French Polish -- Shellac finish

Uilleann Pipes
1

My Simack pipes have a very shiny finish on the wood that I’m told was done with ‘French Polish’

I did some research to find the French Polishing process is shellac flakes dissolved in alcohol and rubbed into the (wood) surface with a padded cloth until the surface begins to shine. A few daubs of oil may be used on the cloth to lubricate it and reduce the tendency for the drying shellac to stick.

This website: http://www.rustins.co.uk/Frep.html says shellac was first introduced into Europe around the 16th Century and the French polish technique was not used until about 1820.

French polish appears to be a very soft finish but it can be easily repaired should it be scratched or damaged. The alcohol ‘melts’ the old layers so the new layers can be ‘blended’ in to a seamless repair. There are many other websites that outline furniture and musical instrument restoration using French polish, some are fully detailed with step-by-step photos and instructions.

Who else uses French polish on their pipes??

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3

Will putting a coat of polish on pipes dull or mute the tone?

4

As long as you don’t get any in the holes or inside the chanter, I can’t imagine that it would affect the tone in any way.

I don’t have any experience with that however.

-gary

5

Kevin, I checked with Ian last night for specifics on his finish. He’s been using shellac flakes dissolved in alcohol with raw linseed oil for a while.
The buildup of shellac is minimal… used to bring up a shine to the wood.

Marc, it doesn’t change the tone of pipes.

Padded lacquer is a similar process (hand applied finish) often used on violins.

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Good point, KP. Wear rubber gloves and apply in a well ventillated area. this is rather nasty stuff, health-wise.

djm

8

Don’t spill or dribble your whiskey on your pipes at a session. :laughing: