The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Furniture Finishing

If one is to spray over the spot where the scratch has been sanded out, do not use oil on the paper. Use water under waterproof paper of the same grade and clean off, allowing ample time to dry before spraying, or else sand with the paper dry, or use steel wool 2/0.

French Polishing Light Scratches.—On varnish or shellac surfaces it is always best to French polish the spot after sanding and then match the surrounding surface. This method can be used for lacquer surfaces also, but matching the rest of the finish is more difficult, as the spot always seems brighter, and this method always fills the pores. Most lacquer finishes show open pores to a certain extent unless heavily coated.

A good amalgamater. diluted with denatured alcohol about half and half, may be used. French varnish may be used the same way. If the scratch is on a plane surface, you can eliminate it by making circular motions -with the rubber, overlapping each stroke, about four inches in diameter. Make these circles by overlapping and passing back and forth across the spot until the surface has softened and worked together, eliminating the scratch. If the surface of the pad becomes dry, add more material, but if the rubber becomes too tacky and pulls on the surface, causing streaks on the finish, the addition of lemon oil to the pad or rubber -will eliminate the sticking.

If the scratch is on a straight narrow surface or a curved surface, it will be necessary to make the strokes of the rubber lengthwise with the grain of the wood, overlapping each stroke. When the end of the stroke has been reached, whether at the end of the surface or at the end of the scratch or sanded portion, raise the hand just enough to take the rubber off the surface and gradually allow it to rest on the surface again on the backward stroke. This is done to avoid having the rubber stick to the surface by an abrupt stop at the end of the stroke before coming back across the same plane.

The rubber or pad must never be allowed to stop on the surface. The rubber must not be soaked with material or flooded with oil. The following things must be remembered:

Xever add amalgamater or other material when the rubber is pulling.
Use only enough oil on the pad to prevent sticking to the surface; the less oil used the clearer will be the finish.

Always apply the pad or rubber to the opposite hand to spread the material before applying to the surface.

Remember the surface should look as smooth as a mirror when finished.