# Working with shellac



## bobbotron (Jan 7, 2010)

I'm making a small pine top side table, been testing BLO + shellac, treated it with a old fashion vinegar + steel wool first. It looks great - it has 2 coats of BLO, 3 coats of shellac. 

I'm having a hard time laying down the shellac uniformly, my last coat went on the best yet, but there are still a few thicker lines and one or two starved spots. It's cottage furniture, so I'm not sure how much I care but... I'm trying to decide if I should try to fix these shellac lines, it would look much nicer with a smoother finish. Can you smooth a shellac finish with a rag soaked in alcohol, or is this just going to get me into more problems? Am I better off sanding the whole thing with very fine sandpaper and calling it a day?


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## bobbotron (Jan 7, 2010)

I should say, I was using a generic pre mixed recochem white shellac, which is a 2 pound cut.


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## Ben I (May 21, 2010)

Good Morning Rob

It isn't as easy getting a consist shellac finish on pine. I find that using a pre-stain product before applying shellac helps considerably. Try this out on pine scrap wood before your next project.

I am sorry that I have no quick fix to your current situation. Hopefully one of our forum members will be able to advise you.

Regards
Ben


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## bobbotron (Jan 7, 2010)

Morning Ben,

That's fair. I'm going for a "rustic" look, so I'm not too worried about perfection. The whole thing was just a quick project to get some wood out of my shed and solve some table issues at the cottage and play with a BLO/shellac finish.


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

A rag just damp, not dripping.
A quick wipe should do it.

You are just re-activating the coat of shellac.

Testing on scrap should give you a good idea of how it will come out.


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## ve7tcc (Oct 19, 2012)

You can also try lightly wet sanding with a 400 grit sandpaper when it is dry between coats.


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## bobbotron (Jan 7, 2010)

Arg, it looks like I may be redoing it all. The shellac never quite dried; a day later, the surface is slightly tacky. I'm never buying premade shellac again! 

I'm going to try wiping down with a rag moistened with alcohol, I read somewhere that may solve this, but I don't have a lot of faith it'll work. If not, I'm going to remove it all and leave it as a BLO finish.

Thanks for the tips everyone, I'm looking forward to using them in the future!


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

Still being tacky indicates that it is past its shelf life.
A alcohol damp rag will remove it all.

Don't give up on shellac!! Buy some shellac crystals and make your own.
As long as it is fresh, it will dry very quickly - like in minutes.

The World's Finest Shellac Flake Delivered to Your Door


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## bobbotron (Jan 7, 2010)

Thanks Ralph! I'll give it another go, not sure for this project or not though, I'd like to see the table in service.

There's a Lee Valley store in my town that sells good shellac flakes and good alcohol to go with it...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Rob I used some Lee Valley flakes and Lee Valley thinner on some pine and still had problems with splotching and unevenness. I did as Ralph suggested and gave it a good rubbing and it turned out pretty good. I didn't use the Lee Valley thinner for rubbing it down as I don't live near a store and have to order it. I used methanol instead and it did just fine. To me there doesn't seem to be a substitute for rubbing finishes on. I do the same with stains and I always get the best results that way.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Can you sand it down?

I am not familiar with the type of shellac you used. I used the Bulls Eye Seal Coat (100% de waxed) and sprayed it over black dyed Red Oak with no problems. I mixed the Shellac with some lacquer thinner and sprayed it with a HVLP gun bought from Harbor Freight for under $30. It dried in under 30 minutes.

After a couple of coats, I sanded it down and then sprayed another, then sanded and sprayed several coats of Deft Clear Wood Finish sanding in between the last coat with 320 paper. It turned out really nice.


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## bobbotron (Jan 7, 2010)

I think I said I was going to post a photo of how the table I was building turned out, here it is! Next one like this will probably have nicer joinery and shellac.


Scrap wood side table by bobbotron1, on Flickr


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## NoChatter (Dec 4, 2010)

To the above comment,I have never heard of diluting shellac w/lacquer thinner. Also to the OP are you sure the trouble is not the BLO. Try brushing a piece of wood with just the shellac. Shellac comes in spray cans which is nice for final coats,and if you are interested in the traditional method google "French Polishing"


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## SteveMI (May 29, 2011)

*Some shellac info*

My shellac investigation and a presentation I saw points to the BLO part of your mix. Shellac flakes need "190 proof Denatured Alcohol" to work right. The big box store denatured alcohol is usually only 50-60 proof. I am a big fan of BLO and think you needed to let the BLO dry first before the shellac application. 

My BLO technique is to just wipe the piece with a rag that has BLO on it. The color will pop and it will dry the same day.

Check out The World's Finest Shellac Flake Delivered to Your Door for some good information.

After a local presentation, I have bought couple bags of flakes. Might not get to the project until after the holidays.

Steve.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

> To the above comment,I have never heard of diluting shellac w/lacquer thinner


Well, there ya go. You learn something new every day...or at least I do. 

I did a lot of research before applying the Transtint dye, and denatured alcohol and lacquer thinner mix was the suggested medium for the dye. Then I sprayed the dewaxed shellac with lacquer thinner mixed. Dried quickly so I could return and spray again in just a few minutes. The finish turned out great and the customer loved it.


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