Shellac issues??

[DaveO]

I am finishing a cabinet made of spalted wood with blond shellac. I am finding that the shellac is soaking into the more spalted areas at a greater rate than the lesser spalted areas. I am getting a great build on the more solid areas, but still have after (5 coats) dull areas where the wood is less solid. I keep sanding down the build in hopes that the areas that are still absorbing the shellac will eventually fill up and begin to build. This is getting a little tedious :roll: Is there anything that I can to to better seal the areas that are still absorbing the shellac so I can start to build a finish??? I am using a 2# cut if that makes any difference.

Dave

 

[ChrisMathes]

Dave,
I don't have an answer for you, but am curious if you used any oil (oil/varnish, wiping varnish) as a base before you used the shellac? I'm just wondering if that would have helped you to start building sooner as the oil would theoretically prevent the wood from absorbing additional liquid.

chris

 

[nelsone]

Have you tried a heavier cut? I'm guessing, I have very little experience with shellac.

 

[DaveO]

Dave,
I don't have an answer for you, but am curious if you used any oil (oil/varnish, wiping varnish) as a base before you used the shellac? I'm just wondering if that would have helped you to start building sooner as the oil would theoretically prevent the wood from absorbing additional liquid.

chris

Chris, that is a good point. I bet it would have helped. The main reason that I am using shellac is that this piece might end up painted 8-O. It might be a little too wild of wood for my folks to handle, but I wanted to present it in the best light possible. I figured that shellac wouldn't affect their potential painted finish, but if I used it as a barrier coat over a wiping varnish, it would serve the same purpose. I wish I had thought of that before I started this shellacking marathon :eusa_doh:

Dave

 

[DaveO]

Have you tried a heavier cut? I'm guessing, I have very little experience with shellac.

Ed, I haven't. I am using Zinnsers Sealcoat right out of the can. A heavier cut probably would help also, with more solids (greater shellac to alkyhol ratio).

Dave

 

[ChrisMathes]

Well...it sure is easy to look at it now and say you should have done that, isn't it!?! haha... who would have thought that the wood would drink the shellac like it's water Good luck. I guess, given that it will be painted and you are not too concerned with the look of the finish, you could always see if the wood would take some oil now and then layer more shellac over the top???:eusa_thin

Chris, that is a good point. I bet it would have helped. The main reason that I am using shellac is that this piece might end up painted 8-O. It might be a little too wild of wood for my folks to handle, but I wanted to present it in the best light possible. I figured that shellac wouldn't affect their potential painted finish, but if I used it as a barrier coat over a wiping varnish, it would serve the same purpose. I wish I had thought of that before I started this shellacking marathon :eusa_doh:

Dave

 

[tmerrill]

Hi Dave,
I use a lot of shellac, but haven't found myself in the situation you are in. But after thinking about it, three ideas come to mind:

Apply multiple heavy coats only to the areas where it is soaking in. You will be able to even out the surface later by hand sanding. Don't be afraid to lay down heavy coats.

Sand the surface until smooth and then use Deft Lacquer Sanding Sealer on it. You should be able to get it at Lowes, Woodcraft or better hardware stores. After one or two coats you should be able to continue with the shellac.

Try applying the shellac using a pad - similar to a french polish finish - until the entire surface is sealed.

Hope this helps,

Tim

 

[mkepke]

My thoughts are pretty close to Tim. The punky areas are very porous, so the wood just drinks it up. A heavier cut of shellac will reduce the pentration and expedite the build.

Since you are using a pre-mix, I suppose you could measure out a quantity into an open container, and monitor the alcohol evaporation until you get to a heavier cut.

Lastly, since shellac is supposedly compatible with (almost) everything, you could consolidate the punky areas with epoxy and go back to the shellac routine after that.

-Mark

 

[sediener]

Just saw the Woodworks episode on dealing with imperfect wood. He used CA glue to stabilize punky areas. Not sure if that would help here depending on how much punkyness there is but just an idea.

- Steve

 

[jeff...]

Dave you might could have tried some heavy bonded sanding sealer that should seal it up and make for a smooth as a babies butt seal coat.

Thanks