# using shellac



## jimmac (Dec 18, 2011)

Anyone ever use a rub on (with a pad) method of applying shellac? What is the best technique to use? Any pitfalls to avoid?
I am in the final stage of a floor clock made of solid 3/4" red oak. It has been grain filled with Behlans oil grain filler (neutral). I plan to use Varathane hickory oil stain with shellac as a sealer and a satin lacquer final coat.
I have tried brushing shellac before and have had poor results with runs and brush marks. I'm just not good at brushing. I could spray it on but it seems to dry too fast or maybe I move too slowly.

jimmac


----------



## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Jimmac-Yup … I wipe shellac (1 pound cut) on with a lint-free rag all of the time. Thin coats, one or two quick passes per coat, and scuff with 400-grit or steel wool between coats.

Avoid the temptation to flood it on and keep moving. Remember that subsequent coats of shellac dissolve the earlier coats, so if you over-do it with the cloth or put too much on, you can wind up with a mess.

-Gerry


----------



## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

I sounds like you are using the shellac just to lock your stain and grain filler in place before you topcoat -

If you are worried about getting a smeary mess I would spray the shellac - especially if there are a lot of corners and fluted columns to get into. To Jims point - you also can fix shellac if you get a sag or problem using a clean rag with alcohol - you can relevel the surface

Do you brush or spray your lacquer?
I use a conversion gun from Harbor Freight with DEFT Brushing lacquer


















I like it because it has a lot of retarder in it to slow it's drying and is a lot higher viscocity, so it rarely runs
Great stuff.
I first sprayed when I had the football team's senior project boxes to do - 28 boxes and used this system and never looked back to hand applying a clear finish


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I use a rubber with shellac usually. I rarely brush it. You still
have to work fast with a rubber. Wear gloves and watch some
demo videos on Youtube. Padding shellac on is not especially
difficult to learn, but making a real french polish is a subtle 
thing.


----------



## jimmac (Dec 18, 2011)

Loren:
What do you mean "you use a rubber"? I am not familier wih that method.

Jim


----------



## jimmac (Dec 18, 2011)

DrDirt:
It looks like you use an HVLP spray gun. I just have the conventional type, but it would work okay I guess.
I am looking for the answer to my what is a rubber applicator, before I decide.
I have not used Deft as a final coat but I have seen some good results with it.
I have to admit that when it comes to finishing, I just cannot get the hang of it.

Jim


----------



## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

You have really touched a bright spot in my finishing process 'cause I really like using shellac. There is a wealth of info available if you're willing to search. Wiping shellac uses a pad of soft, lint-free cotton filled with a ball of cheese cloth (or other absorbent material), called a rubber, and lubed with mineral oil. Look up wiping finishes-shellac for an extensive source.
The easy approach is to start with the Zinsser Seal Coat product. It is dewaxed, and can be used as a primer as well as a finish coating. Go from there as Zinsser offers a bunch of other shellac products.
I have no association with Zinsser.
You can spend a bunch of time on this subject, and it is worth it.
Bill


----------



## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Kinda curious about that myself too Jim.

Edit: Oh, I see Bill has answered the question. Sounds a LOT like a french polish.


----------



## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

Jim -
I think by Rubber - he means the pad of cloth and not that it be MADE from rubber but that you rub with it.

When I french polished (twice ever) we had a cheese cloth surface around a wad of wool - a piece of a boot liner (Sorel for all the folks in northern climates)
The wool holds the shellac mix for polishing while the cheesecloth keeps the lint off the surface

*Making a Polishing Rubber*
Products required:

Polishing Cotton 100% (lint free) 
Cotton Wadding or Cotton Wool 
French Polish (any type) 
Linseed Oil or Mineral Oil (optional) 
Process:

Tear off a 6-9 inch square of cotton wadding and fold it in half, fold the corners of the rectangle to form a triangle 
Fold the outer corners of the triangle to make a pointed pad with a smooth sole 
Cut out a 9-12 square inch piece of Polishing Cotton and diagonally place the pad of wadding across the centre of the cotton square 
Proceed by wrapping, in turn, all the triangular corners of the cloth over the centre 
Gripping the wrapped pad in one hand, twist the loose fabric together to make a firm rubber 
Fold the twisted ends of the cloth over the pad to fashion a handgrip, leaving a smooth, crease-free sole. 
The polish is applied by opening the pad and charging the cotton wadding with approximately 4 tablespoons of polish. Ensure that you avoid dipping the rubber directly into the polish and do not pour it onto the sole of the pad. Close the rubber and squeeze out any surplus. Putting pressure onto the rubber allows the polish to seep through onto the surface. Raw linseed oil can be smeared onto the sole of the pad so that the rubber runs smoothly.


----------



## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

Next time I do the shellac thing, I promised myself to (keep using the seal-coat stuff, and) buy good flakes, and mix them with denatured alcohol, for the project, rather than buy the pre-mix stuff.

Rumor has it, the result is much longer shelf life, and a better quality product, where you pick the "cut" of the mix.

Good source, so I'm told: http://shellac.net/

[forgive them their website. We're not all IT geniuses !]


----------



## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Not exactly into the "french polishing" process, though it would be a next step. Just an easy wipe on finish.
Bill


----------



## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

The French polishing is a bit fussy to get going as you use rottenstone and some mineral oil - 
The mineral oil helps keep the pad from sticking - but too much i is a greasey mess too little it is hard to get a good build and fill pores.

I found it frustrating and that was just doing panels flat on the workbench - never mind trying to do the side of a highboy, or a surface with a lot of contour.


----------



## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I usually collect up a bunch of lac bugs, flip 'em over and pick out the females and then squeeze the stuff right out of their butts onto my project. I love that fresh shellac smell…


----------



## Cato (May 1, 2009)

I love using shellac and have always put it on with a lint free cloth.

I mix mine with flakes, and learned a lot from a Fine Woodworking magazine on Finishing last year.


----------



## Tennwood (Sep 9, 2009)

One extra step I was taught was to use a squeeze bottle to apply the shellac to the pad. Every few passes apply a little more. This helps control the amount going on the wood. Also, as the pad starts to stick, squirt some denatured alcohol from another squeeze bottle on the pad as a lubricant. It does not take much of either. Between coats wipe the wood down with mineral spirits and sand with a 600 grit wet/dry sand paper.

The one place I still have a lot of problems is getting in the corners. The pad won't reach, and if you brush it in, it gets thick or runs. Any tips on this?


----------



## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

http://www.homesteadfinishingproducts.com/htdocs/padshellac2.htm
Look at this site. A "must read" for shellac users.
Bill


----------



## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Bill, Thanks a bunch!!! This pretty much answered all of my shellac questions. I favorited it for future reference. The only remaining question is the cloth he uses. Will T shirt material work as well?


----------



## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

For all of you out there that want to know it all. I inform all my students in my fundamentals class that *Shellac *actually *comes from the FEMALE Lac bug*. I know it doesn't specify this on the package. I know this because if it was from the *male Lac bug*, it would be called *Hellac*. Ba dump, ching!


----------

