Ronn W Posted October 11, 2022 Report Share Posted October 11, 2022 Everyone will proboaly have a differnet opinion on this but here goes: I am finishing a jewelry box top. I like the appearance and feel of using a thin finish such as shellac so that the end result leaves coated wood fibers but the wood grain still has some texture to it. I have found that a french polish (shellac) that stops short of a glass smooth finish looks pretty good. Here is the problem. This finish feels textured and smooth to the fingers and a old fashioin dusting cloth glides smoothly over the surface - as does cotton. But my wife's test is to use a "Swiffer" pad or micro-fiber. Both of which are so fine that they "catch" just a lttle bit as they pass over the surface. What is your opinon on how smooth is acceptable given the underlined words above as my preference???? Can I achieve both "swiffer" smooth and textured? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted October 11, 2022 Report Share Posted October 11, 2022 I have something similar to the swifter pads that I used to use in my awards business to clean acrylic awards with out scratching them or leave lint behind and they snag on just about everything except glass and acrylic. I used one the other day to do a final dusting before packing & shipping the music box I did for my brother. I could even feel it snagging some on the Birdseye maple in the lid. I don't think that short of the lacquer finish on a grand piano there are many wood projects that will pass your wife's test. I am like you, on small things like jewelry boxes I like the look and feel of the shellac finish, not a French polish, just two or three coats of shellac with proper sanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 12, 2022 Report Share Posted October 12, 2022 If you like a super-smooth finish that doesn't look like a film, or have the "tacky" friction feel of a film finish, you might try polishing the raw wood with red or white rouge on a cotton, high-speed buffing wheel. I used to make some wooden 'jewelry' pieces, and buff them this way after sanding to about 600 grit. Looks and feels great, but leaves very little protection. What little protection it does give, comes from the waxy binder of the compound, I think. Adding some hard wax might help a bit. You could also do a wash coat of shellac to seal the pores prior to final sand & polish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted October 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2022 I tried and rubbing my partial "french polish" finish with a 3000 grit automotive pad and managed to decrease the swiffer snagging by about half and dulled the shellac sheen to somewhere between satin and semi-gloss. The rest of the piece is satin finish and I don't mind having the top with a little more sheen. I may just call it good-to-go. I think I will sleep on it and make my final decision in the morning. Thanks guys. One thing about a partial french polish seems to be that as you keep adding shellac there comes a point when the shellac starts to fill in the grain in some places and not others and you end up with very smooth spots scattered around the surface surrounded by areas where you can still feel the grain. Although shellac is pretty forgiving, once that happens you can't "back up" a step. This is a case, I think, where less is more. I really like shellac but there are a lot of nuances. Random thought - has any one ever tried to french polish with shellac using red wine as the alcohol. I think I will try that after this project is over. I think that It won't dry properly but might look cool. or maybe red transtint dye in shellac. or blue or green or........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted October 12, 2022 Report Share Posted October 12, 2022 Ronn, I have met your wife and she is a wonderful lady. But, I would tell her to keep her swifter out of your shop! Just kidding about the second part! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted October 12, 2022 Report Share Posted October 12, 2022 Try 0000 steel wool and Pledge furniture polish somewhere, and see what it does. I used to do that to all the trim and cabinets in the houses I built, and people would oooh and aaah over it. It didn't take long to hit it. Anything will glide over it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted October 12, 2022 Report Share Posted October 12, 2022 Tom, what was the initial finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted October 12, 2022 Report Share Posted October 12, 2022 I also prefer a thinner finish, generally I hit it with brown paper as the final "polishing". Pretty similar to steel wool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted October 12, 2022 Report Share Posted October 12, 2022 Coop, Just varnish that varied from one type to another over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted October 13, 2022 Report Share Posted October 13, 2022 Texture is the opposite of smooth, so I don't think you can achieve both on the same surface. You might try a hard wax oil finish, or wax over shellac to make the textured surface a little slicker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted October 13, 2022 Report Share Posted October 13, 2022 Water lox transparent sealer. 3 coats. Give the wood up to 300 grit. 400 g between coats. It must go on thin. The first coat strikes in. The other 2 builds a luster. Not good for high traffic areas. Very easy to use. I apply with a sponge brush. A very little goes far. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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