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Thread: Put away my Shellac Brush

  1. #1
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    Put away my Shellac Brush

    I really like shellac for applications other than tabletops. It's quick and easy to apply and clean up and it is repairable so it can go on prior to assembly. I even have some mortices to cut in. And today it got even better. I wiped it on to 24 parts in half an hour including cleanup. No runs or bristles or brush marks. It is much faster than brushing so it is easier to maintain a wet edge. Applicator went into a small jar with a splash of DNA. Should be ready to go next time.

  2. #2
    Tom, I too like shellac but have had poor results wiping it on. What are you using as an applicator - just a rag or something special?

    Thanks,
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  3. #3
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    A traditional French Polish is a wiping application and is truly an art form. Wiping shellac is a great method if you can "get it" and learn how to keep the applicator moving and conditioned. Part of the reason this can be so visually satisfying is that shellac, unlike many other finishes, is "best" when applied as thin as possible. Building it up beyond a certain point can actually cause problems. So wiping techniques serve it well.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
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    Another shellac person here. My go to method is carefully folded up old t-shirt material (very smooth application end - no folds, wrinkles, etc). I’ve done end table size tops without much issue as well as aprons, legs, etc. I have also used brushes (golden Taklon) with great success on small areas that I cannot do well with the t-shirt pad. A light sanding in between to remove any lap marks, and I’m good to go. I will say, I have always thined it to no more than a 2lb cut and apply very thin layers.

    Lately, I’ve really been trying to “perfect” french polishing. It’s been coming along pretty well and I love the look. But boy, does that put an emphasis on surface prep...any imperfection is going to stand out. I find on smallish boxes and the like, it really doesn’t take that much time.

  5. #5
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    I like spraying shellac ... well, I like spraying most anything over brushing/wiping/padding/etc. Shellac is not the friendliest substance to spray, so I apply outdoors and wear a respirator so I don't get "drunk" off the fumes. The great thing is it dries so fast there isn't much time for bugs and other crud to land in the wet finish.

  6. #6
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    I too am a pad guy. Like a lot of things, once you work with it for a while you get a feel for it. For large surfaces I used a core of cheesecloth with a cotton t-shirt material wrapper like you see in so many articles. For small stuff I just use a small piece of folded paper towel.

    I think the biggest step in making peace with shellac is learning to not go back over an area. With many other finishes you can go back and catch a small missed spot. With shellac you just have to wait about a half hour and catch the missed spot on the next coat.

    I do use a small artists brush for nooks and crannies or detail work. I slip a piece of tubing over the end to protect the tip and toss it in a tackle box where I keep such things. A quick dip in DNA and it is ready to go again; no clean up required.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  7. #7
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    How do you keep the second (and subsequent) coats from softening the prior coat and making it sticky? That's where I've had trouble wiping it on. Making the shellac too thin seems to make it harder ti get a good finish. Is this where oil helps?

  8. #8
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    Stan, it's supposed to burn in like that...and if you're moving quickly enough (and using lubricant, depending on the technique) you're not going to be in any spot long enough for it to matter. This is a "skill/art" that you just learn to move along and get 'er done.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    Tom, I too like shellac but have had poor results wiping it on. What are you using as an applicator - just a rag or something special?

    Thanks,
    Fred
    Hi Fred
    Everything offered above is good. My current applicator is made from sweatshirt material. Started with a piece about 3 1/2" square, trimmed the corners on a long taper across the sides, piled the trimmings into the center, folded the sides in in thirds, folded the ends together and stapled them. To use it I hold it with a small plastic clamp. A short jelly jar with a mason jar lid serves as my work container. I pour shellac for the task into it and work from there. When done I can either pour out the excess or leave it in the work jar. The applicator (less the clamp) goes in the jar and the lid goes on, no cleanup required. If I opt to clean the jar I put in a splash of DNA with the applicator.
    Tom

  10. #10
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    I found some really good material to make "fads" - which is the proper name for a pad to apply shellac-based french polish. I found an overstock site that was selling 100% cotton muslin (basically table-cloth material) and bought ten yards for a song. I cut a square about 10" in size, and fold up with a bit of Webril 100% cotton litho pad in the middle. This makes a very nice fad about the size and shape of an avocado half.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    I too am a pad guy. Like a lot of things, once you work with it for a while you get a feel for it. For large surfaces I used a core of cheesecloth with a cotton t-shirt material wrapper like you see in so many articles. For small stuff I just use a small piece of folded paper towel.

    I think the biggest step in making peace with shellac is learning to not go back over an area. With many other finishes you can go back and catch a small missed spot. With shellac you just have to wait about a half hour and catch the missed spot on the next coat.

    I do use a small artists brush for nooks and crannies or detail work. I slip a piece of tubing over the end to protect the tip and toss it in a tackle box where I keep such things. A quick dip in DNA and it is ready to go again; no clean up required.
    No better underline for the all the possibilities in woodworking than that I do the opposite: a balled up piece of cotton inside cheesecloth ;-}

    I also use a variation on the technique learned from Frank Klausz 30 years ago in an FWW Video back when we both still had hair which mandated going over previously applied: what he called an airplane landin and taking off. It's unfailing for me. Keep in mind it's only for flat surfaces or the broad ogees shown. Nooks and crannies still require brushing, but the padding kind of instructs the brushing.

    Dip the cotton sock in a 1 1/2 lb. cut, squeeze out the excess and place in two layers of cheesecloth. Begin the stroke past the edge of the workpiece leaving an untouched inch or so and continue all the way to the end. Like an airplane landing on a runway then lifting off the leading edge again. Come back for another landing in the opposite direction, again beginning past the edge and overlapping the first, taking off again with a turn to pass over the missed edge from the previous pass. If you're like me, all those turns will make you dizzy so I do the best I can but my technique has evolved to simply starting over again but in the opposite direction to cover the missed edges. No issues with immediately going back over if the cut is dilute enough and the cloth ball not overly wet. Not overly wet means after the first one or two passes you should feel a little drag. Screeching to a halt means going back to the jar.

    A 1 1/2 lb. cut dries in seconds and of course shellac is reactive so going back over is fine. I recently watched a video that had a You Tube Bozo agonizing over the math, weights and measure. He advised going at it like Grandma's Pie Crust, no measurements. C'mon. Just get a can of Zinnser's Amber or Clear which is a 3 lb. cut of A-1 shellac with a looong shelf life. Put 2 measures in a Mason Jar with one measure of Alky. Done!

    Sand the first double coat with 220 Garnet backed with a wood block, LIGHTLY, just to level. If there's a lot of corning, SEE LIGHTLY. Coats 2,3,and 4 the same. 5.6,and 7 with 0000 backed with the wood block. 8 is the penultimate, no leveling. Now wet another pad with just alcohol and pass it over the workpiece as close as possible without touching. Don't laugh. Okay, laugh. If you're able to catch a glance you will see the alcohol fume the shellac and like the result.

    Sometimes I leave it be, others I wax with Minwax applied with 0000 wool dampened and wrung out in mineral spirits.

    Disclaimer: I build tube amplfier chassis', no worries about eating or drinking but maybe Toking nearby.

    The pic is Padauk but I always use amber shellac on Walnut prior to applying the Sherwin Williams Classic Warnish for that warm, Old Growth look.

    IMG_4530.jpg
    Last edited by bill epstein; 02-12-2019 at 6:41 PM.

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