Let’s see if I can ask another question that starts a “range war”! LOL By the way thanks to all that responded with helpful info the last time around (Shellac Basics).
I have these chunks of lightly spalted maple that came from a cracked slab of burl. This stuff is almost all end grain so it soaks like a sponge.
I tried the advice given by one of you and put straight DNA on a piece and it darkened quite a bit. I put the clear shellac on the same piece and result was VERY similar.
Is there a finish that is clearer than clear Zinser shellac?
Thanks for all the help,
Mack
“WISH IN ONE HAND, S–T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST”
Replies
If you don't want the finish to impart any colour or darken the wood, you need a waterbased finish.
Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
General PolyCrylic from Woodcraft is the best WB finish I have used.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
The best waterborne finish Iv'e used is Crystalac. It's not cheap but is clearrrrrr.
James
I agree with Frosty on the water-based poly but if you are doing a larger project and want to spray and not raise the grain I recommend a water white lacquer. I use Sherwin-Williams CAB Acrylic lacquer with their vinyl sanding sealer or self sealing. I just finished a maple dresser for my granddaughter and my daughter did want it to yellow over time. I sprayed the drawers with Pre-cat (have lots) and the exterior with CAB Acrylic and the difference is significant right away and over time the outside will stay water white. The wood will yellow over time but the finish is not suppose to.
Before you do anything else, wipe some water over the surface to mimic the appearance of a waterborne finish. See what color you end up with. Like water, alcohol doesn't have any inherent color. It's perfectly clear. If alcohol imparted some color, then water probably will also. Anything you apply will "wet" the surface of the wood and cause a change in the color of the wood to some extent.
If water imparts some color, then you all the info to decide what to do. The choices are, use a super blond shellac (you'll have to mix your own) or use a waterborne finish. Be sure to test either choice on some similar scrap so you see what it will look like before you commit to your project. No tears.
Mack, a great resource for info on shellac, colors available, and purchasing shellac, is Jeff Jewitt's Homestead Finishing website. Click here to see his shellac page with a color plate of different woods coated with different colors of shellac. He sells the shellac flakes and a concentrate.
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