Bulls Eye French Polish

[Jim Tobias]

Anyone used this relatively new product call Bulls Eye French Polish by Zinnser. It says it is just like a wiping finish, but I have found it difficult, at best, so far. I usually use wiping varnishes, etc. so it may just be that I do not know how to wipe on shellac. It dries within seconds of being applied. Any experience using this product?

[Howard Acheson]

It is not a wiping product really. It is a "French Polish" product. French Polishing is a 200 plus year old technique for applying a shellac finish. It is a techique that produces what is arguably the finest finish on wood. It rivels the lacquer piano type furniture. But, it must be applied to a perfectly flat surface.

So, you must use the french polishing techique to use this product. You might want to get either Flexner's "Understanding Wood Finishing" or, even better, Jeff Jewitt's new book "Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing". Either one will give you the info on French Polishing.

[sascha gast]

sorry howard, in this case that's not true. i have the product since it came out and you do NOT go through the french polish procedure. yes it is some sort of shellac. you are applying it in a circular motion, but you do NOT rub out the finish, so in a sense it is a wipe on finish, just wipe in circles.
it's actually a cool product.

sascha

[Roger Barga]

I purchased two bottles of this product when it first came out and have used it to finish the last two projects that I finished. Sascha is correct, it is a shellac based product with a lubricant added and you don't need to go through the french polishing procedure - it's a wipe on shellac finish. Now I've used my own shellac flakes for years and honestly I don't see a dramatic difference over simply mixing up a fresh batch of shellac, slightly thinned, and wiping it on with a clean cotton rag. It's convenient, but at $14 a bottle I can buy a whole lot of shellac flakes. Just my humble opinion.

[Jim Tobias]

Roger/Sascha,
I have read up on French Polishing and am now aware of the circular motion, etc. So, do you do that same procedure and get a smooth , quick build of finish?

[sascha gast]

you get a great finish, but really closer to a shellac finish with about the same feel/touch. it does not feel like a french polished piece and the build up is completely different. the good news is, it's quick, shiny and easy, so the complete oposite of a french polish.
nice product though, but a bit expensive.

sascha

[Thomas Prondzinski]

Jim
I just finished a weekend seminar with Frank Klaus and he was using this product. He was applying it just like a french polish,with the cotton ball wrapped in a cloth and applying in a circular motion,it is applied in very thin coats, but a quick dry,so you can apply many coats.Until it gets a little sticky then you leave for 24 hours and then put on more coats as desired. He said French polishing was a circular motion and he called it padding when you make long even strokes,when french polishing is not possible.


Hope this helps Tom

[Howard Acheson]

Yup Jim, that's the way it was demoed to me by one of the folks who developed it. It's supposed to be applied using a french polishing technique. The benefit is supposed to be that it is easier to do with the built in lubrication.