Dave: Yes you can french polish over lacquer. The alcohol should not have any impact on the prior finish. One trick that I've found in covering up small voids is I've sprayed shellac until You've got a good base and then wet sand it with oil.
Full Answer
How do you Polish lacquer with a polisher?
Spread a pea-sized amount of correcting polish on the lacquer. Add the polish to the specific area or corner that you plan on polishing. If you’re buffing a large surface, you can use extra polish as needed for other sections of lacquer. If you’re using a polisher, feel free to apply the polish directly to the foam pad.
How do you French Polish with shellac?
How to French Polish. 1 Step 1: Preparing the Shellac. Before we do the actual polishing, I would like to talk about the finish. The finish itself is a alcohol based finish ... 2 Step 2: Wood Surface Preparation. 3 Step 3: Make the Finishing Pad-pt.1. 4 Step 4: Make the Finishing Pad-pt.2. 5 Step 5: 'Charge' the Finishing Pad. More items
Is there such a thing as a French polish finish on wood?
While there are certainly other methods of finishing wood that produce a glossy finish—including varnish, polyurethane, and high-gloss stains and paints—none of those produce the depth and richness of French polish. RELATED: Is Varnish or Polyurethane the Right Finish for You?
How do you know if your lacquer Polish is bad?
Touch the surface to check for any blemishes. Look for obvious scratches and marks that you can detect with your fingertips. Additionally, examine the lacquer to make sure that it’s completely smooth and reflective. [6] You don’t want there to be any visible scratches once you apply the polish.
Can lacquer be French polished?
Lubricite is our time-tested padding lacquer that brings out the beauty of wood and leather using the French polish technique. This finishing material surpasses all other finishes when using the timeless hand-polishing technique of French polishing. Lubricite's proprietary formula is a shellac-based padding lacquer.
Can you polish a lacquer finish?
If the lacquer is thick enough, you can buff out scuffs with either rubbing and polishing compound, for gloss lacquer, or with 0000 steel wool and paste wax, for satin finishes.
Can you put French polish over varnish?
The answer is that French polishing only works with shellac. It surely doesn't work with a varnish (wipe-on poly) or water-based finish.
Can shellac be applied over lacquer?
Yes, shellac is a great barrier coat and wash coat, lacquer works well over it. The flake mixed with DNA is better than the hardware store canned.
How do you polish after lacquer?
Polish the surface with a clean buffing cloth. Take a new cloth and rub over the waxed lacquer of your car. Work in straight or circular motions—just make sure you're being consistent, so the surface looks even and smooth.
What finish can be applied over lacquer?
Laquer is thinned with alcohol so any water or oil based finish will work over the lacquer sealed wood.
How many coats of French polish are needed?
It's this that allows French polish to stand out from other surface coatings, but only if it's correctly applied. It can, of course, be brushed on, as you would a varnish, and very good results are achieved by applying four or five coats with a polishing mop, cutting back between coats and waxing with a fine paste wax.
How durable is French polish?
On the plus side, French-polished shellac is durable and doesn't require much in the way of polishing once dry. It's flexible, so resists cracking, scratches, and wear—a definite advantage if you drop your keys onto a shellacked table, for example.
Do you sand between coats of French polish?
After every four or five applications the work should be left to harden for a couple of hours before applying further coats. We recommend lightly rubbing the surface down between coats with 320 grit abrasive paper or Liberon Ultra Fine Steel Wool (Grade 0000) to remove any blemishes.
How do you tell if a finish is lacquer or shellac?
Polyurethane, Shellac, Varnish and Lacquer – Use a cotton swab with acetone on it and apply to the wood. If it becomes tacky, than it is shellac or varnish and if it beads, it has a polyurethane finish. If it is lacquer, the lacquer will dissolve completely.
Which is better shellac or lacquer?
Shellac gives a high-gloss finish in a warm tone, but it isn't very durable. Lacquer is extremely durable and gives a clear finish in a variety of sheens. Shellac is easier to repair, but lacquer is more resistant to scratches, heat, and water.
Can you put polyurethane on top of lacquer?
Second, polyurethane is not the best choice for painting over lacquer finishes. Polyurethane will not bond or grip well with the lacquer and will peel off over time with general use. Instead, use an alkyd varnish. Alkyd varnishes are a polyester resin that will adhere better and repair more easily.
How long after lacquer can I polish?
Get a good few coats of lacquer on it, then let it dry for minimum 24 hours - 2-3 days is probably better. Then, as you did with the paint coat, flat it with 1200grit or finer wet and dry and soapy water. Once flat, bring it to a shine with rubbing compound, keeping the surface damp (not soaking) as you rub.
How do you make clear lacquer shiny?
Sandpaper and Rubbing Compound Once clear coat is applied you need to sand it with low grit wet and dry sand paper and then rub it out with low grit rubbing compound. This is how you will get it to shine.
How do you make lacquer finish smooth?
5:066:33The secret to getting an awesome finish with spray lacquer in under ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPaper or even just a brown paper bag and just start buffing the surface. Feel free to get prettyMorePaper or even just a brown paper bag and just start buffing the surface. Feel free to get pretty aggressive here and just keep feeling with your other hand as you're buffing.
Can you wax a lacquer finish?
You can use waxes (paste, etc.) over lacquer but not lacquer over wax. Myself if I were going to rub out a surface with wax like I usually do I would wait at least a week. You want to give the lacquer time to cure.
How to polish lacquer?
The simplest solution to polish lacquer for most furniture is to buy an oil-based soap which you’ll be able find in any hardware store and most grocery stores in the household cleaning aisle. Pour some of the oil soap onto a clean soft cloth. Wipe the soap along the grain of the wood.
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Can you use regular furniture polish with lacquer?
This means you should avoid using regular furniture polishes of all kinds, especially those that contain silicone and lemon oil. These are not meant for use with lacquer and can damage it.
Is polishing lacquer environmentally friendly?
There are simple products that are surprisingly cheap and work well to polish lacquer, many of which are very environmentally friendly. There’s also a technique you should employ to polish lacquer properly to get the best shine from it.
What is French Polish?
Rather, French polishing is a method of applying shellac to wood furniture, musical instruments, or decorative accents in many thin layers—typically well over 100— that results in a highly glossy, glass-smooth surface with a rich depth that beautifully highlights the grain of the wood. While it’s been around since the 1600s, French polish today has somewhat fallen out of favor, due to its labor-intensive process.
How to French polish a dabber?
Begin to French polish in earnest. Switch back to your first shellac dabbing pad. Open it up to apply a small spritz of fresh shellac to the inner wad, retie the dabber, and then apply a drop or two of olive oil to the dabber’s surface.
How long does it take to polish wood?
Remember to let the wood dry completely for at least one hour between each session. Buff out any small imperfections.
How to make a wood sanding board?
Start by sanding. Prepare your wooden piece by sanding off any old finishes, paint, varnish, or rough surfaces. While you might start with a medium-grit sandpaper, you’ll want to finish up with a fine grit, such as 400. Wipe away sawdust with a slightly damp clean cloth or a tack cloth. Mix your shellac.
What to use to fill in open grain?
Fill in open grain with pumice powder. While this step is optional, you will want to include it if you are working with a very open-grained wood like walnut. Filling in the grain with ultra-fine FFFF-grade pumice powder (such as this CQ Concepts product on Amazon) will help achieve the smoothest French polish.
What is shellac made of?
Made from a substance secreted by the lac bug —a species of scale insect native to Asia—shellac is suitable for any type of wood, but you’ll find it far easier to achieve the glossy, perfect French polish finish on hardwoods with closed grains, such as maple, spruce, and cedar.
How to polish wood with pumice?
Work the pumice into the wood grain with firm pressure and small, circular motions; do not follow the grain of the wood, which would push the powder out of the grain. Continue to apply pumice powder until the surface of the wood is completely smooth (i.e. without wood grain texture). Begin to French polish in earnest.
How to dissolve shellac in alcohol?
One good tip that helps the shellac dissolve in alcohol thoroughly is to grind shellac flakes into finer powder before you dump it into the alcohol. After the flakes are grind, you can then dump the flakes into the alcohol. Close the container and shake the mixture thoroughly.
What is the finish of shellac?
Before we do the actual polishing, I would like to talk about the finish. The finish itself is a alcohol based finish called 'Shellac' . Shellac is a resin formed from lac bugs in south east Asia. The resin is processed and sold as dry flakes (see picture). There are many different shades of shellac flakes available online. The color varies from gold amber to deep brown caramel. I bought my shellac flakes through this company.
How many grits should I use for a walnut finish?
For open grain wood such as walnut, oak, or ash, sand to 400 grit before french polishing. For closed grain wood such as maple, I would sand it to 600 grit. These number of grits is enough for semi-gloss finish. If you're going for a high gloss finish, sand the piece to 600 or 800 grit.
How to make shellac slow?
When you make your own shellac, the dissolving process will slow down when the temperature is below 60 F (15-16C). You can put the container in a hot bath to speed up the dissolving process. Same with french polish, being in a cold environment will slow down the cure time.
What happens if you fold shellac?
If the bottom is not flat and is uneven, it will create an uneven finish surface during french polishing. The shellac will also have a bigger chance to get stuck on the wood if the pad is not folded correctly.
What is French polish?
French Polish is a traditional finishing technique used by luthiers and woodworkers. Often times people find this technique intimidating because the preparation and process is usually more time consuming than other finishing techniques. Fear not! This instructables will show you the basics of french polish.
Why do you need an inner cloth?
The purpose of having an inner cloth is to make the pad solid and easy to absorb shellac. The method I use here to fold the inner cloth is from my personal experience. I find this method works best for me. When you fold, make sure the bottom is flat and you don't feel any creases translated through the fabric.
What is lacquer spray?
The lacquer is acrylic based spray can stuff.
How to get a glossy finish?
If you want to build up a real glossy finish, get a two part automotive finish. Build up two or three coats (sprayed), sanding flat between coats. Use wet sandpapers, going up to 4000 grit, followed by some polishing compound to get the gloss popping. Lots of work, but less of a headache than trying to put shellac over laquer.
Is shellac good for lacquer?
Going with shellac over lacquer is not a good idea. Shellac is not a very durable finish and French polish takes time to learn. Automotive is not a good idea if you don't have the right equipment AND you coud get some compatibility problems. Do you have a buffer?
Is shellac easy to repair?
I have found scratches and dings in shellac easy to repair, much easier than laquer scratches, but again that's perhaps due to my lacking overall laquering skills.
What skill do I feel I master?
A skill I feel I master is the art of French polishing with shellac.
Can shellac be used as a sealer?
I use shellac as a sealer/ first coat because it's thin/ penetrating/ dries quickly/ sands easily/ adds depth dimension and sparkle can be coated with urathane/ lacquer. Shellac would not be my first choice as a finish for drums
Do you rubbed compound after wet sanding?
The laquer would need to be rubbed out with compound after the wet sanding.
