As a preface to this post: Yes, I’ve read everything on Jeff Jewitt’s website, as well as shellac.net and others. I’ve got one last question 🙂
I’m about to start finishing a case with a lot of moldings- ogees, etc., and I’m going to be using shellac. I’ve finished a little hall table in shellac as a practice run, but I’m a little concerned about “fat edge” on all the nooks & crannys of the molding.
My plan is to use about a 1.5lb. cut and brush it on. I’d rather brush than wipe, because it’s a large case, and I’m thinking that wiping/padding the whole thing would take way too long.
Are my concerns unjustified at that low of a cut? Should I consider brushing the big flat surfaces and wiping the moldings?
I’ve also heard of some additives that reduce or eliminate “fat edge”. Should I look in to those?
Thanks for the help,
Kevin
Replies
I don't know if it is absolutely necessary but I've been using the additive that Jeff Jewitt sells at his site. Seems to work fine.
Kevin,
Dosen't shellac.net say you can use a combo of brushing and wiping? I was just reading it this morning and I think that is what I read.
I am no expert, but that won't cause me to not offer advice. I just finished a chest of drawers in white oak. First coat was BLO and white oil based paint, wiped on and off. This "froze" the gray tones of white oak, which was intended. I found that straight BLO or shellac gave me more brown than that SWMBO desired. Then I brushed on a coat of shellac, inside and out. I did this because I was concerned about poss warpage, and didn't want any BLO inside the carcase; afraid of odor lingering. Then, I got my makeshift spray booth set up, and proceeded to spray 2-3 coats of 1# cut of shellac. (This is my first attempt at spraying.) Got some orange peel, runs, and fat edge. Sanded them out. Ordered the Jewitt product, but it hasn't arrived yet. (Do I lack patience?) So, I set up a french polish rubber, and using 2# shellac, padded it on with mineral oil as a lubricant. At first I started out with the traditional french polishing circles, but later found tha #### worked just fine, and much faster, to pad in overlapping stripes. I did not sand clear through the sparyed or brushed shellac; there was still a good film thickness, I felt. I think it came out very nice. I can't brush a 2d coat with any success because the alcohol in the second coat dissolves the first coat, and all I have is a mess. Hence the padding, which was really quite efficient. I think I did the whole chest, 2' x 4', 4 drawers, in about 2-3 hours. It was nice, quiet work. Also, given my newbie srayng problems, didn't want to have to sand the whole thing again if I goofed.
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