The purpose of the finish on a piece of fine furniture – its raison d’etre, to add a little French polish – is for surface protection and figurative enhancement.
The simplest definition of French Polishing is “The application of a glossy surface to timber, by the means of a Lac or Shellac solution”. Shellac being a polish made from the exudation of the Lac Beetle, mixed with methylated spirit.
Though finishing techniques can reproduce a variety of looks in the refurbishment of fine furniture, only time can produce that genuinely antique look – a look that had its roots in the original finish.
If the purpose of French Polishing is simple, (being to seal the timber, and prevent movement due to moisture absorption) but the practice is as complex as the craft is old. It wears well and keeps the dirt out, whilst providing a superior finish. And refurbishing furniture that has been properly finished in the first place is particularly challenging, though, when you get it right, its enormously rewarding for craftsman and client.
French Polishing is a very popular finish for fine pieces of furniture, and the application is an art in itself. The application of numerous layers of polish by a rubber (a pad made of wadding and cloth to apply the polish) until the desired degree of depth is obtained. Then the piece of work is cut back by the craftsman until the desired finish is obtained.
In the hands of a capable craftsman hand French Polishing provides an immaculate finish to your furniture, whilst enhancing the features of the timber.
Music Festival for performers and guests Our 10th
18-06-2022 12:30PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
11-12-2021 01:00PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
08-01-2022 01:00PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
12-02-2022 01:00PM
Tuning Temperaments
How many piano tuning temperaments are there?
There are countless variations, but most fall within three major categories;
1. Meantone, which generally concentrated the dissonance into a few unusable intervals (often called "wolf" intervals), so that the others could be Just. These are often called "restrictive" tunings, since there are certain intervals that are not usable. Good intervals are really good, bad ones are really bad. The Meantone era was approx. 1400-1700
2. Well-Temperament, which gives more consonance to the most often used keys, and more dissonance to the lesser used ones. Though not equal, these tunings are "non-restrictive" because all intervals can be used. The intervals range from Just to barely acceptable. Well-temperament refers to a genre, not a specific tuning. The Well-Tempered era is approx. 1700-1880.
3. Equal Temperament, which spreads the dissonance equally among all intervals.
There is no difference in consonance or dissonance between any keys, thus, there are no good ones or bad ones. Equal temperament represents a complete average. Dates of its acceptance are debated, but there is ample evidence that it was widely available by 1900 and is the predominate tuning on keyboards, today.
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