The second method, or French polishing, is rather difficult to apply and
requires a little skill. A close grained wood, like maple, will be found
more satisfactory for the beginner. An open grained wood may be filled
in the ordinary way, or the grain may be filled by rubbing into the
pores of the wood a combination of shellac, rotten stone or pumice, oil
and alcohol. Rotten stone is used for dark wood and pumice is used for
light wood. The wood may be left in the natural or stained as in the
first method. The mixture of shellac, rotten stone, oil and alcohol, is
applied to the work with a pad made of cotton waste, wrapped in cheese
cloth to keep it from sticking to the work. It should be about 1-1/2" in
diameter and 1/2" thick. Hold the pad over the mouth of a bottle of
shellac and tip the bottle so that the shellac comes in contact with the
pad. The shellac will remain clean in a bottle and will be handy. The
mouth of the shellac bottle should be about 1" in diameter and should be
dipped once. Do likewise with a bottle, having a mouth 1/2" in diameter,
containing alcohol. This should be dipped twice allowing the alcohol to
dilute the shellac. Then drop on a couple of drops of oil and rub over
the pad evenly; this aids in distributing the shellac properly and keeps
the pad from sticking to the work. A bottle may also be used for this.
For the rotten stone use a pepper shaker so that it may be sifted on the
work as needed.

When the mixture has been applied to the pad, hold the pad against the
work lightly at first, until most of the moisture has been worked out of
it, and then gradually increase the pressure until the pad is almost
dry. In putting on the first coat, use more shellac and alcohol and just
enough oil at all times to prevent the pad from sticking to the work.
However, the pad should not contain as much shellac that it can be
squeezed out with the fingers. When the pad is dry, another mixture is
applied, and where open grained wood is used, rotten stone, or pumice