using When compressed tight I like mine to be about 3/4" sphere

OK , that's what I made it. I ran into some problems that I think I sort of figured out somewhat.
First I made the mistake of leaving the inner wool compressed and when I loaded it up and began to make swirls it just put streaks into the existing build. I started the build using Robbies method that I got from the video. I started out that way and when I started to have some difficulty I changed the method to loading the muneca. So after reading that artical yesterday I decided to try the conventional way , if there is such a thing. Now after loosing the muneca it started to lay down some finish. For some reason I don't seem to be getting the cloud trace so much or I'm just having a hard time seeing it. And the oil seems to get laid down a lot and not gas off like in Robbies video. I also noticed that my T shirt material seemed to absorb more then lay down. So I found an old pair of Pajama bottoms that are a thin tight weave material a little thinner then a bed spread that seem to be working better. I don't know what it is made from but it's some kind of blend as the T shirt was cotton. Any idea as to why my oil doesn't seem to flash off ? As well as the shellac? Oh yeah, after scratching the finish I pretty much sanded back to where there was a couple of sand throughs and I just finished up a bodying session and I'm having a beer. I was starting to get frustrated.

One thing I can think of is that you are polishing too wet. If you just loaded your muneca, you should have let it dry until tomorrow before starting. Then tomorrow, when you start, charge the muneca with shellac and alcohol ( only a few drops of each) and tap it on a piece of paper or the back of your hand (I like my hand) to incorporate the alcohol and shellac, and to begin the release of the dried shellac in the muneca, which is where the bodying shellac will come from. If you work that way, you'll probably get the trail. It is very visible when you are dry enough. I think most people, including me, start out too wet, because they don't really understand the process. I believe Michael said all this in another post, but this is my take on it.

I forgot. Add a drop of Walnut oil or Olive oil to the muneca and rub it in.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Hmmm, I never heard about that or read about that. I only read to add about 10S and 6A and 1o drop to start. Then charge with less as you go. I read somewhere that yesterday that Micheal soaks his wool in shellac and lets it sit over night in a half open baggy. But I didn't know that was necessary.

From what you said. I believe two things and surmise one. First you are loading too much shellac and alcohol and oil onto the face of the pad, and you are not tapping the pad till the load is intermingled with the residual in the inner pad. these thing I am almost dead certain of. I surmise that also you did not allow the shellac in the inner pad to harden to the state of soft toffee. If the shellac in the inner pad is wet the load does not start a wicking process but rather just causes shellac to stick to the outer pad and lays down very little and usually removes more than it lays down.

The way the body session should work is that you start with a inner pad that is saturated in 2# shellac and allowed to dry to a near solid state. Then the outer pad is wrapped around the inner pad and a fresh load of 4-6 drops shellac and 3-4 drops of alcohol and 1-2 drops of oil is applied to the outer pad face. Then the outer pad is tapped firmly on a sheet of white paper till the report pattern left on the paper is spotted not solid. This has worked the alcohol and fresh shellac into the residual semi hardened shellac in the inner pad and caused the nearest part of the residual semi hard shellac in the inner pad to be softened enough to wick out thru the outer pad along with some alcohol. The shellac that is being transferred to the surface will not be very wet at all. It will be more than slightly thicker viscosity than straight 2# shellac if pored straight from a bottle. If the shellac is to wet you can not see the vapor cloud because the wetness will hide it. If at any time you can not see the vapor cloud for about a second behind you but shellac is being transferred then you can know for sure you are too wet or in need of a fresh load.

it also sounded like you may be adding too much oil though that is not a major concern but may hinder seeing the vapor cloud

Thanks Micheal, I go ahead and start the inner load and start again tomorrow morning then.

Saturate the wool and ring it just till it no longer drips. Place in a zip lock bag left half open over night. This should be about the right harness by morning.

As a side note, I FP my last 6 necks, I like the feel, but on the last two decided to re-shape the necks. I thought it would be better to take the FP of before gumming up my spokeshave. I put a little alcohol on a pad and rubbed and rubbed, added more alcohol, a little more until I was just saturating the neck with alcohol and letting it sit....who said FP rubs off easily! I know some people's pH levels are higher than mine but I was using pure alcohol! I also read that FP gets harder with age but these necks were only 8-12 months old. I thought I would share....Clinton

Gauze works just fine.


I find that scraping off works well for removing FP.