Shellac finishing question

[Mark Kelly]

I was using a clear shellac to finish a kitchen item. I was finishing unstained red oak. I used a premix bullseye product.

Questions:

1) Does all shellac come out with a glossy finish?

2) If doing more than two coats, how long whould I wait to apply the second coat?

3) Is it necessary to rub steel wool (0000) in between coats?

Thanks!!!

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Mark
First off - disclaimer --- I am not, by far, a finishing expert. There are many other fellows on the forum that know allot more than me about finishing.
But --- I can answer these questions with some authority without getting you messed up.

1. Yes, all shellac has a glossy finiish. You dull it with 0000 steel wool and then wax it to the shine that you con(j)gure in your mind.

2. Depending on the humidity - 24 hours. If it balls up when rubbing with 0000 steel wool - it has to dry longer.

3. No ! but the next coat of shellac or anything that you put over the shellac has to GRAB something. The purpose of an abrasive is to give the finish a "tooth" for the next layer to grab, so it doesn't flake off.

Errrrrrr - hows that?
Daniel :confused:

[Mark Kelly]

That helped a lot. I thought I read somewhere that you have to wait a month before using an abbrasive on shellac. It was one of those things you read over but since it doesn't directly concern you at the time, you don't take too much time to think about it. Thus, the reason for the questions.

I really liked working with Shellac. Everything before this has been polyurethane. I like the "natural" aspect of Shellac.

[Lee Schierer]

Shellac is alcohol based and as such, each coat will soften and attache to the previous coat. If the previous coat has roughness or dust on it rub down lightly between coats with 0000 steel wool. Make sure you wipe off all the steel wool dust before applying the next coat. The shellac finish will always be glossy unless you rub it down with 0000 steel wool and paste wax. You can apply most lacquers and polyurethanes over a coat of shellac with no problems. Personally as a good easy beginner finish, I don't think you can beat Deft Clear Wood Finish. It comes in Gloss, Semi-gloss and satin. It won't color the wood as much as many other finishes and doesn't yellow with age like varishes or polyurethanes.

[Mark Kelly]

What is the proper way of applying paste wax after shellac? I mean how much do you put on...and do you rub it off like you would do using turtle wax on a car?

[Donnie Raines]

Mark,

Click on the URL below...everything you wish to know about shellac and how to apply it will be found there..or..through the author of the article listed.

http://www.johnjacobmickley.net/Shop%20Pages/Finishing%20Frame.htm



Donnie Raines

[Steven Wilson]

Questions:

1) Does all shellac come out with a glossy finish?

Yes it's glossy. To flatten it out you wait until it cures somewhat and then rub out with 0000 steel wool or a maroon 3M scotch brite pad. If you're doing a very large piece you can add "Shellac Flat" to the shellac for the last couple of coats.

2) If doing more than two coats, how long whould I wait to apply the second coat?

I like to call it shellac sessions. In a typical session I will apply 3-5 coats of shellac at one sitting (depends on temperature, humidity, and the cut of the shellac). These coats I will let dry for a couple of hours and then start another "session". It's dry and ready to be recoated when it's somewhat hard and sands easily.

3) Is it necessary to rub steel wool (0000) in between coats?

I don't use steel wool between coats of shellac. I will use a razor blade to get rid of drips and runs, a card scraper (no hook) to level the surface and get rid of nibs, and prior to the last coat I'll use 3M freecut gold (300 grit or so) to level sand the finish. I will often let the piece dry overnight before level sanding the piece prior to the last coat.

With any film finish you wait for the finish to cure before rubbing out. If you're going for a flat or semi-gloss look then you don't need the finish to cure hard, it can be ready for rubbing out in 3 to 4 days. This is when you pull out the 0000 steel wool and wax and rub out the finish. If you want a high gloss finish then you need to let it cure until the finish gets hard. This can be a week or so, or as long as a month or so (temp, humidity, the shellac or lacquer you use, etc), the longer you wait the better. At this point you rub the finish out with continually finer abrasives until you have a mirror finish. This might include starting with 0000 steel wool and progressing through various grits of pumice, or you might start with 400 grit sand paper and go up to 2000 grit and then start with the buffing compound.

[Spence DePauw]

I've only used this on small parts (marking gages), but it has worked well for me. It's not original with me, by any means, as I saw a referrence to it somewhere.

Put on about 4-5 coats of 1lb cut shellac. I only wait 1.5 to 2 hrs between. No rubbing yet.

Waits at least two days.

Rub out with 0000 steel wool, then apply 3-5 more coats of shellac.

Wait two days again, then rub out and wax.

Gives me a very silky, semi-gloss finish.

Here's a pic of one in bubinga: