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Does anybody have any tips, please, on refinishing an antique french polished cabinet? It is finished with a burr walnut veneer.

My piano fits that description, and I had some quotes to have it refinished. I got the impression that French polish isn't tough stuff (it dissolves in alcohol?), and that it can be removed with paint stripper.
It's expensive though, and labour-intensive to reapply. It was going to be far cheaper to have the piano refinished with some sort of spray-on modern satin finish, and a gloss version of that would still be comfortably cheaper than French polish.

I have heard of the suggested use of car polish, but a delicate, antique veneer finish needs the skill and attention of an expert in French polishing. The cheaper alternative is the glossy spray on finish which looks crude when compared to the original French polished cabinet.

It is not a job for an amateur.

Good luck!
Robert.

French polish is shellac flakes dissolved in alcohol. It is difficult to apply successfully but it is easy to start over when you mess up.

It is a fragile finish but there is nothing more beautiful. You could certainly learn to do it yourself if you have sufficient time (maybe years) and a passion for fine woodwork. Most shellac work these days is done on string instruments such as guitars. There is a lot of information on the internet about working with shellac.

A professional french polish job will be expensive and it will be just as fragile and if you did it yourself.

You don't strip it, you apply over it and the process moves the existing shellac around. It is, IMHO, the easiest and safest finish to work with. It is a very thin tough finish that is easy to repair. It is not as fragile as people think.

It looks as if I might be getting some new neigbours. The lady of the house is a wood turner and seems very clued up on such matters. So when the guts of the machine have been sorted out by my tech I might call upon her services to do some cabinet restoration.

She discusses the relative merits of different woods. I did get to wondering what a wood expert is called. (She is called Julie, but you know what I mean). I think a twigologist is a good term, It has certainly baffled the spell checker!

Lignologist?

I have done hand rubbed oil finishes (boiled lindseed oil) before on other wood pieces. I have never seen it done on a piano. Does anyone know if it is ever used on pianos? Would it be bad to do on a piano?

You might look at Chuck Behm's photo journal essay on a Cable Upright. He has some nice refinishing tips that I've tried with great success. I using Behlen's Rockhard Table Top Varnish for the top of the piano; it's one place that gets a lot of abuse.

See Cable Upright Photo Journal

- Rick