What do Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a spherical ball of dung and French Polishing have in common? Answer: They’re all products of beetles! 
Welcome to the latest Terry Waters French Polishing News and Blogs
Shellac – the natural heart of French Polishing
full listWooden Wonders We’d Like To Have French Polished: 12. Jenny’s cello from An Education
Have you seen Bafta-winning film An Education? Hotly-tipped and narrowly missing out at last year’s Oscars, this stylish and idiosyncratic British film is the story of a bored schoolgirl in 1960s suburban London and her fling with a man twice her age. But never mind the plot synopsis – here at Terry Waters French Polishing, what caught our eye was the starring role given to a truly beautiful cello!
French polishing and antique furniture restoration
Antiques experts may differ in the valuations they place onto items or the history they attribute to an object, but there’s one thing many of them will agree on: When it comes to antique furniture restoration, you’ve got to call in the experts.
Types Of Shellac Used For French Polishing
Finishes on a wooden object can vary wildly, even objects which may have been polished in the same way and made of the same wood. The choice of varnish you apply can radically alter the look of the finished piece, and even the feel. Originally, the high quality finish and lustrous, deep shine created by French polishing came from using shellac, derived from the Lac beetle, originating in Asia.
Wood restoration can leave treasured items looking like new
The term French polishing seems to originate from its wide use by French furniture makers of the 18th and 19th century. The method, which involves the painstakingly repetitive application of thin layers of varnish, rubbed in different ways depending on the finish required was not invented then however. The type of finish French polishing gives can be found on much earlier pieces of wood work, and has been traced back to at least 1590. The term may have become widely accepted during the 18th century thanks to the rise in desirability of the finish amongst the monied classes.
Shellac, the original French polishers varnish of choice
Shellac is the original varnish used in traditional French polishing techniques. It derives from the Lac beetle, found in Indonesia and Thailand. Stored as flakes or grains of dried varnish, it is then added to a solution of alcohol, and thinned so that it can be applied to the wooden surface of the object which requires polishing.
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