Target Coatings WB Shellac

[John Nesmith]

Man am I making a mess with this stuff.

I'm finishing a walnut entertainment console. After sanding to 220, I did a quick wipe with BLO. Wiped off all the excess, and the piece sat for a couple of weeks so the oil is dry.

I'm spraying with a 4 stage Graco 4900, using the smallest tip. Sprayed a coat of their water-based shellac. (To be followed by their lacquer if I ever get past this point) Everything looked good at this point. Came back to it a couple of days later and sanded with 320 stearated paper. Wiped off the dust, and I was left with a completely cloudy, milky finish. No amount of wiping reduced the milky cloudiness. I sprayed another coat to see if it would burn in and eliminate the cloudiness. It helped some, but it still looks like a mess.

I'm new to water based finishes, and have limited spraying experience, so I'm sure it is operator error.

Any ideas on what I am doing wrong, and what the solution is?

Thanks for some help.

[Jim Becker]

I'm personally a big fan of Target Coatings water borne products as anyone who hangs around here more than about five minutes can figure out. But I don't prefer the water borne shellac product in the least. I prefer to use Zinsser SealCoat de-waxed shellac for sealing after oil and/or water soluble dye and before the EM6000 that I most often use as the top coat finish. I generally spray the shellac for larger projects, but will brush it for smaller needs for expediency. I don't "sand" this sealer outside of knocking down dust nibs or minor grain raise after the first coat. I try to have a good surface already that requires a minimum of futzing around once I start spraying.

[Travis Porter]

I share Jim's perspective. I have used the WB shellac, but I am not a fan of it and find that I do better spraying the USL or EM6000.

I would suggest going to the Target Coatings web site and see if you can find an answer in their forums or post a question. Jeff Weiss there is quick to respond and super knowledgeable.

[John Nesmith]

Jim:

Are the problems you encounter with the WB shellac similar to mine?

Travis:

I already posted on the Target forums. Jeff has not replied. Another user thinks the problem is with BLO residue, but I am convinced that is not the culprit.

P.S.

The next obvious question is, what is the best way to remove this WB shellac? Tried sanding, but it is taking forever.

[Neal Clayton]

it's still shellac, so alcohol should still cut it.

buff it with alcohol.