Shellac/ Walnut oil

[Wells Jacobson]

I was having trouble final sanding a bowl and decided, without thinking ahead to the next step, to stiffen the fibers with a good dose of shellac. This helped sanding but now I have a bowl with a lot of shellac and I had planned to use Mahoney's walnut oil for this utility salad bowl. Does it make any sense to use an oil over shellac? It seems that I killed the wood penetration with the shellac and maybe I should use Salad Bowl finish or WOP instead. I like oil finish but can't stand the idea of more sanding to get rid of the shellac. In my limited experience I sure have enjoyed learning to turn but learning to finish is driving me nuts.
Thoughts appreciated.
Jake

[Prashun Patel]

You are right that oil will not absorb (at least as well) after the shellac.
A film forming finish is a better choice if you do not wish to sand the shellac back.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I did the same thing and found you need to sand back the shellac. Once back to wood walnut oil will work. I use Mahoney's or Drs Workshop walnut oil. Don't care for a surface finish for utility items. That being said I have a bowl I used General Finishes Woodturners Finish on. Have been using it for several months now and still looks good.

[Wells Jacobson]

Thank you. More sanding practice.
Jake

[Michelle Rich]

Jake, yep, it would be best to sand it off, then use the oil. It won't really take much sanding at all, and it will give you a very nice base for an oil finish..

[Greg Just]

I think sanding is the one task most turners dislike including myself. If you are not already doing it, consider power sanding to get the shellac off. A cheapo angle drill from Harbor Freight can be as little as $20 on sale. I use that or a pneumatic angle sander. If you do the sanding while mounted on the lathe, it helps a lot. Good luck and post the final bowl when you are done.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wells - just had my first experience using shellac yesterday. Had coated the outside of a large form with it and when I went to take down all the overlap marks... was just WAY too much work. So, I grabbed a rag and used denatured alcohol to dissolve the buildup and wiped the form down real good once finished. Not sure if it will work enough for an oil based finish later (I use poly) but I sure didn't miss all that sanding.

[Pat Scott]

If you don't want to sand anymore, I'd go ahead and use a Salad Bowl Finish on it - but I always thin my Salad Bowl Finish 50% with Mineral Spirits. Thinning it will help it penetrate into the wood fibers and not build up a film finish. I've used thinned SBF on utility items for years. It's more durable than plain Walnut Oil and will last longer before it needs touched up (if it ever does). I've never had to retreat any of the bowls that we use, and they look just as good today as they did years ago. You'll find that a thinned SBF really soaks into the wood on the 1st coat, and less and less on subsequent coats. I put 2-3 coats on and call it good. Put it on, wait a minute or two, then wipe it all off again. You're wiping it off the surface (so it doesn't build a film), but there is still finish in the pores. The trade off is that after the last coat you should wait a week or two before using it. Stick your nose up to the bowl and if you still smell the finish, let it sit some more.

[Fred Belknap]

Is there any kind of sealer that won't clog sandpaper? Shellac does a nice job of stopping up sandpaper.

[Wells Jacobson]

I gave my bowl a good alcohol bath and it worked very well. Very little sanding to do. Then I used a jam chuck with a perforated black rubber-like pad to protect the inside of the bowl to finish the foot.
It centered nicely and I managed to finish the foot without having the bowl hit the floor (again) by leaving a little nubbin that I chiseled off once the bowl was off the lathe. All was well with the world til I looked inside the bowl and found that I had a black ring friction burn inside the bowl. Seems that all mistakes lead to more sanding.
Thanks for all the input--- need all the help I can get.
Jake