I’m primarily an oil/wax finish kind of guy. However it’s not approproate for my current project: A box to hold rifle. As well I’d like to expand my finishing horizons… Given the approaching holiday, my time is getting narrow.
Given the current time constraints I’m thinking that Shellac may be the answer to my problems. The box is black Walnut with a veneered birds eye panel on top. Very simple. I’m thinking about giving it a thin coat of BLO to help with grain, and then going with Shellac.
Does anybody see any issues with this? How many coats of Shellac would you do? Finally what’s the best way to apply it.
Buster
Replies
Jeff Jewitt recently did an article in FWW that recommends the BLO, shellac and wax as a "fast" finishing method. I used the method on a Christmas gift and I re-learned how effective BLO is in adding depth and color to walnut. I padded on several coats of shellac and I was pleased with the appearance. Much better than my usual Watco and wax.
D'oh now that you mention it I did read that article. That's probably where this idea originated.
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BTW, I apologize... apparently my speed typing isn't as accurate as I would like! Fats?
"apparently my speed typing isn't as accurate as I would like! Fats?" Gave me an early morning chuckle. Which edition was the article in?? No luck searching the on-line index (surprise, surprise).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
It was in issue 186. The article is online, it's called: One Fast Finish by Jeff Jewitt.(Skills and Techniques, Finishing, Applying a Finish...)
For all those wondering, I gave it a try. I applied a thin coat of BLO I put it on then buffed it a bot after 10 minutes then let it sit for a couple of hours as I attended to Christmas things (A quick Beer with friends). When I returned to the shop I used Zinnser(?) Blonde, let it sit about an hour then added another coat. When I got up this morning and did one last coat. Looks great, and super fast. My Shellac technique could probably be improved. I did not put a coat of Paste Wax on it.
Thanks, that one didn't show up in my search. I was tempted to try it yesterday (even though I didn't know exactly what "it" was) yesterday, but if it didn't work, I'd have been scre*ed -- Christmas present ya know. Definitely will try it on the other two frames hubby's having me make.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
"My Shellac technique could probably be improved." How are you applying?? I wipe on, 2# cut. Quick, easy and seemingly foolproof. Hardest part is knocking down all the dust in the shop first (or most of it, anyway). For this small frame I didn't even worry about that, just turned off the stove-fan and knocked all the dust and collie-hair from my clothes, LOL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Yes, I was just wiping it on. The finish actually looks pretty good, there is a little 'blob' on the back were the shellac dripped and I didn't notice. It does dry fast. Any as for cut I used Zinnser Bullseye directly from the can. I forget what cut it is at the moment.
This was a nightmare Christmas present... It's still not done! It's one of those projects that should be much simpler than what it turner out to be. It's a box for a collectible rifle. It's long and narrow, 4 sides with a veneered panel top and bottom. I've been fighting it every step of the way. Availability of veneer, availability of a borrowed veneer press, veneer bubbles, a slip with the saw when I was doing he dovetails, and a lid that just wants to warp... The finish is actually the best thing about it! It's a gift for my father, my wife went down to get some fabric, and some padding for the inside of the box. It took her over an hour to get 1.5 yards of fabric... and she forgot the padding! I picked up a latch for it a t Lee Valley today, in such a rush I didn't look at the package close enough... no screws. Did I mention the lid keeps wanting to warp? Got to love wood.
I will use linseed, and shellac again in the future. The Walnut and Birdseye maple look great.
Yes it is fast enough. You can have quite a nice shellac finish in two days.
Shellac works fine over a light BLO grain pop. Lots of ways to apply shellac. I like using a watercolor wash brush with sable like synthetic fibers call Taklon gold. This doesn't hold lots of shellac which allows it to apply it evenly and in very thin coats. Others like to pad it on. A lint free applicator is needed. I often use well washed t-shirt, in part because there is enough stretch that it can be formed into a rounded pad by tucking in all the edges. Others prefer a finer woven fabric like cotton percale sheeting material.
Regardless of whether you brush or pad, the key is speed, never stopping on the surface, trying to avoid overlaps, and never going back to catch a missed spot or defect. With a fairly thin shellac (1 1/2 lb. cut) the next coat will pick up any gaps and minimize the effects of overlaps. The number of coats is pretty much immaterial and depends on the look you seek to achieve. You don't need to sand between coats for adhesion, but you should sand if you see defects in the surface that you want to eliminate. I typically use 320 grit for that.
The last key point is that if either brush or pad starts to drag or stick--STOP. Working onto a surface that hasn't dried sufficiently can start to roll up the lower coats into an ungodly mess. People who have trouble with shellac probably got into this sort of problem.
Edited 12/21/2006 3:00 pm ET by SteveSchoene
Read your post with interest and had a question. What would be the recomended drying time of the blo before applying the shellac? And would you thin it first and how much? I've also heard that you could spirit off any excess oil that might pop through the shellac after the shellac is dry.
I'd give it 24 hours in warm dry conditions. There are some recommendations that suggest the shellac can be applied over a LIGHT coat of linseed oil almost immediately. I haven't done this so I can't really endorse it but it isn't a completely crazy idea. Remember that oil oil, linseed or mineral is a basic part of French polishing technique, and doesn't inhibit the shellac for drying and adhering in that context.
Thanx for the info. I quess I missed the article, since I don,t get FWW . I'm going to give it a try. I hope Santa's going to break down and send me a sub. to FWW this year.
i read the article on the fast finish one day thing with oil and shellac. i tried it on xmas gifts that had to go into the mail. oiled it lightly, let it sit overnight and then used about a 3/2 cut of canned shellac and alcohol rubbed on. i rubbed it out later that day and it worked as advertised. i liked the finish and will do it again.
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