Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Mar 31, 2010 10:07pm | #1

   Rottenstone is better lubricated with light mineral oil (paraffin oil).  BLO is a drying oil, and you don't want it to dry on the surface.  The mineral oil won't dry, so you can remove it simply with a little paint thinner or naphtha. 

2. 
   AZMO | Apr 01, 2010 10:14am | #2

   Video

   Rob,

   Somehow I have missed your YouTube videos. I have watched 3 this morning and will catch the rest a bit later. I can't thank you enough for posting the link here today. Never knew about the drops of wetting agent..... worth the price of admission just for that. Your sanding techniques in video form are much easier to understand than a book form.

   So, any chance you might doing more videos on parts of your inlay work? Even if you don't share with the whole world, you should make them as a reference for your work. 

   Thanks Morgan

1. 
   RMillard | Apr 01, 2010 01:34pm | #4

   Thanks; I'm glad you enjoyed them.

   Morgan,

   Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

   I'm currently finishing up a YouTube video on hammer veneering, which should be posted late on April 2nd.

   Rob Millard

   http://www.americanfederalperiod.com

3. 
   BrentD | Apr 01, 2010 10:27am | #3

   Rob, I looked at that video and it is really helpful.  I'll give the mineral oil a shot and see how it works.  I think it should do well. I've not used pumice, but I think rottenstone will work in a similar fashion.  I was worried about what to use for wet-sanding lubrication as well and mineral spirits had not occurred to me.   

   I should add that I used a paper towel to apply the shellac on the test piece. Being small the towel held up well enough to the job.  But for the entire bed that I am building, I'll have to revert to brush or something else.  Shellac does seem to be tricky to apply smoothly.  It tacks up so quickly and one stroke too many seems somewhat fatal, though easy to repair.

   Thanks again,

   Brent

1. 
   RMillard | Apr 01, 2010 01:44pm | #5

   Brent,

   Shellac takes some getting use to, but the learning curve is short and in the end, nothing beats a shellac finish.

   I use paper towels to apply the shellac to the insides of drawers (before assembly) and on drawer bottoms; for just about everything else, I use a brush.

   Below is a link to a video on brushing shellac.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ9M-B79jzs

   Rob Millard

4. 
   Joe Sullivan | Apr 01, 2010 07:27pm | #6

   You can use Abralon pads and soapy water to rub shellac

   There is no mystery to it, and the finer Abralon pads do it well and quickly, either by hand or using an orbital sander.  I keep a spray bottle of water with some dish soap in it handy for lubricating.  The Abralon pads can also be soaked, in which case their sponges will absorb soapy water and release it as you work.  I do both.

   The real question is how much sheen you want in the finish.  If you want high gloss, go up through the grits until you are happy. If you want a nice satin finish, stop at about 1200.  Using the sander, you can do a fairly large surface in a very few minutes.  You can do curves rounds and legs by hand, also quickly.  Just be careful of edges, as always.

   Joe

5. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 01, 2010 10:45pm | #7

   Another additive that slows the drying time of shellac is turpentine.  A teaspoon or teaspoon and a half in a pint of shellac will have that effect. 

   Remember that the Shellac Wet is for situations where the shellac is the top coat, not when you are using shellac as a barrier coat, or otherwise expect to apply another topcoat.  It can cause problems along the lines of fisheyes.   I douldn't be confident that the turnpentine wouldn't have a similar effect, but I haven't tried it.