Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Jan 21, 2012 10:39pm | #1

   I think you need to fix your application technique, not the shellac. I find brushing to give the results you describe.

   I use a mouse, you have to move fast but you don't get any ridges. Dunk it, rub it on any which way and quickly blend off in the direction of the grain. You can only do a little more than a square foot with each dunk but you actually feel the material go on. If it starts to get a bit sticky, you are going too slow, pretty easy to get the "feel" for what you need to do. I use something like a broadcloth shirt or sheet for the outside wrapper, smaller ball of T-shirt type cotton inside. The coarser cloth on the outside doesn't abrade like soft cotton. I went straight from the can in the picture for a bunch of drawer parts. Took only minutes to do quite a stack.

   
2. 
   HowardAcheson | Jan 22, 2012 12:26pm | #2

   Brushing shellac is the least effective and most problematic application method if you are looking for a good finish.  Spraying and padding are the two preferred methods.  You can brush on the first coat but all subsequent applications should be one of the two methods above.

   Thinning shellac will not affect how quickly the alcohol evaporates.