Looking back, the old-timer who told me to thin shellac with denatured alcohol, not lacquer thinner, for French polishing saved me a ton of frustration on that 1920s vanity.

I was fighting streaks and drag on the final rub-out for days until I tried his exact 2:1 mix, and the pad just glided.

3 comments

3 Comments

Remember reading about French polishing for weeks before trying it on a small jewelry box. I got so mad because my pad kept sticking and pulling up the finish. Turns out I was using the wrong kind of alcohol, the stuff from the drug store. Switched to the proper solvent and it was like night and day, the pad just floated. Sometimes the old advice is the only thing that works.

annajenkins27d ago

So the 2:1 mix was the real key, huh? Was that shellac to alcohol, or the other way around? I've seen recipes go both ways and it makes a huge difference in how the pad releases.

susan_adams27d ago

I used to think the solvent didn't matter that much. Then I tried using regular rubbing alcohol on a mahogany table and it gummed up instantly. Switched to the proper denatured stuff and it was a totally different ball game. The old guy was right.