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Needed some quick feedback on favorite online locations for material for the outside of the pad for French polishing... a friend bought me a bunch of washed wool roven so I have something for the inside but I’ve been all over creation looking for a fine 100% undyed linen and am not having any luck, my online searches haven't yielded much either... planned on using the Milburn toot he says to use an old T-shirt however some of the posts I’ve found searching the forums says a "2d" 100% linen works best, I take it 2d means a flat weave. Part of my problem is i have no reference point for how tight or loose the weave should be. I'm probably getting too rapped up in it, I just like to know that if the finish doesnt turn out well its something im doing and can work on getting better rather than just having the wrong "applicator".

(I've read some interesting and created means for getting the stuff locally; however aside from the local fabric stores (that don’t have much but very coarse stuff) I don’t have the time to spend running around hunting unfortunately.)

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

Nate

Nate, don't get too caught up in the search for the "perfect" fabric for your muneca. I have used an old t-shirt and it works fine. I now use good quality Egyptian cotton from the local fabric store. If you buy a half yard of the cotton fabric wash it first to remove the sizing they use when weaving and rolling. Cut it into 4x4 or 6x6 squares and you are ready to go.....

Some are now using microfiber cloth for the outer fabric. I haven't tried it yet

For the inside of the muneca, the wool roving is fine. I use quilt batting scraps which I get from a family member. Any loosely woven, absorbtive fabric will work great. Remember to store your pads in a tightly closed jar with a few drops of alcohol and they will last a long time.

To tie the muneca closed I've found that the packs of very small teflon coated rubber bands used for tying kids pony tails are the best. They are easily taken back off when you have to change or move the outer fabric and the shellac doesn't stick to them. Good luck in your efforts.

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Peter

Nate...I've used old T-shirt material and finely woven linen and prefer the latter. The cotton t-shirt in my hands seems to produce more ridging than the more consistent weave of linen. Others have no problems and I suspect that technique is far more important than the material chosen. Whichever material, I've found it helpful to change covers periodically to get more consistent results. The nice thing about the FP process is that errors or surface flaws are so easily corrected. Try different materials until you find the right one for you. Good luck.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

would an unbleached muslin 100% cotton fabric work ok? thats something i may be able to get locally with out too much trouble.

Good to know the roven should work ok, i was planning on pressing it in my vice to make it a felt like consistancy before saturating it with the 2# shellac. or do you think just a round clump would do?

Michael Dale Payne, who is now absent, suggests old white muslin sheets, and I can vouch for that. Find a linen supplier, and buy some old, torn and worn out sheets. Most of that stuff is sold cheap, and by the pound. Attic sales are another good place. Muslin is a little thicker than percale, so it holds up better in the process. Michael thinks it's the next best thing to linen. I rarely wear out a muslin outer, to the muneca, but I change them often because they get all gooped up. I make mine big enough to move the wad around to a new position a couple of times, and that saves some material. I also find it useful to turn them inside out occasionally. I have not tried the microfiber either, but, so far, I have done 3 guitars with this muslin sheet and still haven't cut half of it up. I think I paid a buck for it at an attic sale.

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Waddy

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For six bucks you should be able to get enough linen to last for years. This is what 5 mins of google searching on "linen fabric" produced. This link goes directly to a medium weight bleached 100% linen. I've never used this supplier before but they look OK.

I use linen for French polishing and find it easier to control and much less likely to pill or leave threads in the finish that tee-shirt material.

http://www.fabrics-store.com/first.php?goto=big_fabric&menu=f&menu=f&fabric_id=154

Thanks!

Not sure how i missed it, spent about an hour last night searching, perhaps a bit to specificly.

Good to have a link pointed out by some one that has used linen for FP though as i really have no idea what weight and weave, ect, i should be looking for. will probably order a yard tonight and give it a go once the fret board is on.

Thanks so much for all the help every one! much appreciated!

I've been using the microfiber cloth that is sold under the name "Wonder Rag".
It is weaveless, strong as heck and lasts far longer than the cotten material I used where you could wear a hole in the cover quite easily.
It's not too stretchy so forming a pad with smooth rounded edges is a little more difficult. What you can do however is to fold it in one spot at the edge to form a "Corner" which will then allow you to get into tight areas.

I second the Wonder Rag as a muneca cover. Just finishing a FP using the Wonder Rag for the 1st time - I'll never use well-washed tee shirts again. Absolutely no lint & much better control in the application of the shellac.

-Steve

Almost every experienced FP'r I've ever read posts by or talked to, says don't use T-Shirt material. Knitted material is not good, as it stretches in all directions, and causes ridging of the FP film. Knits are also made with a less refined yarn than wovens, and cause more lint issues.

I'm not saying the microfiber isn't great, just saying, if you want good results from FP don't use T-Shirt material.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Go to a local fabric store such as JoAnn Fabrics and get a yard or two of Muslin. Best would be to get old sheets from a really high end hotel that they are throwing, but I'd rather just sped $2.99 a yard and not spend time calling around to hotels. Linen would be a second choice. Never use t-shirt material due to the three dimensional weave and fuzzies. At lease this is what I picked up from Michael in his class several months back.

Whatever you use, wash it a bunch...and make sure you dont wash t with other sheets if you have a cat or dog, or you'll spend some time with the hair roller.

Mohawk sells boxes of clean linen designed for FP. Not expensive but always takes a couple of weeks when we order. T

Tom Humphrey liked well washed high count cotten sheets, old ones, and a 4/0 ultra fine, ultra soft cheese cloth for the padding.

never heard of them. they have a website?

http://mohawk-finishing.com/

Do a search for trace cloth or french polishing. For doing guitars a 5 lb box will last for years. T

Found some FP supplies here but never tried them.

http://www.kingdomrestorations.com/catalog_c6338.html

No offense intended here ...but... I've never seen so much attention paid to sources for a pad cover. A lint-free fine cotton weave should be pretty simple to find around the house in a few minutes. Not to minimize the cover material, I would recommend jumping in and begin practicing and developing the FP technique. This is where you're going to learn correct pressure and control of your muneca. The muscle memory acquired from these exercises can only be learned by doing. Try different materials later when you have a good basis for comparison. Good luck and have fun!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Well said JJ...... My thoughts exactly.

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Peter

JJ i agree completely, I just wanted to make sure what i would get is beginner friendly . I stopped in Joann and found some 200 thread count muslin that i am washing over and over and will give it a try on some scrap. Didnt know about muslin the first time i stopped in so i didnt know to look. Just need to grab some pumice from woodcraft and ill be ready to practice on some scrap.

Thanks every one for the advice, it really helped me get an idea of what to look for as well as some of the pitfalls.

Nate