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I'm taking my first stab at french polishing and am at the point where I'm trying to get that glass-smooth surface. Anybody have any glazing tips?
Thanks.

My method is the same as in the Melburn tutorial. the one piece of info I can give that I think makes or breaks is smooth, firm, quick strokes. glide on glide off. always make passes overlap bu half a pad width. don't pause or you will stick.

Thanks, Michael. I did a glazing session tonight and it's starting to look good, but I've got a few pinholes in the top that I'm having trouble filling.

Bruce did you fill with pumice or epoxy? . If you have only one or two pin holes you could eye droper fill with 3# cut allow to harden over night, rub in a bit as if boding to level out then continue to glaze. I never start the glaze till everything is 100%. No issue though. French polish is easy to back track.

[QUOTE=MichaelP] French polish is easy to back track.[/QUOTE]

No kidding. I've back tracked numerous times. Yesterday I just about had it then burned through.

I pore filled with Z-poxy.

One more question: How do you level before glazing?
Thanks.

IF you French polish the traditional way leveling is done by spiriting or spritzing depending on who is describing the process. In truth the whole process of boding and spritzing produces the level surface. You should be able to go directly to glazing once the film is bult up.

If you drop fill a pin hole, after the drop fill is firmed up body and spritz that general area till level.

If for some reason you have an unlevel surface after you have bodied and spritzed to the desired film thickness, then you have not properly bodied. However ridges can be leveled out by spritzing. I never touch a French polish film with sand paper.

I think I'll strip it off and start over. I think that I tried to lay it on too fast instead of working the shellac in. I think that I need a little more oil and less shellac on my pad.

BTW, Michael, are you passing through Ohio anytime soon?       I think that I could get it if you showed me.

Thanks!

There should be no reason to strip it off. Just load a clean pad with a bit less shellac and more alcohol and oil than normal for a while and sprit and sprit and sprit. It may take a bit of working but you will eventually work in down. It is almost impossible to mess-up to the point that you need to remove film and start over

My guess is that you did not start spiriting after each body session soon enough. I typically body 3 sessions, sprit, and sprit after each session there after for a total of 8 sessions then start the glazing. keep in mind that the trick to glazing is speed and pressure. Enough pressure to still compress the film and speed to keep the pad from sticking. glide on glide off. kinda like stopping a razor, it is a smooth continuous motion.

The gloss will start to appear a little at a time for a while. Then becomes more apparent quicker. When your work light reflection is perfectly in focus your there.
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