Shellac

Yes you should actually. It will help with adhesion and should prevent bleeding of the stain. Let the stain dry completely. You can use the dewaxed shellac out of the can (Zinzer seal coat) or cut it to make application easier.

Sand the shellac finish down very lightly with 320 or greater. 0000 steel wool would work too.

I don’t know about bringing out the grain, but it will add some color (amber).
What is the project?

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

I believe shellac is God’s way of telling us he loves us doing woodwork. That bug excretion is the original all purpose hard finish. And as Giz stated, yes, you should put down a coat of it between your stain and poly. Zinsser’s SealCoat is already a two pound cut and can be used for your purpose straight from the can. It is dewaxed blonde and has a guaranteed shelf life of three years. Something mixing your own will never achieve. I love the stuff. I tint it with TransTint dyes and also use it straight. As far as bringing out the grain pattern on oak, well, you’d have to try and hide the grain on oak, it’s there whether you want it or not. However, any finish will somewhat enhance the grain.

My current finish schedule for the woodwork in my house goes like this; water based dye stain, shellac with amber tint, two to three coats of gloss poly either sprayed, wiped or brushed and Viola!

I also scuff sand before and between each coat of poly as it has to have a “tooth” to grab in order for it to adhere to anything. Do that and you shouldn’t experience any adhesion problems whatsoever.

always,
J.C.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein

I am a big shellac fan, too. Great sealer, easy clean-up, non-toxic, what’s not to like?

-- Maplewood, MN

Ditto all of the above. I use the Zinsser’s product, and I am sure purists will scoff, but like J.C. really like it as a sealer for the stain coat. I generally use the the amber product as this gives nice warm coloring. Followed by several coats of wipe on poly makes for a nice finish.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I use clear and amber. I quit buying SealCoat because I can cut the 3 lb. with alcohol and have the same thing. I use it under poly by sanding with 220 paper between coats. If I use dye stain, I shellac after the dye and then use gel stain for a glaze then another coat of shellac then sand then wipe on poly. I sand between coats of poly and usually do 3 to 5 coats of 75% MinWax Quick Dry and 25% mineral spirits. this seems to get a good build of finish. I doubt the poly will stick if you don’t sand.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

One more point I would like to add to Thos. Angle post is that he is correct about the poly bonding to subsequent layers. Poly adheres by means of mechanical bonds created when the surface is roughed up from sanding. Shellac bonds by partially dissolving the underlying coat.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

It’s funny, because if you read the back of the lable on shellac it says that it’s NOT recommended to apply oil based poly over shellac. I do it and everybody else seems to do it. I’m wondering if anyone here knows why they say not to do it.

-- Jeremy, Saratoga, NY

I have read that the top coat of poly can separate eventually when using standard shellac. Poor adhesion. I have heard many like Thos. have no problem with it though.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne