Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jan 09, 2010 06:22am | #1

   That month applies to oil based varnishes, which have a chemical curing (polymerization) process than may take a month to complete. Shellac is an evaporative finish and all you need is time for the solvent (denatured alcohol) to evaporate fully. You can level and rub out much sooner. I still like to give it 3-4 days, since I have observed a very minor amount of shrinkage if have rubbed out as soon as it would sand to powder.

2. 
   nazard | Jan 09, 2010 09:56am | #2

   Chris,

   In the past, when I was brushing or spraying shellac, I experienced good results with a scraper. I prepared the scraper mirror sharp with little or no burr. Recently, I have moved on to padding or french polishing and do not need the scraper.

   -Jerry

3. 
   mcecala | Jan 09, 2010 10:07am | #3

   Chris;

   You are ready to sand and rub out shellac when you can no longer smell the alcohol on the surface. Keeping the piece warm helps to expedite the process.

   My best results for sanding are achieved with a mixture of mineral spirits and mineral oil. Use enough spirits to make the oil flow well depending on the time of year. 400 grit wet/dry works well for leveling. Have a bondo spreader handy to squeegee off the surface to check your progress.

   Nazard mentioned padding shellac and not needing sanding. I have the tendency of spraying on several coats to fill grain, sand, then french polish from there. Same look, less time.

4. 
   spotcheck | Jan 09, 2010 11:52am | #4

   I level with 400g wet-or-dry and min spirits. Faster cutting than with min oil mix - which is the goal with the levelling step. Beyond that, for rubbing out, 600g & up with mix of min spirits and min oil - those steps are just to remove the previous grit's scratches.