Okay.  I have decide to give french polishing a go.  My first three 'ukulele that I have attempted to french polish have turned out OK but not great.  The problem areas are around the heel joint and where the fretboard meets the soundboard. Any suggestions from experience on how to get into the tight places?

Once I use up all my shellac flakes I may turn back to the Tru-oil.  Personally I think the Tru-oil has a warmer, deeper finish.  Although, the shellac seems to produce better sound quality.  I finished 2 concert koa...one with shellac;one with Tru-oil.  The Koa for each was cut from the same log.  When all was said and done, side by side, the shellac sounded far and above way better than the Tru-oil.

This is someting I ran across in a search.  Does anyone have any experience with this product?


Mark

http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/FrenchPolZin.html

Mark,

I would not use the Zinsser French Polish product.

There is a lot of discussion on other forums regarding making your own shellac or using a premade version. There consensus is that only two premade shellac product should be used for french polish.

1. Zinsser Seal Coat universal sanding sealer. This is a fairly clear 2# cut of shellac that has been dewaxed. The other Zinnser products contain wax. I'm using it now and it seems to work quite well.
http://www.zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=72

2. Liberon Special Pale French Polish. This is a very clear 3# cut of dewaxed shellac that also works well. I think I will try this product soon.http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5525

Philip