French polish, final step

[Haggis]

Hi.
I wonder how you "buff it out" when you want the guitar to shine.
I read that some alcohol on a rag would be fine for this, but when I tried it I used to much alcohol, and I put to much pressure on the pad as well. I managed to create a spot with no finish at all..
So now I have a spot with no shellack. I´ve started to build it up again, hoping that It´ll look good, but maybe it´ll be visible...I don´t know?
How would you solve this?
/Häggis

[Darryl Young]

Sorry I have no FP ecperience. Hopefully one of th eother members can help.

[johnnparchem]

I never use just alcohol on a rag. I spirit off the finish with only alcohol and a muneca going only in the direction of the grain. I do 3 to 4 sessions starting out with a charged muneca but not so charged that it drips. I dip a ball of lambs wool in alcohol squeeze it out and wrap it in a cotton rag. I tighten the rag until I can just see the alcohol coming through the rag and then back off a bit. I start each session with very light strokes so that I do not squeeze excess alcohol out of the pad. I continue the session applying more pressure as the pad dries. A session ends after the pad dries.

If you want to clean up the finsih you can use Meguiar's clear plastic polish #10. I wait a weak or so before I polish.

[Dave Nauman]

There are different ways to rub out shellac. My way is to let the final coat cure for at least 4 or 5 days, longer is better. Then level it with 600 or 800 grit wet dry paper lubed with oil, keep working up through the grits to 2000 or better. Then I rub it out with Behlens deluxing compound and a polishing cloth, and finally buff it with a buffer and compound. You should be able to repair your finish; that's the beauty of shellac. Alcohol is the solvent for shellac, so you never want to use it for anything but removing shellac or possibly to try to consolidate a crazed finish.

[B. Howard]

I will stretch the shellac out with a fairly dry mouse loaded with only dirty liquor to work out the worst of the swirls left from application. I then sand with a small ( 3/4" X 1") cork lined block and some 1200 wet/dry lubed with just a drop or two of olive oil. Final glazing is done with a hard felt block loaded with Novus#2. I then apply a coat of Butchers Boston Polish paste wax for protection.

Once a FP job is finished off with a polish or swirl remover would that polish or swirl remover need to be removed prior to making any repairs to the FP?

tommy
GO GIANTS!

[B. Howard]

It's always a good idea to clean the surface before any type of repair or refinish. Wipe it down with some naptha and you should be fine.