Maloof type finish with shellac

[larry O'loane]

Greetings, long time lurker, first time posting.

My question is: can a Maloof type finish be prepared with shellac, giving a shellac/oil compound, instead of Maloof's varnish/oil mixture. Would there be any known advantages or disadvantages to using shellac instead of an alkyd varnish?

Thanks,
Larry

[Scott Holmes]

I can't say that I have ever heard of that... an oil/shellac blend...

Using shellac in a "french polish" technique uses shellac, pumice and mineral oil; but the oil is only a lube for the shellac pad.

Not sure what would happen mixing shellac instead of varnish with an oil and mineral spirits.

I may run out to the shop to see...

What are you wanting to accomplish?

Edit: Went out and tried it shellac and linseed oil and shellac linseed oil and MS. We shall see...

[larry O'loane]

>> What are you wanting to accomplish?

I have built a Maloof rocker and will be finishing it in the near future.

Some of this is pure curiosity, why haven't shellac/oil finishes been used?

Also, I live in Ketchikan, Alaska and sometimes something as simple as a high quality alkyd vanish may be a little harder to come by than one would think. I have a plentiful supply of quality shellac flakes, and don't mind experimenting a bit.

Thanks

[Steve Schoene]

Shellac isn't soluble in turpentine or in oil. (That's why you can remove the oil used in French polishing, either by "spiriting off" with alcohol, or with naphtha.) Once the alcohol evaporates you will have shellac and you will have a yet uncured oil and varnish mixture. Seems like potential for a sticky mess. I've never tried this of course, why would I?

[Scott Holmes]

My little experiment last night seems tohave dried just fine. I did 2 tests on African mahogan

1. shellac and linseed oil
2. shellac, linseed oil and mineral spirits. (it did mix, which surprised me)

Both seemed to have dried just fine. My concern is with additional coats (which is needed when using an oil/vanish blend) The oil will do nothing to wood that has been sealed with shellac. So where will it go? and what will happen on the next coat?

I suspect that there is some linseed oil (test 1) and oil and MS (test 2) trapped below the surface of the shellac in my first test. It will take a very long time for the oil to cure under the shellac since the oxygen needed for curing is impaired by the shellac.

[Prashun Patel]

I mixed pastewax and shellac together before to make a one-step sealer finish for turned pieces. It actually does stay in emulsion indefinitely. However, I didn't find that was that effective in making a good finish.

A Maloof finish is designed to be rubbed in and rubbed off. Shellac isn't really used that way. That's not to say shellac's a bad choice; Thomas Wetzel makes some of his chairs with shellac and they are stunning. Maloof chairs don't have much build to them. If you wanted to mimic the look they typically have, I'd do one of the following:

Mix polyurethane with your oil and MS instead of the alkyd varnish. I'd bet Minwax poly is readily available up there. Wipe on, let sit for a few mins, wipe off. If you wetsand in the first coat or two with 400g or 600g, you won't have to deal with any raised grain sanding after the fact.

Use a wipe on poly - again Minwax wipeon poly is a fine choice. You have to wipe off quicker with this or just put on few coats, because it will build. You can also add some BLO into this to increase the working time - but then you really do have to get it all off, since it won't dry properly if left too wet.

If you choose to use shellac, I'd thin it way back to 1-1.5#, and wipe it on. When you achieve a thin even sheen, stop.

Also, beware that with shellac, you will raise the grain a little and will have to sand after the first coat or two. Not hard, just a nuissance vis-a-vis the oil poly route.

The second step of waxing will soften and smooth the finish.


Now, of course, if you can get hold of some Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish, IMHO, that's the easiest way to go. One step; no mixing; easy to apply; no waxing even necessary; great color.

[Casey Gooding]

If you really want to use shellac, why not oil the wood first and then shellac topcoat??

[Steve Schoene]

No advantage, nor much disadvantage, to using a (single part) poly varnish in an oil/varnish mix.

Using Waterlox is fine, but it's a different look, or can be, since it is a varnish plain and simple. It can build a film, though if you do wipe off excess and keep the number of coats down it will look quite similar to a oil/varnish mix. But, you don't have all that much time to do the wiping before it would start getting tacky. Basically same issues as you mention with Minwax except it has a different resin mix, and that because of the tung oil ingredient the varnish is a bit more water resistant.

[glenn bradley]

I'm with Casey. If you have the shellac and want to use it, oil that thing let it cure and shellac it. ;-)