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Finally got the hang of a proper French polish after a brutal critique
An old timer at a guild meetup in Tacoma told me my pad was 'too wet, too fast' and it was creating a cloudy finish. I started using a single drop of oil per session and letting the shellac firm up between passes, which made a huge difference. How do you judge when your pad has the right amount of moisture?
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the_piper5mo ago
That whole "too wet, too fast" thing is everywhere, like overwatering a plant or rushing a risotto. You want the slow build, not the instant flood. It's about patience for the layers to set, in finish or in anything else. What's another skill where that slow-drip method pays off?
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river9525mo ago
Honestly, I judge it by how much my pad feels like a sad, damp dishrag versus a tiny, angry cloud. If it makes a faint hiss and glides without dragging, you're golden. If it leaves a streak that looks like a ghost sigh, you've gone too far.
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sean_green445mo ago
Okay that ghost sigh line from @river952 is actually perfect. Used to think more water just meant faster work, but it really does just push the old finish around into those sad streaks. The slow-drip method is key for getting it to actually cut the grime and then evaporate clean. Makes the whole job faster in the end because you aren't going back over hazy spots. Totally changed how I do my whole car now.
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