Need suggestions on finishing

[Eric Gourieux]

Spalted ambrosia maple with ebonized walnut finial. I applied BLO and shellac finish on the maple, then I buffed with Tripoli. The finial was ebonized with tea and steel wool + vinegar.

I think the finial is a bit too tall for the HF, in retrospect. I'm going to order more of this wood, though. The figure is great.

Here are my questions:

Does anyone just finished with shellac? I think I can get it to buff up ok, but it seems "smudgy". I'm considering spraying lacquer over the shellac and then buffing.

The finial is flat black. All I did was sanded and ebonized the walnut. I'm thinking that I'll spray lacquer on it as well. Any other suggestions on the finish on the finial?

As usual, C and C welcome

227269227270

[Russell Neyman]

First of all, Eric, nice form. I like the porportions and use of the repitition of urn-to-finial shapes. Looks good.

In my own experience shellac doesn't polish well unless done at low speeds. It tends to melt and then gum up (it's composed of a waxy bug excretion) unless you knock it down with something like 0000 steel wool first. As you probably know, shellac is the universal sealer and primer coat, so lacquer is an excellent choice for topcoats, and after curing for about a week, lacquer polishes nicely with tripoli/white diamond/wax.

No need to wish you good luck with this, because you've already created a gem.

[John Keeton]

Eric, definitely get more of that wood - nice stuff! I agree on the finial, and you may want to consider a deeper cove on the next finial base with a curve that would continue the curve on the top of the form. That will take a little mass out of the finial and might help with the proportions some.

I use shellac a lot, but rarely as a final finish. While it has centuries of credentials as a final finish, Shellac is susceptible to alcohol damage, as is lacquer. Probably the biggest issue though, beyond the buffing thing mentioned by Russell, is the concern with moisture resistance. Shellac was the primary finish until the early 1900's, when lacquer kind of took over. The users were mixing their own, and shelf life was not an issue. The longer is stays in liquid form, the less moisture resistance it has. Now, with shellac in a can, it sits on a shelf somewhere for much longer than it should. As a result, it loses one of its better qualities. Dewaxed does better with this problem, but it still is an issue.

I would encourage you to use multiple coats as a base for other finishes. It is a great prep tool, imparts a nice color, and fills the grain nicely. It can also be tinted, and that comes in handy at times.

[Michelle Rich]

I will go in another direction..I use shellac as a final finish a lot on pieces that are shelf sitters. You cannot buff shellac, it melts. But you can use 1 coat and sand it back, use another & sand at 400. Now you have a great base. Hit it again and burnish it. then hit it with EE cream. It has abrasives & wax. When you are done, it is smooth as a baby's bottom and has a lovely sheen. if someone picks it up and drops it, it can easily be repaired vs. other finishes. this is just my opinion, and it is not toxic, versus lacquers, etc.