French Polish/Shellac anybody know....will this yield a nice finish...

[lucky13]

Im looking at using some LMII: (Chemcraft medium brown, Mahogany pore filler)....... to fill the pores on a Mahogany Tele Deluxe body.

Staining the Flame maple top first with a darker LMII: (dark vintage maple TransTint dye) mixed in Stew Macs: (Behlen Behkol Solvent) so as not to raise the grain and then sanding it back and restaining the entire guitar Flame Maple top and Mahogany body with a lighter mixture of LMII: (honey amber TransTint dye).

Then mixing some LMII: (Amber shellac flakes in Behkol solvent) and applying this over the enitre body french polish style for several coates.

I am also planning to stain and shellac the back and headstock of the CBS Quartersawn Maple/ebony neck to match or compliment the body.

has anyone ever done this kind of finish before and if so does it seem like a good way to finish the neck and body...due to moisture and no place to spray and washington rain I thought it would be a nice do it myself way to finish my guitar inside over a period of time and get a nice reliced old worn look .....

anybody ?

 

[Scuffcakes]

I can't speak from experience but what I know of the French Polish process leads me to believe two things:
    1. It's a tedious and drawn out process.
    2. When done right, it yields a gorgeous finish.

Keep us updated with pics of your progress.  I'll be looking forward to it.

 

[bbl4ck]

Ken [aka Troubled Treble] has a beautiful BK strat that was done with a French polish.  It was a GOTM winner, so if you do a search you will find it on the forum somewhere.
Also do a search on YouTube for French polish guitar and there are a few good videos on the subject.  It is a lot of work, but the results can be sweet!
Good luck if you try it and be sure to post some pics...
:rock-on:

 

[lucky13]

will do and thanks for the replies guys.....Im actually surprised more people dont french polish finish thier guitars, being that its easier to touch up, and tone wise dosnt influence tone in any negative ways..though thats a whole other can of worms there...I know alot of guys claim that finish dosnt alter tone and probably more true than not, Im still surprised it isnt done more being there are so many staunch beliefs to the contrary as well as it looks great.

just hoping to get some pics and replies by those who have experience with shellac and french polish, no worries there are plenty of sites I can seek out that info.

alot of great looking guitars on here lately, I especially dig alot of the more natural finishes I have been seeing.

 

[greywolf]

I've used it on the last 3 instruments , it takes patience , but well worth it

 

[Scotty2Hotty]

Not sure how much work you've done since you started this thread, but if you want to check out my build if you havent already, here's the link: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=21187.0
I'm sorry you cant see much of the shine on my build, but it looks fantastic. You've probably started polishing by now, but if you havent, I'd get into it. It's not hard, and if you happen to mess it up you can always lightly sand it back and go over it. Are you using flakes, or pre-mixed? Regardless, I'm sure we'd all be interested in any pics of your progress  :icon_thumright:

PS. I'm completely with you when you say you dont know why more people arent french polishing their guitars, it looks great and makes touch up's super easy.

 

[lucky13]

Been applying French Polish Shellac and I have to say its easier than I thought, yet can be tricky....but its fun and definantly one of the best looking and easiest finishes to fix as you go....after I finish applying the shellac which I figure to take about four or five more days with 6-8 sessions a day I will let it dry or cure for about a week and then coat with Johnsons Paste Wax to seal.....

Glad I took these pics as I can see some areas that need to be covered better....but again the cool thing about Shellac is that its easy to touch up as you go....

I definantly recomend anybody interested in doing their own finish and time permiting to give it a go....it will more than likley be the only way I finish guitars from this point forward....

P.S. it only cost $50 for enough Shellac Flakes and Alcohol to finish 3 guitars and necks ....2 oz. of Amber and 2 oz. of Ruby Shellac Flakes mixed in about 2/3 a quart of Behlens denatured alcohol will finish both my Neck and Body of this Tele Deluxe build Im working on....

I wont go into details or explain the process too much except to say, its alot easier to get a pretty nice finish than it sounds reading some of the french polish tutorials.... I have some areas that are not perfect, but for an electric guitar, this is fine.....

the following pics were taken after 2 days of around 5-8 sessions each......

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/DSCN0387_zpseebbc278.jpg[/IMG]]
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[Scuffcakes]

Looks outstanding!  Great work.

 

[lucky13]

Thanks man, unfortunantly any blemishes or discrepencies in the wood grain such as the spots on the front headstock face stand out like a sore thumb.....bet a flame maple neck would look stunning however....

you can see some nice before and after pics on the work in progress post of this tele deluxe build for comparisons....here: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=20244.30

 

[croquet hoop]

My flame maple neck shall arrive this week, and I was debating whether finishing it with tru-oil or shellac. It's one-piece maple, so contrary to yours the fingerboard will also have to be finished; maybe tru-oil will be easier to apply there. Anyway, your neck looks really great, I love the slight amber tint.

 

[lucky13]

Yes Tru-oil will be easiest and the most forgiving...you cant really make a mistake with Tru-oil, that being said its pretty much a clear coat where as Shellac comes in a variety of shades and is harvested from beetles...lol  check this out: http://www.shellac.net/information.html

I blended Amber Shellac with Ruby Shellac to get the tint as I wanted a more Amber darker Vintage shade though I wasnt too concerned about Fender Color or anything....I am absolutely certain it takes several projects to get the process down to a high standard, but Im building a worn Relic style Tele Deluxe so Im not sweating the lack of perfection, and Im one project better for having done it.  :icon_smile:

I havnt used Tru-Oil but some of the guys on here who have do an amazing job and its super smooth for playing on.....they can chime in and tell you the options or you can search the forum, should be quite a bit of info on that.

I would love to Shellac a one piece Flame Maple Neck, just a tip, Do your best to Touch the Neck as little as possible before finishing...the oils from your hand can spot it and the shellac will magnify this...after a light sanding use denatured alcohol to wash the neck down prior to finishing to minimise the oils that your hands and the hands that touched the wood before you recieved it may have left behind...the pre finish prep work is the most important..... :icon_thumright:

 

[Scotty2Hotty]

That's looking really smart, solid effort.
:icon_thumright:

 

[lucky13]

Wanted to post some progress pics to document, I also wanted to show some of my mistakes and see how well the new batch covers them, this is after 5 days into the application of the shellac......Im applying around 2-3 maybe 4 coats each day, letting it dry over night then spiriting off the oils the morning after, I have found that I have to be carefull when starting each days application and not get too eager.

I have also found it helps to let each days working bowl of shellac sit a bit to let some of the alcohol evaporate so the mix isnt too strong, I got a little aggressive the third day out and slopped it on a little heavy and ended up taking off shellac in a few areas on the front of the headstock and back of the headstock....so it is tricky...

I just mixed a tad darker batch and applied one coat just prior to taking these pics...I did this to help blend in the light areas that I rubbed too light...Ive also decided that I would put a Mahogany body on this Deluxe and want the neck to be a bit darker and richer than traditional Fender colors.

I am now realising just how impractical french polishing and shellac are in the larger scope of guitar finishing....not to mention that shellac is alcohol based and should some sucker dump a beer on my guitar it would be ruined....lol

heres the newest batch which is alot more transparent than it looks in this pic.... should be interesting to see it color the neck

If you scroll back in this thread you can see the difference in color going from raw to 2 days of Amber to this post with the neck getting progressively richer in color.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/DSCN0477_zps90144b52.jpg[/IMG]]
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[bagman67]

That's coloring up very nicely.  I'd probably quit now with the color and go with a pale blonde shellac, lest it get out of hand and go too dark.  But obviously it's a matter of your personal taste.  It's lovely work, in any case.


Bagman

 

[TroubledTreble]

Very cool! As you mentioned, it's easy and tricky at the same time. The end results are definitely worth the effort.

I personally think you should wait quite a bit longer to wax it. I found that the finish took quite some time to truly cure and having the air time without wax on top will help that. As noted in another thread, patience is a virtue when it comes to finishes. I used tru-oil however so yours may harden a bit quicker plus conditions help. It was like a year before I touched it and went "ahhh.... now it's cured!". I have been meaning to hit mine with wax but it feels great without it.

Great job!

 

[AutoBat]

I'm amazed those pictures showed up with the bbcode mashed up like they are

 

[lucky13]

I'm amazed those pictures showed up with the bbcode mashed up like they are

not sure why it turns out the way it does, but I have used the same method to post on here since 2007 so dont know much about the coding process...except that I use photobucket to host the pics and then just paste their code for each pic in the hyperlink parenthesis....I have tried other ways and I cant get pics to post any of the other ways I have tried.  :dontknow:

 

[lucky13]

That's coloring up very nicely.  I'd probably quit now with the color and go with a pale blonde shellac, lest it get out of hand and go too dark.  But obviously it's a matter of your personal taste.  It's lovely work, in any case.


Bagman

just a few more coats of the darker to cover the light areas I created then stop....your right of course, but I made the mistake of hitting the headstock to hard with shellac on the third day and have been working to make it uniform since...lesson learned however...so the next project will be better....

Very cool! As you mentioned, it's easy and tricky at the same time. The end results are definitely worth the effort.

I personally think you should wait quite a bit longer to wax it. I found that the finish took quite some time to truly cure and having the air time without wax on top will help that. As noted in another thread, patience is a virtue when it comes to finishes. I used tru-oil however so yours may harden a bit quicker plus conditions help. It was like a year before I touched it and went "ahhh.... now it's cured!". I have been meaning to hit mine with wax but it feels great without it.

Great job!

I agree, I will wait several months before I do anything with this neck after the shellac.....  not sure about the wax either who knows maybe a clear coat of nitro....a cool learning experience...and it is fun..but tricky!  lol  :laughing7:

 

[lucky13]

Alright after applying several more coats of the darker mix I found it wasnt quite covering the areas I had rubbed thru on the third day....so today I mixed a third tad darker than the last 2 batches of shellac and have so far applied 2 coats of that and I am stoked, the color is really poping.

If you go back in the thread you can see the spots that I hit too hard with the Alcohol on the front and back of the headstock, as you can see going with a third even darker batch of shellac was the way to go as after just 2 coats its already blending everything together.

Im liking this so much I cant stop applying it...lol  I think another couple days with this batch and it should be good to go...

I level sanded between batches both times before applying the new shellac mixes and am happy to say I never sanded thru once....the longer I use this the more I feel positive about using shellac....I can definantly say I have never seen tinted paint of any kind pop like this stuff....theres no plastic sheen, no paint shine no opaque quality like a tint has.....I definantly like using bug juice.

Check out the latest color...the pics dont do it justice compared to up close and in the light....I know its not everyones cup of tea but this is turning out far better than I thought possible....I will never buy a finished piece again.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/theoneandonlymechris/DSCN0479_zps879fce3a.jpg[/IMG]]
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[klangster]

looks great, I love the color. I really like the feel of a french polished neck. I french polished a guitar about a year and a half ago and for the most part ( I wish I had been a little more patient)love the results, it does nick a bit easy but once you have the hang of it it repairs relatively easy. I know what you mean about the applying process being addictive there is something very satisfying about the motion. When I did mine after I was done I left the country for a month so I figured it was ready to reassemble and play when I came home. But October in California did not quite get it there, and I did get a little crazing where my forearm rubs it :sad1: So one day I will have to sand and reply some more top coats. It really does make the grain pop though
here are a couple pics of it on some figured maple

Before

during

then after in very unnatural light

After I was finished I wished I had spent more time prepping the body as some of the existing dins and scratches showed through more than I would like.