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Thread: Yet another shellac problem

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,675
    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Siebert View Post
    Thank you sir, I kind of thought it might have been used for old furniture or new stuff trying to be traditional. I never knew or thought it was used on instruments. Makes me wonder if it was used on old violins and if it might have attributed something to the sound quality.
    Finish absolutely has an effect on tone-woods and makers always have had to be very careful about that. Shellac is almost an ideal finish because of it's nature as an evaporative product which can be put on in very, very thin coats that then become one single layer.
    --

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

  2. #17
    If it were me, I'd wipe the surface down with DNA several times to level the shellac. Then I would spray a couple thinned coats.

    I suggest this only because it will save you the headache of sanding and restaining - which can be a problem on already-stained wood. Also, if you have the ability to spray Endurovar, you have the ability to spray shellac. Spraying shellac is super easy. Just keep the cut thin. I also suggest instead of Zinsser Bullseye, you use Sealcoat. It's already thinned and dewaxed, which gives you more options if you decide you want to topcoat with something later.

  3. #18
    The difference between shellac and a lot of finishes is shellac will re-disolve. So you put it on very thin, following coats will level.

    If you're spraying/applying trying to get each coat level, you're probably putting it on too heavy.
    Go for thin. Spraying it may even be rough, if it were paint it'd feel like sandpaper and you'd spray heavier, but with shellac, the next coat will re-dissolve and smooth.

    If it's your full finish, after some depth you may smooth it out a bit with a light scuff between coats, but the alcohol/solvent will do some levelling and flooding every coat to level prior coats.

    Source: I've overapplied a lot of shellac learning. Then there was the day I thinned so much that a dozen coats and no buildup, that didn't work well at all either. From that, I met in the middle and it's been working well since!

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    3,222
    Regarding the question, why use it?, I use shellac for all interior applications like drawers and boxes. Oil based finishes on interior surfaces seem to smell for decades. But I have also used it as the exterior finish. I like the depth it seems to give wood.

    As others have said, it takes some getting used to. While trying to perfect french polishing (which I’m still working on!), my failures are usually caused by too much shellac. It’s one of those if it looks good, stop. The temptation is if a little looks good, more should make it look better...and that often isn’t the case.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    N Illinois
    Posts
    4,602
    Good advice above...Shellac goes on thin (no build up needed).....A little DA on rag will help correct your old issue of the thick coat..
    Jerry

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    New York, NY
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    2,203
    I'd suggest mixing your own with some de-waxed flakes and 190 proof Everclear. Shellac itself comes in a myriad of different grades and I'm guessing Zissner probably uses what makes financial sense rather than the best possible product. Once mixed, shellac also has relatively short shelf life and I've noticed that the hardware store stuff doesn't seem to indicate a sell by date. Would definitely avoid. Even dry de-waxed flakes themselves only have a shelf life of a few years.

    Shellac is an excellent finish for many things, just takes a bit of trial and error to get it right.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Wayland, MA
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    3,654
    If you started with shellac it's the other stuff that "takes some getting used to" and "requires a lot of trial and error" to get right. Just a matter of perspective. I was shocked at how long other finishes took to dry-- gathering bugs and dust the whole while. Shellac is a great sealer for making wood airtight in organs and automatic musical instruments like player pianos. It's a real benefit to be able to hit it with a fresh coat, re-melt what was there before without having to sand or strip and have a like-new surface. The benefits in many ways parallel those of hot hide glue. Rebuilding old instrument done with shellac and hide glue is real pleasure compared to the nightmare of modern glues and finishes in that setting.

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