John or Brian have you ever used sandarac with shellac for french polishing? I've been dinking around with it and not up to putting it on a guitar yet. It's supposed to make the finish as hard as lacquer and even more clear and with chatoyancy. I had to heat it to get it to bind together and it still left a goo at the bottom of the bottle and took a week to distill out. I've used it on boards and it does look nice. What a great thing if the fp could be as hard and protective as lacquer.
Steve Marchione and several violin finishers swear by it.
sandarac
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Re: sandarac
I never used it. Sorry I can't be of more help
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
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Re: sandarac
Adding too much Sandarac will lead to crazing of the shellac. It will make it harder, and much less flexible too. I never add any to my shellac for FP, But I have used it in different varnish recipes over the years. If you want a FP as hard as lacquer, use buttons. The process by which buttons are made polymerizes the shellac and makes it much harder and more durable than processed flakes. Button shellac was the finish on ballroom floors prior to the invention of modern poly-urethane type finishes.
You never know what you are capable of until you actually try....
Brian Howard
www.brianhowardguitars.com
Taylor authorized service
Custom finishing services
Brian howard's guitar building & repair blog
http://www.brianhowardguitars.com
Brian Howard
www.brianhowardguitars.com
Taylor authorized service
Custom finishing services
Brian howard's guitar building & repair blog
http://www.brianhowardguitars.com