Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 15, 2006 07:43am | #1

   Well, hmmmmmm, I see none of the finishing experts has responded yet.  So, I'll throw this out....I just finished a walnut shadow-box by padding shellac.  I made up 14 oz. of 2# shellac to finish about 700 square inches of surface.  I put, I think, 4 coats on the interior and 6-7 coats on the exterior.  Since I was padding, they were very thin coats.  I still have about half of the shellac left.

   If you make up too little, it shouldn't be a big deal to make up some more.  Are you using flakes or Zinsser canned (which lasts longer than any other)??

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

1. 
   bankruptedbyNorm | Oct 15, 2006 09:26pm | #4

   Thanks for the info.  I will be dissolving flakes, not the premixed off-the-shelf variety. 

2. 
   Rich14 | Oct 15, 2006 07:47am | #2

   Bank,

   You will need several quarts, 2-3 I would say. But what's the worry? Mix a quart at a time using flakes and alcohol or buy any of Zinser's pre-mixed varieties in quart cans. Shellac is very inexpensive, compared to other finishes. Even if you make far too much, disposal is not a great problem as shellac is non toxic. The small amount of alohol is not significant, evaporating.

   Rich
3. 
   frenchy | Oct 15, 2006 06:23pm | #3

   bankruptedbyNorm,

         Buy yourself a quart and a gallon of denatured alcohol..

     Mix it two parts denatured alcohol to one part of shellac, thin the second coat by washing out the brush over the shellac can, thin the third coat the same way..

     Brush fast and don't worry! 

    sand with 220 between coats. use the same piece of paper throughout the three coats.. then if you are really going for a deep finish go 360, 600 1000 2000, a rub out and finish with the french polish techique..

      (the later only recommended for those who have no life  ;-)

1. 
   bankruptedbyNorm | Oct 15, 2006 09:29pm | #5

   Thanks.   Something I forgot to mention is that I will be painting the interior.  That may affect how much shellac I need.  I haven't thought about it until now....would you recommend putting a coat or two of clear shellac over the paint to seal it?

4. 
   Floss | Oct 16, 2006 05:19am | #6

   I mix flakes and use 1/4 lb of flake to 1 pint(16 oz) of alcohol. This will give a 2 lb cut which is good for brushing or padding. That should be a good start.

   If you like you can thin the first coat by adding a little alcohol to the shellac. I do this by eye and it is generally not too critical of a measurement. Say, 3-4 tablespoons of alcohol to 1/2 cup shellac.

   Plus I always use a separate glass dish for the shellac and pour out only what i will use for that application. It will help keep the stuff fresh since alcohol will pick up water from the air and that is what will make the shellac go bad.

   I hope this helps.

   J.P.

   http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com