Here we go, Jamie ….
OK – on application of shellac for dummies. (that’s me!)
Bought a new half pint of 3# cut shellac and continued the finishing of a little jewelry box I’m making for the grandaughter. Man – what a difference. My advice would be to cut it to at least 2# until you get the hang of brushing it out. It’s not at all like using paint! (haha) What’s nice about the really dilute stuff I was using is that there’s much less chance for errant build up at inside corners and such. I found with the 3# if you don’t get it laid on in just the right amount, best to leave it alone and take care of it on the next coat or coats. Too much brushing is (almost) worse than not enough. And use a quality brush. I’ll not use the el-cheapo thing I used tonight again!
Once good and dry it sands nicely if you take it easy with the paper. Not too much pressure and not too fast in order to keep the shellac from getting too warm and gumming up the sandpaper. I’m using 320 between coats and will probably go to 600 once this coat dries.
For jigs and fixtures I think I’d prefer lacquer, though. Lots tougher.
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Replies
Dennis,
Your experiences and conclusions about applying shellac are exactly right. Cut it a little, if that makes it easier to handle. It's really a very forgiving substance.
Rich
I always get nervous about sanding between coats. Afraid of a "heavy hand." (Hard for me to get my head around the idea of sanding something as thin as a layer of finish). I think I'm going to get a cork sanding block to help with this phobia.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG,
I made a few sanding blocks and applied some 1/4" cork under the sandpaper...I've stopped using my electric sanders almost altogether they work so well.
My last shellac application I tried something different...made a french polish type ball (using stuff from the dryer screen and tee-shirt), squirted the inside with alcohol and dipped the ball ever so slightly in the shellac...rubbed out the drips and brush marks that way...it worked...
Jamie ....Unplug that belt sander!!! (grin)Seriously .....I just tonight finish sanding the last coat of shellac on the little jewel case for the grandaughter. Mind you, it's only got one coat of 1 1/2# and one coat of 3# cut shellac. This last coat was, as I noted before, really too thick. But -I didn't use anything coarser than 320 grit paper. My sanding block was a piece of 1/8" MDF core veneer plywood about 1 1/2" wide with the end cut at 45 degrees. This allowed me to sand into the inside corners where the base trim joined the box. Otherwise I used a piece of foam packing stuff I saved from who knows what.This is a definitely a case of 'let the tool do the work'! About all the pressure you need to apply is the weight of the paper! Seriously, this stuff sands so nicely it took very little time to level out the otherwise mess I made with the too-thick material.What with time being of the essence (Christmas present) I opted to quit while I was ahead. One coat of carnuba wax and it's really quite an attractive finish. Not a high-high gloss polished surface but so absolutely velvet-ey to the touch.I used less than a half a sheet or 320 paper to sand the entire piece. Light pressure, slow broad strokes and keeping the paper free of the fine dust I had no, repeat no fill on the paper.SOOOoooo much easier than lacquer! I'm sold!! (hehe)...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
If you are using dewaxed shellac (for example, Zinsser seal-coat) sanding will go much better if you use a stearated paper (the white stuff) or 3Ms' sandblaster which is also a stearated paper.
The natural wax in shellac acts as a lubricant which makes the sanding go smoothly. Without the wax, you will typically get corning of the paper.
For me, one of the most enjoyable things about finishing with shellac is after I have a good base built up. I then spread a little Kikui nut oil on my hands, dust them lightly with FFF pumice and then gently start rubbing the work all over. I use Q-tips, or a sharpend dowel with a single layer of cloth wrapped around it for the tight spots. But the fun part is going over the surface with my hands.
The resulting finish is a nice soft matte. If I want a warm, glowing gloss effect, I just wipe the pumice off my hands and continue to gently rub the finish using the friction from my palms and fingers. As the shellac warms, it burnishes out to a low gloss.
Hand rubbed shellac is the most satisfying way of finishing off a piece that I'm really proud of, and I find it easy, fast and very forgiving of mistakes.
I use super blonde shellac on Maple because I don't want any yellowing at all with this wood. Super blond has the least wax content of all shellac. I find that it is much more difficult to sand than other shellac preparations. It also gets significantly harder with time.It's pretty easy to rub within the first few days after finishing. After a few weeks, it is rock hard and clogs any dry sandpaper I use. Ridges and sags are a bear! I haven't used stearated paper with it yet.Rich
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