Novice at finishing. Some questions

[Jim O'Dell]

All I've ever used before is the poly for top coats, and some Fornby's, before I knew it wasn't real tung oil, on the kitchen cabinets I built at the previous house. I'm finishing my router table, and used some Minwax sealing stain for color. I went and got some Waterlox and have put one coat on. I'll wait at least 24 hours between coats, and probably won't sand unless I need to. I do need to get some tack cloths to go over everything before the next coat, because the applicator pads I got at Woodcraft leave a lot of fuzz behind...partly because it catches on everything.
How many coats of Waterlox should I use? Note, this is not fine furniture. I just want to help it last longer in a shop situation. How long will the unused portion of Waterlox last? I read on the can that it can gel. Anything that might help it last longer?
And I'm confused on the dewaxed shellac. Is this only available if you make your own? I saw some regular shellac in cans, but not a dewaxed. That sounds like something I'll need to know about when I start making cabinets and vanities for the house. Thanks for helping me with my intro into real finishing! Jim.

[Jim Becker]

Zinsser SealCoat is de-waxed and available at the 'borg. Around here, only at Lowes; HD only carries the waxy products. But if you want darker shellac in de-waxed you'll have to dissolve your own from flakes.

Waterlox is a wiping product. On "fine furniture", one would presumably do 8-12 applications...the equivalent of about 3 brushed on coats of varnish. For your project, I suspect you can get away with less. And yes, Waterlox and many other products like this have a very limited shelf life once the container is open, especially when they get cold.

[Jim O'Dell]

Thanks Jim! Guess I better go get it out of the unheated shop and store it inside! :D Jim.

ps: has anyone done a tutorial on disolving your own here? I mean baby step by baby step instructions for someone like me who has never done it or seen it done? I can see where this would be useful, but have no idea where to start. I did see the flakes while at Woodcraft today, so I'm guessing they have all the necessary products to do this with. Thanks again. And the Waterlox is now in the house.

[Michael McCoy]

Thanks Jim! Guess I better go get it out of the unheated shop and store it inside! :D Jim.

ps: has anyone done a tutorial on disolving your own here? I mean baby step by baby step instructions for someone like me who has never done it or seen it done?

Homestead finishing has some good tutorials on shellac and it's easily found. Also, you can extend the Waterlox shelf life considerably by decanting into small plastic squeeze bottles once I've opened the can. That way you can squeeze most of the air out as you put the tops back on.

[Doug Shepard]

I've read of folks adding marbles into the cans of finish to keep the unused portion raised to the top of the can to displace the oxygen. Sounds like a decent idea until you think of the mess to eventually clean up all the marbles plus I would think stirring the stuff would be problematic. There's also the Bloxygen stuff that uses a heavier than air gas to displace the oxygen before sealing the can.
I think at least one of the flavors of shellac flakes is already dewaxed but there's not much reason for going that route since the Zinsers SealCoat came out. But if you want to, you can see a clear difference in the layers of mixed up shellac after the wax settles. If you gently pour off the top clearer layer, you'll get dewaxed shellac.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, one little tip about mixing your own shellac from flakes...find an old and cheap blade type coffee grinder to pulverize the flakes before putting them in the alcohol. They will dissolve faster. And making up shellac is not something you can do the day you plan on using it. Give yourself a few days or even mix it up one weekend when you need it to start work the next. It will keep for a few months with no problem, too. Store in plastic containers out of light.

[Matt Meiser]

You might stop and pick up Flexner's finishing book and/or Jeff Jewit's book.

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Wood-Finishing-Select-Finish/dp/0762106212/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199111582&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Tauntons-Complete-Illustrated-Guide-Finishing/dp/1561585920/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199111779&sr=1-1

Both are really good for background on various finishes and techniques.

[Jim O'Dell]

Thanks guys!! Great suggestions. The Family didn't ask for suggestions this year for Christmas gifts. I have several books ready to list next time the question comes up. I'll add these to the list. Doug, since I posted the question you answered, I did see on Waterlox's site about an aeresol can spraying into an almost closed can. That must be what it was. I'll see if Woodcraft has that as well. Jim.

[Chris Merriam]

I got Flexner's book for Christmas and read through it in like two days. Loved it and it really explained a lot of finishing concepts very well, plus it has lots of pictures, problem solving charts, and recommendations. I also have Jeff Jewitt's book but find it to be more of a technical reference like an encyclopedia.

Here's a shellac tip straight from the book, if you are using shellac and it is not dewaxed, be careful if you try to apply different finishes on top of it, the wax prevents good adhesion for certain finishes (water based ones I think).

[Jim Becker]

Here's a shellac tip straight from the book, if you are using shellac and it is not dewaxed, be careful if you try to apply different finishes on top of it, the wax prevents good adhesion for certain finishes (water based ones I think).

Water borne finishes should have de-waxed shellac under them. The same is true for anything containing polyurethane...it hates to stick to itself, not to mention waxy shellac! I only use de-waxed, whether I by SealCoat for general use or mix my own from flakes for darker colors.

[Jared Cuneo]

I've had some opened Waterlox around for about 4 months now (less than 1/3 can), and its still going strong....Course, I am in South Florida....

JC