Sorry to be so offtopic but does someone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..? I somehow forgot my password. I appreciate any assistance you can offer me

@Harrison Mathew I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im trying it out atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

@Harrison Mathew it worked and I actually got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thank you so much you saved my account !

@Carson Max Happy to help =)

Hey Paul, Thanks so much! It's a small detail but one that I think makes a very big difference in the overall impression of the guitar. I think you're right that it would make a great video so I will put it on the list for sure. In the meantime, what I do is leave the binding square until almost the very end of the woodworking portion of the guitar building process. That helps me see clearly how even the thickness of the bindings are as I work my way toward finish preparations. Then I start the rounding of the bindings with fine luthier's files like these: amzn.to/2Vnj8N5 (if it's ebony I sometime use a scraper as well) After that I use 150 sandpaper with soft sanding block. Then switch to 320 and continue to refine. ***The key to all of it is using light and shadows to see the evenness and gracefulness of the contours. The shadow is the inverse of the shine that will show these details after the guitar is done. That's an important thing to keep in mind for getting the best results consistently. Hope that helps a little!

Thanks so much Michael! :) You can find the free videos here: theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing-technique-and-free-videos/ I totally agree with your other comments. The approach I love (and that has helped me improve my own guitars over the years) is to the core of the thing and understand the "WHY" behind it, then I can make more creative and meaningful decisions which for me has produced better results on my instruments. It's the same approach I take in my courses ( theartoflutherie.com/my-membership-options-page/ ) that has helping many many people improve their guitars and French polishing technique too which is awesome!!

He uses Everclear...

“I ended up lighting my house on fire. And in the hospital.”

A lasted up until that point.😂

Hi Nick, French polishing around the bridge is a tricky area. If you do try to polish it, you will have to blot out your pad until it looks totally dry, and be very careful not to overwork the area and cause a bigger problem. My advice is that if you do intend to try it, I recommend working up a test board first to practice and experiment. You'd have to French Polish some scrap wood to build up a good gloss and then try to recreate those scratches. Then test the methods of fixing them. On the test piece (not the guitar yet), you could try a little shellac, a little alcohol, and a tiny drop of olive oil on the pad. Then blot the pad on a Bounty paper towel until it seems very dry, and then glide onto the surface and try to work the scratched areas just a bit and then stop before things get too soft and other damage gets done. You'll have to try different methods until you find what works on the test wood first. That way, if it all goes wrong, your guitar doesn't end up in worse shape than before.

Really good idea. I did not think of that route. Thank you so much and for all your videos!

Some people will add a final protective coat of pure carnuba wax. I don't, though, I use the shellac only.

Most definitely him

I knew you from the good ol days. Good to see you still at it! -Rod Blackman

Hi Rod, good to hear from you , hope you're doing well!

Hi Peter, I remember the frustration I felt when I was first starting too, so I feel your pain. My teacher was Eugene Clark (the best French Polisher I have ever seen). Like you a took a class. I went and studied with Eugene and learned French polishing and much much more about the art of guitar building. But even if you stay for months, eventually you have to leave and go back to your own workshop. When I left I felt like I fully understood French Polishing and was excited to get started back in my workshop. But like all things in lutherie there is always another variable that pops up and throws you a curve ball, and it did in this case. That feeling of being alone and stuck after all the time and investment in the courses and training is one of the things that inspired me make my online course and online luthier community The Luthier's EDGE. Some things just need ongoing support and a way to review the material as many times as necessary as you move through different challenges and phases of understanding and skill. From what you said, I think your problem is that you are working too wet. Anytime there are swirls, it means the pad has too much finish/alcohol. I have demonstrations of all this in my course, but basically you need to think of French Polishing like Spit Shining. Very dry pad and lots of rubbing. Try loading your pad with just a fingertip (I put my finger over the bottle top and just splash a little on it) of shellac and then another of alcohol on your pad. IF your guitar is sealed well enough t protect the bare wood then you can add a tiny drop of olive oil as well. Then the key is to blot this on a paper towel until there is only a tiny bit of moisture showing and it looks almost all the way dry. Then begin your work on the surface of the guitar and see how it goes. Don't worry about the vapor trail, just focus on making the pad dry, using good pressure and paint and pull over technique. One last thing, don't work one area too long, keep moving and if it needs more come back later after everything dries. I did my best to explain in words but it is very hard, take a look at my course and if you can, give it a try, I think it will save you so many hours of frustration and hep you get great results: theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/

@@TheArtOfLutherie Hi Tom, thanks for your quick reply. If I have the pad any drier, the blot will be no more than a pattern of dots: but I will try that. If I can't get any joy, I'll definitely get a month's worth on your course; maybe I'll do that anyway! All the best!

@@TheArtOfLutherie Hi Tom! I've experimented with using less and less: I've got the pad so dry that I can barely see a pattern of dots when I press it on the paper, but it still leaves very faint but clearly visible swirl-marks that often don't come out when I pull it straight, or with stiffing off. It's weird. Can you think of any other possible cause?

@@PeterOzanne Well, you might be moving too slowly or overworking it. Even if the pad is nice an dry, if you overwork the area too much, it will still soften the surface under it and leave lint or marks. Try working each each section a little less per session and allow more dry time in between sessions. In case the surface is just soft, let it sit for a few days and see if when you come back its hardened up a bit and is more cooperative. Hope that gives you a few ideas and helps!

@@TheArtOfLutherie Thanks Tom: I'll check the speed, but I thought I was moving briskly. As for overworking: I learned to do straight passes, followed a few seconds (i.e.immediately) by quick spirals/8's moving the length of that area, then pulling straight again - that whole sequence lasting maybe little more than a minute for a quarter of the top or back. I then experimented leaving out the initial straight lines, and just did spirals and straight finish.

Firm pressure on your pad throughout the bodying to compact and harden the finish. Make sure you spirit off firmly. My first guitar was soft for a long time as well, maybe because I was using isopropyl? Sometimes they need to cure for a while. Eventually mine hardened up. I hope yours did too.

I’ve experienced the same issue. I would agree that pressure in the spiriting off helps avoid this but man that process that can south pretty quick. Since I’ve not really mastered that part of the process to avoid a soft finish I just hang them up for a while. I also struggle with where the neck meets the body. I now understand the cost FP adds to an instrument.

@@joeyoungs8426 I’ve read about master French polishing using Eugene Clark using tons of pressure, from a couple different sources. I’m going to always end sessions with hard pressure, a mini spiriting. I’m always going to quit using walnut oil as a lubricant and use olive or mineral oil instead!

I only use de-waxed shellac. You can buy de-waxed shellac or you can de-wax it yourself. ( I show my process in great detail in this course: theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/ ) Without the wax, the shellac has better hardness and clarity in my experience. That being said some people do leave wax in, I haven't seen their work though so I can't say how well it works. The traditional method is to remove the wax though, which is what I have had best results with for my guitars.

Good question! Using pumice, when done properly will actually draw out the natural resins of the wood and result in a beautiful perfect color match and a clean smooth sealed surface for the top coats of finish. The key is to use the right technique! That's why I made this video :) I also have some free French Polish training videos you can check out over on my website here: theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing-technique-and-free-videos/

Beats drywall caulking any day (I cringe every time I see someone use that...)

Your video is really good btw if you could just cut down on the time and , well, I mentioned it already. And you mention some of the things I had a small problem with yourself quite a few times So self critiquing is one of your strongsuits apparently. If you could just follow through and make the adjustments I believe you could be a valuable piece of info on KZfaq in relation to guitar polishing

I agree with this comment. I stopped watching about a half a minute earlier. At the commencement of the video I was tempted to get the course that was mentioned, but this somewhat unfocused presentation has put me off.