Hard shellac question

[Harry R]

I'm thinking of finishing a cot I'm building with some hard shellac I bought at the Sydney WWW show. The fact sheet recommends a coat of normal shellac under the hard shellac. I read somewhere that a base coat of a weaker finish under a hard finish will weaken the hard finish. Won't this happen with the hard shellac?

[ubeaut]

Just use the hard shellac straight onto the timber - No base coat.

[GC]

but the book said......

even on raw timber???


GC

[chrisb691]

but the book said......

even on raw timber???


GC

Never argue with 'THE MAN' ;)

[RufflyRustic]

Hi GC, UBeaut knows what he says, trust him. We do. OK, I do - trust him that is.

sigh, now to make way for my other foot in my mouth....:rolleyes:

Harry R - what do you mean by normal shellac? If you mean anything non-Ubeaut, my suggestion is don't, mix them that is.

I am a HUGE fan of UBeaut's shellac, Hard, White and the Sanding Sealer because it works and works really well, every single time.

Applying Hard shellac - I applied it straight out of the bottle once and made a right royal mess:( . I've found my personal preference is to dilute the hard shellac with pure metho. Now, my UBeaut shellac finishes are much easier to apply and look heaps better for it too.

Good luck!

Cheers
Wendy

[Iain]

Applying Hard shellac - I applied it straight out of the bottle once and made a right royal mess
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Been there, done that, bit like working with treacle on a cold day, I now dilute 5:1 with 100% meths, some may disagree with this but thats the way I like to do it, albeit with several coats.

[GC]

Iain,

how many coats of your diluted mix do you put on?


GC

[Iain]

Depends upon the job, generally 4-6 applied with a cloth, depending upon the temp, about 15-30 minutes between coats then rub in EEE paste.
Aaaahhhh glasshopper, polish on, polish off.
This will give you a smooth finish and ready for Trad Wax.
Of course you can apply like French Polish but that is hard work.

[Harry R]

Harry R - what do you mean by normal shellac? If you mean anything non-Ubeaut, my suggestion is don't, mix them that is.

I am a HUGE fan of UBeaut's shellac, Hard, White and the Sanding Sealer because it works and works really well, every single time.

Applying Hard shellac - I applied it straight out of the bottle once and made a right royal mess:( . I've found my personal preference is to dilute the hard shellac with pure metho. Now, my UBeaut shellac finishes are much easier to apply and look heaps better for it too.

Good luck!

Cheers
Wendy

Wendy

I was referring to the conventional shellac (non-hard shellac). I'm a big believer in supporting local products so I don't intend to mix brands, apart from the fact that I've had some less than successful experiences with using paint/finishing products from different manufacturers in the past. Thanks for the tip on diluting the shellac with pure meth. Is pure meth different to the methylated spirits you can get at your run-of-the-mill hardware stores?

I have to say, I've read quite a bit on finishing (including Neil's book), but the tips on this website are a great help for a novice like myself:)

[GC]

ok thanks,

the french polishing numerous coats is what i'm trying to avoid.

debating minwax wipe on poly or hard shellac at moment for a wall unit


GC

[GC]

and i agree with Harry's comments about the tips,

[Iain]

100% meths is 100% meths, the other contains 5% or more water which does wonders for a finish (you could call it an individual look, if you like blotches).
For the purpose of application shellac and hard shellac is the same, the finish is the difference with hard shellac being very hard and durable.

[RufflyRustic]

As Iain said, there is a BIG difference in using standard metho and pure metho. I generally apply between 3-5 coats, then EEE and then Trad. Wax, buffing with a swansdown mop.

Just out of interest, I once - albeit accidentally - used pure turps in white shellac. I think the saving grace there was that the turps was pure. The only reason I figured out what I'd done, was because the brush dried hard and wouldn't clean out, even though it was soaking - yep, soaking in turps :rolleyes:

cheers
Wendy

[Harry R]

Thanks to all for your advice:) I reckon collating all the snippets of information in these threads would make a damn useful book or two.

[RufflyRustic]

I wonder if UBeaut is considering a new edition in the near future????

cheers
Wendy

[Auld Bassoon]

I've a suspicion that Neil's book is the source of many of the snippets discussed here. His seminal work really is the foundation stone for any finisher. Even cack-handed ones such as myself :(