Lustrous artform brings antique to life
4 October 2005
Before: the cabinet was in a state of disrepair when it was brought into the Broadmeadows campus.
After: the Institute's only French polishing teacher, Mark 'Chappo' Chapman, with the finished result.
Robert Spencer working on the cabinet in the early stages of restoration.
An antique cabinet donated to Kangan Batman TAFE has been given a new lease of life, thanks to third-year wood finishing apprentice, Robert Spencer.
Robert, a Castlemaine resident, dismantled, stripped and sanded the cabinet, and put in 60 hours of work to French polish it.
The solid English oak cabinet, circa 1900, was donated to the Institute after its owner was unable to sell or keep it in storage. It now sits in the Council Room at the Institute's Broadmeadows campus.
As the cabinet was the biggest piece the Certificate III in Furniture Finishing apprentice had worked on, Robert said it was quite a 'scary' task.
The 47 year-old Certificate III in Furniture Finishing apprentice was a former labourer who wanted a 'seachange.' Robert applied for both a cabinet making and a polishing apprenticeship at the same time, and was lucky enough to score a job with McIntyre Furniture Restorations in Bendigo.
Robert now regards French polishing as a hobby; especially since he doesn't get much of a chance to use the technique at work.
'The way that the industry is going, people can't afford to get their antiques French polished,' Robert said.
Introduced in France in the 18th century, French polishing involves the application of shellac polish with a pad or rubber. The constant rubbing of the work results in a film compacted into the grain, giving a depth of beauty in the timber that cannot be obtained by any other finish.
Robert's teacher, Mark 'Chappo' Chapman, is the only French polishing teacher at Kangan Batman TAFE. He also owns a French polishing business and has been in the trade for 30 years.
Currently, there are about 12 students enrolled in the Certificate III in Furniture Finishing.
Mark considers French polishing a 'dying art,' and said 'you've got to have a passion for this kind of work,' because it requires a high level of patience and an eye for detail.
'But the outcome is well worth the effort,' Mark said, 'when something is properly French polished; the natural timber grain is more visible.'
The cabinet will be entered into the 2006 Victorian Furnishing Industry Training Awards, having narrowly missed the deadline for this year.
Kangan Batman TAFE is only one of two TAFE institutes which offer a range of French polishing courses, from a short course to a Certificate III qualification. These courses are held at the Broadmeadows campus.
For more information, phone 13 TAFE or visit www.kangan.edu.au
