tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222812940463973440.post1042945822877832548..comments2024-02-19T00:51:43.668-08:00Comments on The Buzz on Antiques: What is a FRENCH POLISH?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01049237488542387736noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222812940463973440.post-35294522003245230512010-11-09T14:34:59.540-08:002010-11-09T14:34:59.540-08:00Thanks very good for report, I follow your blogThanks very good for report, I follow your blogAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222812940463973440.post-76710612376557113302009-06-24T09:36:25.443-07:002009-06-24T09:36:25.443-07:00Thanks for your nice comments, Wendy. And you'...Thanks for your nice comments, Wendy. And you're welcome!<br /><br />B.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01049237488542387736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222812940463973440.post-49030943942798347172009-06-23T23:17:41.380-07:002009-06-23T23:17:41.380-07:00Buzz, I'm in love - with your blog, and your m...Buzz, I'm in love - with your blog, and your marvelous sense of humor. <br /><br />It's a great refresher course for many things I've forgotten, and as with this post, a wonderful primer on a variety of others I didn't know the details on.<br /><br />And the antiques themselves - just to die for, of course.<br /><br />I'll be in at some point, when my new practice gets to the point where I have clients who can afford them. Or more likely a lot sooner, just to drool myself, since it's been eons. <br /><br />And in the meantime, you're now on my "must read" list. Thank you for all of your efforts.<br /><br />Wendy HoechstetterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222812940463973440.post-71351575340271121382009-06-04T17:32:34.988-07:002009-06-04T17:32:34.988-07:00Yay! Glad I could help and look forward to you win...Yay! Glad I could help and look forward to you winning the Lotto!<br /><br />BuzzAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01049237488542387736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222812940463973440.post-5029121679474769662009-06-04T17:20:58.868-07:002009-06-04T17:20:58.868-07:00You're not too shabby yourself in the comedy d...You're not too shabby yourself in the comedy department, Buzz!<br /><br />Considering the price of my daybed (less than one of your silk ties, I'm guessing), I doubt it was French polished. The dealer is an upstanding English fellow, so I don't think he used Pledge. (Plus, the subtle sheen the bed was sold with lasted a long, long time. Don't think Pledge could do that.) <br /><br />On your advice I just dug up some Briwax from the back of a closet and gave it a whirl on one of the legs. (I think/hope it's similar to what you suggested.) <br /><br />Presto! With just two coats and some elbow grease, a mellow patina has returned!<br /><br />I think it's fascinating that Americans prefer shinier antiques while Euros like a dull finish. Perhaps someday you'll do a post about these two types of customers and their quirky preferences.<br /><br />I'm not a fan of the super shiny French polish look because I find it plastic-like. I can't help but think "polyuroethane."<br /><br />I prefer a mellow sheen. But when starting with a totally dull piece, I've never been able to wax it in a way that achieves the sheen to the level that I most like. I guess the secret is in the polishing tool and the waxed used.<br /><br />Thanks for your advice and for posting such interesting stuff. If I ever win the Lotto, your place will one of be my first stops.dull and lifeless...noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222812940463973440.post-86786869215937998142009-06-04T14:52:31.050-07:002009-06-04T14:52:31.050-07:00That was funny about waxing.
A modified French po...That was funny about waxing.<br /><br />A modified French polish is certainly a way to get a nice sheen. But it's expensive because it's so time consuming.<br /><br />In the case of your daybed, if it was French polished before you bought it, you should be able to bring back the shine with paste wax (see below). But if that doesn't work amy best guess is that it may have been CLEANED AND POLISHED WITH A SILICONE-BASED PRODUCT like Pledge.<br /><br />These products give you a short term shine but over time can destabilize a patina and make it cloudy.<br /><br />If it was French polished but the finish has indeed been ruined with chemical based "cleaners", then it will have to be refinished and to do it right will cost at least $1000.<br /><br />But before you invest in a refinish that would require stripping the daybed, get yourself a can of first quality furniture wax and buff it out.<br /><br />First quality means that the paste wax is made of pure besswax and turpentine. The turpentine cleans the surface and the wax seals it. <br /><br />My favorites are our house brand, C. Mariani Wax and Harrell's of London, both which you can buy online.<br /><br />You just take a soft cloth and apply a nice even coat of the wax, let it sit for 5 minutes and then with a new soft cloth polish it to the desired sheen. <br /><br />The trick to getting a high gloss off the wax is to use an electric polisher (kind of like the ones they use to buff cars). A couple of coats of wax finished off with a polisher should get your piece shining like the North Star.<br /><br />If that doesn't work, there's no easy way to bring back the shine because a refinish would be necessary. And you should only use a first class shop for that.<br /><br />Hope that helps and thanks for posting.<br /><br />BuzzAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01049237488542387736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222812940463973440.post-15887860843906476032009-06-02T15:15:48.354-07:002009-06-02T15:15:48.354-07:00Fascinating as always Buzz. Thanks for the lesson ...Fascinating as always Buzz. Thanks for the lesson on French polish! <br /><br />I'm wondering if you could tell us a little bit about waxing (here or in another post). And no, I'm talking about your Speedo bikini line. <br /><br />About 10 years ago I was looking at an antique daybed (nothing precious, it's probably Victorian--it reminded me a bit of the Portuguese beds that Michael Smith was using a lot of the time).<br /><br />Anyway, the wood was rather dull lucking. I commented to the dealer that I'd love to buy the daybed, but that I liked pieces that had a bit of patina (by which I meant, that nice, weathered mellow shine that so many antiques in stores seem to have). <br /><br />He said, "No problem! We can have it finished for you." A week later I picked up the bed and it looked gorgeous. Fast forward 10 years and, despite the passing of time, the "patina" has faded.<br /><br />How can I restore it so that it can look the way it did when I purchased it? I have several pieces that I'd love to give that mellow shine to. I've tried wax, but can't seem to get the hang of it. Is French polish the only way to achieve this look? (I have no idea what the dealer I purchased from used.)dull & lifeless furniture ownernoreply@blogger.com