Replies

1. 
   RLMillard | Jan 11, 2003 02:44am | #1

   For shellac, you can’t beat water color brushes. I use a 1”and 2” Golden Taklon flat brushes, for most surfaces. For carved or otherwise detail surfaces I use a Golden Taklon ½ “ Filbert. The Filbert is just a brush with rounded corners. I bought these at Craft Store called Michael’s, which I think is a nation wide chain, and from Olde Mill Cabinet Shoppe. I have a mix of Windsor and Newton and Loew Cornell, both seem to work equally well, the Loew Cornell’s cost less.

   I don’t use poly, instead I use varnish, but they are practically the same as far as brushing goes. I use 1” and 2” Badger hair brushes from Lee Valley ( and others) and a Omega 2”oval that I purchased from New York Central Art Supply ( http://www.nycentralart.com).

   Even with the best brushes and perfect technique, the resulting finish will still need to be rubbed out , but then so do sprayed finishes.

2. 
   HowardAcheson | Jan 11, 2003 03:07am | #2

   Both shellac and varnish should be applied by flowing out the finish, not by brushing back and forth. This means that you want brushes that hold a lot of material. With a well taught and practiced technique you can lay on a marine varnish coat that is virtually brush mark free and polished enough to shave by (well almost). But it takes practice and patience.

   For both shellac and varnish I use badger brushes. I have three that I bought years ago when I did a lot of marine varnishing for a high end yacht builder and maintainer. With care, they will last a lifetime.

   As far as shellac goes, the best way to apply it is to pad it on, not brush it on. Padding can produce an almost perfect finish.

3. 
   RW | Jan 11, 2003 03:31am | #3

   I'm with both of them. Taklon brushes are the cat's meow if you're going to brush shellac. There's nothing wrong with wiping it so long as you're not mixing dyes into the batch, at which point you run the risk of streaking (and would with brushing at that point as well). The badgers are expensive but worth it if you spend much time with a brush stuck to your paw. Price wise for varnishes, ox hair is a step down but also yields a noticably better time of flowing the finish out than even a good white china. If you don't have any of the above, another place to get them is http://www.homestead.com - the oval lilly is a great brush.

   " The State, in choosing men to serve it, takes no notice of their opinions. If they be willing faithfully to serve it, that satisfies." - Oliver Cromwell

1. 
   badoyn | Jan 11, 2003 05:52pm | #4

   Great. Thanks for all the info.

   Michael