Garnet shellac question

[Prashun Patel]

Um, not to be a fly in the shellac here, but...

IT'S SHELLAC! The only 'bad' shellac I've ever used is the stuff I've kept on my shelf for a year and then attempted to use. Come on, I think we're overanalyzing this.

[Jacob Mac]

Another question, how vigorously do you sand inbetween coats of shellac?

Also, do you sand a piece after applying BLO? If so, how vigorously?

Thanks

[Prashun Patel]

If you're filling grain, sand vigorously - back to the grain. If the shellac's a barrier coat, then just sand lightly - just enough to reduce the nubs and chop off any dust or raised grain. If it feels smooth to your fingers, it's ready for the next coat. My sanding is almost more of a 'wipe with 400' than a sanding.

I don't sand the BLO. It doesn't raise the grain or trap any dust for me.

[Kent A Bathurst]

[QUOTE=Shawn Patel;129649....Come on, I think we're overanalyzing this.......[/QUOTE]

Perhaps we are Shawn, perhaps we are. I can tell you, from personal experience, that there are differences in the quality of shellac flakes, from different reputable suppliers. That is not saying some are good and some are bad, just that the quality varies, and the differences in prices are very small from the "best" to the "Less than best" (my evaluation).

There is shellac that dissolves almost completely in an hour or so, and some that dosen't dissolve overnite (as noted by another responder). There is "dewaxed" shellac that is perfectly clear when mixed, and there is "dewaxed" shellac - from a very reputable supplier - that can have cloudy wax in the bottom 15% - 25% of the mixture. Sure - decant it - but what was I paying for?

Budweiser is certainly beer. I'm sticking to my Bass Ale and Samuel Smith.

[Jacob Mac]

If you're filling grain, sand vigorously - back to the grain. If the shellac's a barrier coat, then just sand lightly - just enough to reduce the nubs and chop off any dust or raised grain. If it feels smooth to your fingers, it's ready for the next coat. My sanding is almost more of a 'wipe with 400' than a sanding.

I don't sand the BLO. It doesn't raise the grain or trap any dust for me.

Thanks Shawn, that really helps. This is an all new finish schedule for me, and I really appreciate the info. In fact, I am trying 7 or 8 new techniques on this project, so it has been harrowing to say the least. The last thing I want to do is screw it up at this point.

[Neal Clayton]

There is shellac that dissolves almost completely in an hour or so, and some that dosen't dissolve overnite (as noted by another responder). There is "dewaxed" shellac that is perfectly clear when mixed, and there is "dewaxed" shellac - from a very reputable supplier - that can have cloudy wax in the bottom 15% - 25% of the mixture. Sure - decant it - but what was I paying for?

Budweiser is certainly beer. I'm sticking to my Bass Ale and Samuel Smith.

the amount of time it takes to dissolve is directly related to the size of the flakes. if you don't grind them up finer, they take longer.

a pack of BC dissolves faster than an alka seltzer tablet.

doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the finished product.

Thanks Shawn, that really helps. This is an all new finish schedule for me, and I really appreciate the info. In fact, I am trying 7 or 8 new techniques on this project, so it has been harrowing to say the least. The last thing I want to do is screw it up at this point.

it's different but once you get the hang of it, really hard to screw up.

the main thing is knowing how much to thin it for various things, imo. for a sealer, 1 or 1.5 pounds at most. for a brushing finish, i use 2 pounds, if i'm planning to wipe it, maybe 2.5 to 3 pounds.