Replies

1. 
   saschafer | Dec 07, 2007 10:14pm | #1

   "So then, is it ridiculous to consider doing a few coats of shellac over the linseed oil and dye, and then finishing off with a more protective layer like poly or something?"

   Nope. Works just fine. You really only need one coat of shellac to have the desired effect. As always, TEST ON A SAMPLE PIECE FIRST!

   (Personally, I'd skip the dye. I made a coffee table of Honduras mahogany 25 years ago, and over the years, the color has darkened and mellowed very well, in my opinion. I'm always concerned about what something that's been made to look 100 years old when new will look like when it really is 100 years old.)

   -Steve

    

   
   

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   Edited 12/7/2007 2:15 pm ET by saschafer

1. 
   benito | Dec 07, 2007 10:56pm | #2

   Thanks Steve--The only reason I would dye it is because I'm trying to match another older, darker piece.
   Glad to hear it will work, so I'll follow up--do you think poly is good for this, or will it look "cheap"? I'm wondering if I should try a varnish or something else that's more traditional?

1. 
   saschafer | Dec 07, 2007 10:59pm | #3

   Polyurethane certainly has the ability to look "plasticky," but it doesn't have to. Wiping varnishes (Minwax Poly, Waterlox) are easy to apply, so you may want to try one of those.

   What did I say to do? Try it on a sample piece! ;-)

   -Steve

    

2. 
   grpphoto | Dec 08, 2007 06:57am | #9

   If you want to darken the wood, try a coat of boiled linseed oil first. Soak the wood in it, wipe it dry, and let it cure for several days. That will give you a nice dark brown with Honduras. Then use amber shellac over that. This combo will let the wood grain shine through.If you have the equipment to spray on a clear water-base finish over the shellac, or if you're very skilled with a brush, you'll have a very durable finish that will resist most chemicals.George Patterson

2. 
   Sancho | Dec 07, 2007 11:46pm | #4

   Go to homesteadfinishing.com and you can talk to Jeff personally. He's a nice guy..check it out

3. 
   Glaucon | Dec 08, 2007 12:05am | #5

   I'd advise padding on shellac for several thin coats. You can control color by mixing up your own shellac (amber with garnet for example). If you buy the flakes and mix a one pint solution of each at a 2 lb cut (that would be 4 oz of flakes in one pint of denatured alcohol), you can then custom mix a thinner cut (1-1.5 lb) of the two colors for padding.

   This has several advantages: 1) You have a lot of control over the color 2) Your shellac is fresh, and you mix it as you need it and 3) It's less expensive than buying a bunch of cans to mix, and then throwing the remainder away in say 6 months time.

   Once you have built up a few coats of shellac and you have the color right (work on some scrap), you can knock it down with #400 sandpaper or an abrasive pad followed by a tack cloth.

   You can apply a wipe on poly varnish to the top to protect it further (just buy regular poly and thin it 1:1). If you do go this route, use unwaxed shellac for base coats. Two or three wipe on poly coats with light sanding in between should do the trick. Finish with some wax and you'll have a real nice finish.

   Glaucon

   If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...

4. 
   SteveSchoene | Dec 08, 2007 12:53am | #6

   While shellac is more durable than many people think (If you spill a martini, you've got lots of time to clean it up before any damage would result) there is no reason to be nervous about the table and just a fairly little loss in effect from an additional topcoat of varnish. 

   I'd recommend a wiping varnish over the shellac.  I'd also recommend a traditional resin varnish instead of polyurethane varnish for its extra clarity and particularly for its enhanced ability to rub out if needed compared to poly.  Waterlox and Behlen Rockhard with added thinner are good, relatively dark varnishes, and McCloskey Heirloom (soon to be Cabot Varnish ?) or Pratt & Lambert 38 are lighter colored varnishes that can be thinned to wiping consistency. 

   Do your tests to include the varnish top coat so you can see how much, if any, to adjust the early steps to account for the color of the varnish. 

1. 
   benito | Dec 08, 2007 02:04am | #7

   Thanks so much for your comments folks. I'll take them under advisement. With a 5-month old in the house I may not get to the actual finishing anytime soon, but then I'll have plenty of time for test pieces, I guess...
   Again, thanks-- I really appreciate it.

5. 
   frenchy | Dec 08, 2007 03:26am | #8

   benito ,

     Steve is right, shellac is far more tolerant of alcohol than most give credit for.. Booze that you drink  )wine beermixed drinks) is normally around 6% alcohol.. even 100 proof straight shots are only 50% alcohol.. if you've done any shellac work you know it takes a while for pure 100% alcohol to strip off the finish..

      In addition the ease which shellac can be repaired compared to something with a poly over coat should cause you to side towards shellac..

     With shellac if you scratch it, mar it, damage it, etc.. you can easily do localized repairs because new shellac will melt into old shellac and make a seamless repair..

     If you do decide to put the plastic over coat of polyurethane on  you can't easy repair it when it becomes damaged.. remember polyurthanes are softer than  shellac is .