Help with shellac on BB ply

[Brian Hale]

I'm trying to get a shellac finish on some baltic birch drawer parts and it's giving me a fit. I can't get rid of the hairs. I tried wiping the parts with water, allow to dry and lightly sand with 150 grit. Apply first coat of Bulls Eye amber (1lb cut), dry and sand with 180. Second and third coats with 220 grit sanding between and i've still got hairs.

What am i doing wrong??? :confused:

This is my first time and i'm using a natural bristle brush. The ply is natural, no stain/dye.

Brian

[Jim Becker]

When you deal with raised grain, use a finer sandpaper. 150 is cutting into the wood, rather than just removing the "hairs"--use 220 or 320 wet and dry for this. You should only be "skimming" the piece to remove the "hairs" and not actually sanding the wood.

Also, in theory, shellac is not a "multi-coat" product. You control the thickness of the finish with the cut. That said, once you apply your initial coat of 1 lb cut and it dries, LIGHTLY hit it with 320 grit wet and dry to knock off the fuzz and then proceed with your additional coat(s). You should not be getting additional raised grain at that point.