struggling with pore wood filling with shellac

[Brian Knop]

Finishing a Tall clock made from Walnut and have been trying to fill the pores with shellac with is what the finish is. I have been working at it for awhile LOTS of coats and sanding down and recoatng. Don't really fill like I'm making a lot of progress. Is there a type of clear wood filler I can use. I have seen some online but some of the review are not good. When I say a lot of coats, like maybe 10 coats of shellac.
Suggestions?

[glenn bradley]

Are you seeing pores after 10 coats sanded back? How was the surface prepared? Sanded to 200, 320, higher? shellac can fill very small irregularities or larger ones if you are super patient and have a good reason to use it for that purpose. Woodperfect, Famowood, Pore-o-Pac all seem to get decent reviews. With a shellac finish you don't have much chance to use a sanding slurry of the material itself in a binder unless you are willing to use a drying oil first, let it cure, sand and then top with shellac.

[Wayne Lomman]

You will get the best result now if you hand rub it to pull the shellac across into the grain. Filler is best used much earlier in the process before you start applying the shellac. As you have found out, shellac is not used for its grain filling properties. Cheers

[Ted Phillips]

I like using a base coat of a drying oil or "Danish" oil rubbed aggressively into the wood with a high grit sandpaper. Wipe the surface down with a rag to soak up the excess oil. After the oil cures, give it a very light sanding to smooth it out and remove all the dust. Then start your shellac / french polish coats.

Since the oil can darken the wood, an alternative is to use Timbermate as a grain filler on the bare wood. Moisten it to a "heavy cream" texture and drive it into the wood surface with a credit card or spatula. After drying, sand the surface back down to get rid of excess filler. Repeat if necessary. I use this second method frequently on oak and mahogany.

[John K Jordan]

Is there a type of clear wood filler I can use?

Some people I know like Aqua Coat.