My First Attempt at French Polishing.

[Sturdee]

As previously posted I am doing a course in furniture restoration and french polishing at my local neighbourhood house with an experienced tutor. The item I chose to do was an old small side table that we have had for over 20 years. We have four of them, 2 small and 2 large. The table legs and frame is made of teak and the top is teak veneered chipboard.

After having been stored in a shed for a number of years they were resurrected and in a room that was smoke and heat damaged from a fire in an adjacent room.

The process involved first stripping of the lacquer (Col it wasn’t your famous brand ) then using a scraper and hand sanding to 400 grit. Whilst doing the scraping I was thinking how some of you will have a chuckle when I admit that hand tools sometime have a place in woodworking.

Then I stained it with a spirit stain and a brush coat of shellac. After rubbing this back I started the process of bodying up and staining the parts where the veneer was damaged. Finally I rubbed the finish down with English whiting powder and applied a coat of wax.

The time spent on the table was the equivalent of six full days and well worth the effort. The finish is very smooth and sensual. It is a 100 % improvement on what it looked new. The shine is mirror like as the photos show.

The first 3 photos show the table and the final photo shows the condition of the other table top which is not quite as bad as the one I did.

This table and the other three I am only doing to gain experience before I start on our other furniture.


Peter.

[Driver]

Peter

That's very impressive. Well done! And, of course, the original finish could not have been MFKL because, if it had been, the table would never have lost its lustre!

Col