I am using shellac for the first time. At the recommendation of some posters on here I put a couple coats of shellac to seal the wood, followed by a few coats of semi-gloss black enamel. I sprayed on the paint with a cheap HVLP sprayer after thinning it first with some mineral spirits. It doesn’t look bad but for some reason it was very flat and attracted dust.
I decided to put some shellac over the paint. Instead of rubbing it on I decided to brush it on with a foam brush. Only problem is it went on real thick and some areas where there was an overlap stick up. It’s dried overnight, and while most areas smoothed out, there’s a slight ridge where too much shellac built up.
My question is can I sand the shellac flat and keep adding more coats? Or do I need to sand it all down, reseal, repaint, refinish?
Thanks!
Replies
Doesn't really answer your question, but you shouldn't use a foam brush with shellac. According to the latest FWW mag, the alcohol dissolves the foam, causing problems.
You can definitely sand shellac flat and keep adding coats..it's just like lacquer, at least in that respect.
I'm surprised that the alcohol didn't cause your enamel to react...I think Lacquer would..perhaps the alcohol vs. the MEK.
Go slowly in your build and it should work fine.
lp
How thick was your shellac (two pound cut, three pound cut, etc.)?
If too thick, it won't self-level quite as readily as a thinner cut.
You can definitely use your HVLP rig to shoot shellac - just use a drip cup to check and thin as needed to achieve the desired viscosity.
Good luck,
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Here is some good, general info about shellac and applying shellac. It was put together by a friend of mine on another forum.
Applying a shellac finish is one part reading how (or watching a video demonstration) and ten parts practice. It is one of those processes in which you will one day reach what I call the "A-Ha" point in your journey and it will all simply fall into place. I would urge you to stick with the process and finish lots of test boards before you take the technique to a real project.
I can give you this simple pointer as a place to start. Forget everything that you know about applying other finishes. In particular, that means forget about the concept of "coats"! Every time you apply another coat of shellac to an existing shellac film you significantly increase the probability of failure, both near and long term. This is especially true if you are attempting to pad on a shellac-only finish. Padding (in my view, the best way to achieve a high quality shellac finish) is actually a continuous process in which a single coat is applied in steps until the finish is refined to a very hard film and a high luster.
I would also add (along the lines of changing your focus from "coats") that you need to change your view of what constitutes a good finish film. When we apply varnish, lacquer, or even water-borne finishes we think in terms of "building" the finish film. The best shellac finish is the thinnest film that you can apply consistent with good coverage and an even-depth film. One of my visualizations when I teach a class on shellac is to hold up a single flake of shellac (about the size of a quarter) and suggest that our objective is to dissolve this flake and then spread it evenly over the surface of our test board. Clearly, that is not possible; however, the image helps to reinforce the idea of a thin film. It helps students to think shellac and to loose the varnish or lacquer coat-building mind set.
As further evidence of this "think thin" approach I will simply hold up the shellac finish on 200-year-old antiques. Those on which the shellac finish has remained largely intact (and there are many) are those on which the shellac film is quite thin. The ones that have alligatored are those on which the finisher built up a thick shellac film. In using shellac, you increase the amount of resin by mixing a heavier cut, not applying more coats.
That said, I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish. Are you attempting to get more sheen on the surface? Adding shellac on top of paint is putting a less durable finish on top of another. Generally not a good idea.
Thanks for the post that was helpful. Yes, I'm trying to put more shine on it. Also the enamel which was put on about a week ago is still not completely hard. I had something setting on it for a day and it stuck a little when I lifted it off. Does it take a long time for it to "fully" cure? What can I do to get more shine? The semi-gloss was very flat. I'm thinking about getting the glossy version and repainting. How can I remove all of the shellac that I put on? Should I sand it off or use denatured alcohol or what?Thanks for the help! I've been a frustrated newbie.
Paint, be it latex or oil based, takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months to fully cure. Some people may argue with the exact number but I would not paint a bookcase and then place books in it for at least 6 months.
Shellac is a good primer for most finishes, you can apply a new coat of paint right over it.
John W.
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