HERE ARE THE INGREDIENTS for French Polish.
a bottle of two pound cut shellac diluted in alcohol, a bottle of denatured or grain alcohol, and a small bottle of olive oil. also a "munica" a pad of wool wrapped in cotton as an applicator.
a bottle of two pound cut shellac diluted in alcohol, a bottle of denatured or grain alcohol, and a small bottle of olive oil. also a "munica" a pad of wool wrapped in cotton as an applicator.
You drop eight drops of shellac on the "Munica" followed by three drops of alcohol and one drop of olive oil. Tap the "Munica vigorously on your wrist to mix it all up, and start rubbing on the instrument.
 Here is the redwood top before I began |  Here it is after the first application |
And here are the tenors after one application of French Polish. There will be many more over the next two weeks, until they really shine.
 So while the shellac hardens I will turn my attention to the next build. Concert Pinecones. Here are the Englemann Spruce tops being cut out. I am assembling all of the pieces and getting them in rough shape at this point. |  |
By the end of the day I had most of them cut out and ready to refine. Still need to decide on the fretboards. I think I have some Honduran Rosewood I can use. The maple I have selected is first rate tiger stripe maple and will be glorious. I need a new roll of sandpaper on my thickness sander. Lots of thinning to do with the top and sides. I also want to flatten one side of the back before I carve it. I must be perfectly flat to accept the sides properly.