Rustins French Polish 300ml

Good to apply and good colour

⭐This is a traditional wood finish made from shellac, capable of producing a gloss finish on wood surfaces. My application was to use this to run into a very fine crack along a dark piece of wood grain on an instrument, to help stabilise and disguise the crack that had been glued with a cleat. I think that it worked reasonably well, and while I could have used other glues for this purpose, the very liquid nature of the shellac worked well for me. The result was hard to see, but it has helped disguise the crack to some extent. The shellac ran into the crack, and I wiped away the excess—simple as that. ✔️

I have tried shellac for the first time, and i am hooked! Easy to apply.. I used a brush for 3 coats, then finished with a final coat of furniture polish.

This polish has been around a long time, but it is still the best.

I wanted to make a new arm board for my turntable, so I started with 30x8 cm in newly cut American Walnut. I have never tried French Polish before, so was a bit uneasy, but it was not very difficult, once you get it sorted out. I used Bio Ethanol to clean, mix and rub down when required, and very fine pumice to fill the grain. My method was:1. Sand with fine sand paper. I think I used 1000 grain to get it smooth.2. Fill grain with pumice and ethanol rub. Did this twice about 12 hour apart.3. Mixed French Polish about 50/50 with ethanol and washed on with a ‘rubber’. Waited 12 hours and repeated.4. Next day, sanded lightly and applied the first buildup coat. Rubbed in small circles an used a drop of olive oil as a lubricant. If you have too much oil, it looks good but dries unevenly. If you have not enough the rubber sticks and leaves smears. If this happen don’t leave it. You might rub it away, or you might need to take it off with alcohol.5. Leave to dry for 6-8 hours. Sand with very fine paper, say 2000-3000 grade. Wipe clean and apply again.I applied about 6-7 coats over three days.6. Sand very lightly. I then mixed ethanol with the French Polish again about 50/50. I wiped that along the grain very gently.7. Waited to the next day the used a quality bees wax to get a final polish.As this was my first attempt and a very small piece, so it was about right as a start. I learnt a fair bit and would get a better result. If I were starting on something larger I would suggest you try a small test piece. It takes time, but you learn a bit. For me the main lessons were:1) apply a small amount at a time.2) keep the mixture at room temperature. It was too cold in the garage and it made it harder to work.3) wait the full six hours between coats.4) make the rubber surface smooth and crease free, including the inside bit, and don’t make it too tight. At the end of each session put it in a sealed jam jar.5) In one coat, I let the finish smear and did not sand it off enough. I can still see it now in the right light, so don’t leave it - either sand it off or if not yet dry try rubbing it more with a small bit of oil and or alcohol. Alcohol will remove a lot, so you may be back a few coats, and it will probably look uneven. Sand that when dry and just built it up again.Overall I am pleased, and think any imperfections are my faults, not the Rustins. I would not mind at having a go at something else too. It was quite pleasing. The pictures show the wood I started with and my end result.

Good value for money will be buying again

I now realise that French Polishing is a technique and not a substance.I have a tired looking coffee table and dark mahogany dresser. I thought I would give this thin brown shellac liquid a try. It comes in a 125ml bottle with a safety cap and a little goes a long way.You need cotton cloths and possibly wood stain for underneath. You simply apply to a clean surface in a figure 8 movement.I did two coats allowing drying in-between. You can sand a little between layers.Things to consider – wear gloves and keep the room ventilated whilst using.I was happy with the good shine I achieved. The fine scratches are much improved and the overall look is improved. I could do with a darker shade for the dark wood and I may need another product for the deeper marks.I have included some before and after pictures, which I hope, are helpful.

standard french polish, easy to use, dries quickly.

It's already here but it still says, "It's coming". I wonder what is coming.Very good item I was always looking for.