Official Luthiers Forum!

Just curious as to how you French Polishers get into those tight corners like the heal/side. My first is frenched and I've been using that to teach me so I'm fairly new at it but have a good feel for it so any FP info is helpful thanks in advance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Make a smaller pad for the tight spots, give that smaller pad a chiseled tip, use something thin to nudge the smaller pad into corners, work pretty dry, don't let loose parts of the pad get gunk on them, don't let any such loose parts touch the parts of the guitar to which you are not depositing material. That sort of stuff. Lord knows I'm no expert, but that's what I try to do.

Making a small triangular pad usually solves the problem

for those corners, I wrap linen around one of those big red pencil erasers that are rectangular but with tapered ends. Makes it easy to apply right to the sharp inside corner,
Mike

Fast circular strokes. When done I use finishing papers and swirl remover polish to get rid of any marks. It's a PIA around the bridge in particular or any area of cross grain. Along the fretboard is easy since it goes with the grain and with your longer strokes of the pad.

The redish/pinkish erasers are OK, but will start to bleed into the shellac, eventually. I find the art gum or the artists white erasers to work better and last longer. I cut them into shapes that work for me, but around the bridge or neck, on the sides, a square isn't too bad.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Great ideas everyone thank you bunches. Love frenching but when in pieces is soooo much easier lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Use a smaller, looser pad.
I do the most part of my FP before gluing the neck into the body, so it has a decent build-up at the joint already. Then after the guitar is set up and playing, give it a couple of weeks and remove the strings & machines and take care of any FP "issues" in a final way before shipping.

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110

To get into tight corners like at the heel I put a bead of shellac down the inside of the angle with a brush before starting polishing. This gives some shellac in the hard to reach area to work with. When I get to that end I load my mouse as usual but instead of tamping and blotting on a flat board I push and tap into a small inside corner block I have to form one side at a 90 degree to the bottom and viola....just polish into and out of the corner from both sides.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Great tip, Brian!

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars