Shellac Help

[Jim Guy]

Just finished two cradles with 4 coats of shellac. One oak and one cherry. I want to rub out the finish with 0000 steel wool and paste. How long should I wait??

[Jim Becker]

Shellac is "cured" as soon as all the alcohol is evaporated. You don't need to wait for a long time, just until the finish is hard. No more than a day, I would think, unless you put it on very thick...something that is not necessary with shellac. One coat is as good as three according to some of the pros. You control the thickness of the finish via the "cut" rather than re-coating.

[Steven Wilson]

How glossy do you want it? If you're rubbing out to satin (0000 steel wool) then it's good to go in a couple of days. If you want to rub out to a high gloss (high grit sandpaper or pumice) then you need to let it cure (couple of weeks). Although the finish is dry once the alcohol has evaporated there is still some residual solvent in the finish for awhile and it takes a couple of weeks to a month for the finish to get real hard; necessary when you want to rub out to a high gloss

[Jim Becker]

Wouldn't padding it for a high gloss finish be preferable to rubbing out with abrasives considering this is shellac, not varnish?

[Eric Apple - Central IN]

You can pad it on or rub it out. Shellac rubs out extreamly well and it's one of easiest of all to rub out.

You also need more then one coat to rub out. The four you have will be enough when using a 2lb cut unless there are large pores to fill.

If you want a flat sort of finish that is waxed, I would think 4 days before the steel wool and wax with out toluene would work. You might have a little problem with shiney pores if you don't sand.

At this point for a glossy finish, I would flaten what you have with 400-600 grit paper and look for any bare spots, and pores. Go on up to about 800 grit and stop. If you need to add more finish, do it as this time. After you get it flat with no bad spots, wait a bit.

I agree, for a high gloss brushed on finish you have to wait a while to rub it out. Three days is about the shortest time for gloss and no problem for satin. After about 1 week, the film is usually hard enough to rub out to gloss. 2 weeks no problem at all.

It takes some time for all the trapped solvent to flash off. You should never place objects on a shellac finish before waiting at least three days. Otherwise it may imprint the finish. I say baby it for 30 days (esp. filled pore) and you won't have any problems. That advice has worked for 15 years for me.

Padding is a nice way to get high gloss on flat surfaces. A little practice and I think you would like that rewarding method. Forget about it for anything with detail, contour, or pores that need filled.

[Mark Kelly]

Can you explain how exactly to pad on shellac? I have heard this before, but am not exactly sure what it means. Is the pad one of those foam brushes or is it something else?

I have been using shellac recently cause I really like the idea of natural materials for my projects. However, I have been brushing it on with different success.

[Tim Sproul]

padding shellac - I'd recommend you get a good book on finishing to get a better description.

Take rag, put some shellac flakes in the middle. Wrap up the flakes making a ball....dip into 1# or 2# cut of shellac....applying in small circular strokes. That is this newbie's idea of padding shellac.

[Jim Guy]

I'm not looking for a high gloss finish. Most of my stuff is shaker and I like more of a flat look. (I'll post pics when this project is complete) I do pad on the shellac. Two coats of garnet (for a little darker color) and two of super blonde. My cut is about 2 to 1. I was under the opinion that extra coats would give me a "deeper" finish, as in how it looks. I've picked up some thoughts here and there, but not really certain I'm heading in the right direction.

Jim, you have referenced Steve Mickley's site.
http://www.johnjacobmickley.net/Shop%20Pages/Finishing%20Frame.htm
He is just down the road from me and I have met him once. Very nice guy, but I did not have time to ask to many questions as he was working at a high end wood supplier that day.

You guys just keep posting and I'll keep reading and learning.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, if you're close to Steve...try to become his apprentice for awhile! His knowledge of finishing...and Shaker...is pretty impressive. He just contributed to an article on coloring wood in the new, September issue of WOOD Magazine, too. I sure wish I was around the corner from him!!!