shellac, french polish? whaaaa?

[charlieart66]

after much researching on the internet i find shellac, apparently brilliant for finishing woods.

A French polish is one of the most beautiful finishes available. It takes a lot of patience and a very clean work area - a little bit of dust can ruin hours of work. Here's how to do it right.

i buy some mylands pure shellac varnish for £9.00
http://www.mylands.co.uk/shellac.html#1
and just some regular yatch varnish (£4.00)
when i get home i try it both on a piece of scrap wood( i think it was birch) and not only did i get loads of bits in it,( dust ) the cheapo varnish turned out to have a better finish.
my only consolation is that on a more dark tropical wood ( cherry???) the French polish wins but still behaves like a normal yet darker polish.
wiki provides no help so i Google it.
http://www.ehow.com/how_14587_apply...nal-french.html

this throws me completely into confusion,

sorry about all the questions

1)do i need all that stuff?,
2)was i wrong in thinking that this was a simple apply and wait to dry operation?
3) what can i do with the stuff if i am unable to apply proper French polish, it is clear that it is only useful with darker woods.
4) can French polish be applied straight to sanded wood or is it better to put it on top of wax or another finish?
5)is the finish worth the 10-15 coats? does anybody have any photos?
6) am i using the wrong French polish? should i be using the whiter variates?
7)can anybody point me to an easier way to apply it?
8) is this the same thing as shellac, does it still carry the same environmentally friendly and durability, plus the non-harmfulness to plants?
9) any alternatives or tips?

[Shedhand]

G'day mate.

French polishing is relatively simple and you get brilliant results if done properly.

On new timber:

1 Sand to finest finish you can
2 Buy the Shellac flakes
3 Buy some Industrial Methylated Spirits (standard Metho can contain up 10% water which is no good for french polish.
4 To make a batch of polish place an amount of shellac flakes in a glass container and add enough IMS to cover completely
5 Leave the mixture overnight so the Shellac dissolves.
6 Buy some cotton wool from the supermarket ( get a big roll)
7 Get some soft lint free cloth off SWMBO
8 make a polishing pad by placing a palm sized piece of cotton wool (compressed that is) inside a square (say 12"x12") of the lint free cloth.
9 Making sure ALL the Shellac has dissolved pour an amount into the opened cotton wad sufficient to make the pad slightly wet (not just moist) when you twist the lint free cloth to recompress the cotton wad.
For the first layer of polish apply across the grain of the wood. This helps to fill the grain of particularly coarse grained wood. Leave dry for 10 to 12 mins (longer in cold weather unless your shed is heated) - don't flood the wood with polish though.
Using the finest paper you have or 0000 grade steel wool and using only moderate pressure rub the polished surface WITH the grain to remove excess dried polish.
Apply the second and subsequent coats with the grain and buff between coats with the 0000 grade steel wool.
Finish off with a hardwax polish of good quality. (EEE from U Beaut Enterprises is an excellent product for tyhis job)
The object of French Polishing is twofold.
1 To fill the timber grain, and
2 To lay a multi-coat protective polish which highlights the wood grain.

Tips.
1 Wear rubber/latex gloves as this is a sticky messy process.
2 Dust free environment is not that important just don't go sanding or cutting with power tools during the French Polishing process.
3 When applying the polish don't be tempted to wipe over any excess you will leave little balls of polish which will muck up the finish.
4 When you reach an edge be careful not to let the polish run down the end grain.
5 Store the wet pad applicator in an airtight jar with just a small amount of polish in the bottom that way it will last you a fair while.
6 If you can't get hold of Industrial Methylated Spirits and are forced to use standard methylated spirits then DON"T use steel wool as any steel wool left in the surfacce of the wood after you apply the french polish will rust due to the water in the Metho.
Any polish left over can be further thinned with metho and makes a great sanding sealer.

I'm not an expert by any means but this is how I've done French polishing for a while now and I get great results. A bonus is the process is very cathartic as there is no noise, no electrons being used..just the peaceful sound of real craftwork happening.

Good luck with it. Others here will probably add to this.