Brushing Amber Shellac

[Peter Kelly]

I've been using a considerable amount of amber de-waxed shellac over interior doors I've made for my home using Eastern White Pine. Weather here doesn't always permit me to spray outdoors so I've settled on brushing which I've gotten better at but still feel as though I could improve and am wondering if anyone has any opinions on the best brushes out there for shellac. I'm currently using a 2" and a 1" Purdy XL with a 2 lb cut shellac, still getting some brush marks, maybe the Purdy isn't stiff enough?

Anyone have a favourite brush for broad, flat surfaces?

[David Bassett]

Not something I know about personally. I have book marked some of the articles Joel @TFWW has written about brushes and selecting the right one. (They make brushes because he was dissatisfied with what he found on the market.) Here's a blog entry, with links to other articles, that may help you:

How To Select The Best Brush for Finishing

(Even if their products aren't for you, their videos of making brushes are really interesting to watch!)

[Jim Becker]

I prefer a softer brush to lay on Shellac by hand so the finish flows more. This is one reason I like to thoroughly pre-soak my shellac brush in DNA before using it again to make sure any residual material is re-dissolved. Honestly, I've moved to brushes that have a "Chinex" type bristle over the more common nylon ones for all of my painting tasks. Purdy does have them now; most of mine are Corona branded.

That all said, brushing shellac is an "art form"...the more you do it, the better you'll get! Which is why I like to spray it. LOL

[Peter Kelly]

Thanks, I've been down to the TFWW store pre-COVID. Great brushes but I'm a bit leery of spending $64 for one 2" ox-hair brush since I need a few of them. Cool watching them make brushes over there though.

[John TenEyck]

Before I had a spray gun I did several projects by brush with a shellac toner. I settled on a 2-1/2" Corona natural bristle brush. I also found using Behkol instead of DNA increased the open time just enough that I could get acceptable results. That said, spraying shellac is so much easier. If I were in your situation with a bunch of interior doors to do, I'd set up a temporary spray booth and spray them.

John

[Peter Kelly]

Thanks, ordered a couple Corona Europa natural bristle brushes. As above, I'd love to be able to spray these doors but my shop is super small and the weather never seems to want to cooperate when it's time to finish one.

[John TenEyck]

Thanks, ordered a couple Corona Europa natural bristle brushes. As above, I'd love to be able to spray these doors but my shop is super small and the weather never seems to want to cooperate when it's time to finish one.

How about another room besides your shop? I know that sounds crazy at first, but if you use a plastic tent and cover the floor, with a duct and fan to exhaust overspray out the window, it should be safe and workable.

John

[Peter Kelly]

Wish I could but the house is just too small at 1,400 sq ft. The wife and I also moved out of our apt in the city so stuff is pretty well everywhere at the moment making things all the more Tetris-like until I manage to sort through the detritus.

Ultimately, I'll build a separate shop on the property here in the Catskills with a separate finishing room.

[Jim Becker]

Well, at least you're moving (literally) in the right direction for more and more woodworking! Congrats on your relocation and I hope you can get on that "build a shop" project within reasonable time.

[Phil Mueller]

Peter, looks like you’ve ordered brushes. I suspect they will work fine. If not, another one to try is a Taklon brush (ether gold or white). They can be found at any art supply store and are available in a variety of sizes.

Another trick I’ve used from time to time to help shellac flow off the brush (and gives slightly more working time), is to mix in a small amount of mineral oil into the shellac.

[Peter Kelly]

Thanks! I've done French Polishing but hadn't thought of adding the oil directly to the shellac. I'm also going to try John's Behkol suggestion as my reserves of 190 proof Everclear are starting to run low.

Jim - thanks. We've essentially re-located to our weekend place in Northern Catskills so not totally new to us though it was pretty strange leaving Manhattn after 20+ years. Lots of other city ppl here including some old friends and neighbours from Stuyvesant Town so we don't feel totally alone. I'm optimistic that the sudden influx will go a long way to revitalising the somewhat flagging economy here.

[Robert Engel]

I've used this brush I bought at Woodcraft. Works quite well.