Shellac Finish - Have I finished

[Christos]

I have been working on a piece for a little while now. Just a little slow for my woodworking. I did some test pieces finish and came to the decision to use Shellac as the base coat. I did is as a wipe on, wipe off finish and applied two coats.

I was going to now swap to an oil based Gloss Clear Estapol to give it a shine. What do people think about this option? Should I continue on with the Shellac? should I put on a wax finish for the final coat.

Should I continue with the wipe on wipe off option?

Just to say something about this. This is the smoothest piece of wood working that I have created. When I put on something that has a shine it comes back with a bit of dust embedded.

[kekemo]

Hi Christos...
...firstly you only mentioned you have done a 'piece'.... not knowing what type of piece I can only give my opinion base on the piece being "furniture"....
I absolutely LOVE SHELLAC...

Sometimes I wipe / sometimes I apply with brush... definitely two sometimes three/four coats... depending on the type of wood & the colour finish you prefer.... between each coat I sand back with 800 grip... then final finish 1200 grit(using random orbital FESTO...best sander EVER!!!)... SWEET HEART you will have SHINE>>>>>>>>>
LOVE my finishing.... LOVE SHELLAC...
Sorry just a little carried away there...LOL
Have no idea if using for turning or other applications...
Everyones taste are different & that's the beauty of UBEAUT.... we can all be right & all be wrong....LOL... but its experience that counts..... give it a shot one way ... then make something else & try another way...
But while we're all doing some type of woodwork ... we're HAPPY!!!!

[Christos]

Sorry I forgot to mention the item. It is a lamp. Very very simple design.

The wood I am using I have no idea what it is. It is from Italy as that is where the original item was made.

I posted a question here but never got round to posting another picture of the end grain after been cut.

Just too late in the day to take a day time picture and the ones with a flash make the wood too white.

[IanW]

Christos, I use Shellac quite a bit, but wouldn't pretend to be an expert. I find the result really depends on the wood. Some woods are made for shellac, while others just don't get that superb glow no matter how carefully I do it. I sometimes brush coat, but normally only for initial build-up, then switch to the old-fashioned rubber & endless rubbing until the elbow aches.

The Cedar sideboard shows what I reckon is a shellac finish at its best - it's a relatively coarse timber, yet it finishes so easily & so perfectly - no wonder the oldtimers liked it. The little box of Silky Oak, Blackwood (top) & sheoak (drawer pull) is ok, but the finish just doesn't make the wood leap out the way it does on the cedar, yet I probably put more effort into the box! You just have to suck it & see......

For turned items I'm addicted to Shellawax - it's so easy to apply & on the right woods, also gives a superb finish. The "Box Elder" (Acer nigundo) burl lamp has responded very well. It surprises me how durable Shellawax is, too - the lamp has been in use now for many years & still looks good. I also use it on tool handles a lot, & it stands up to years of use on plane handles etc. I only apply 2 to 4 coats, then wax.

I use wax very sparingly on French-polished furniture items- unless it is very carefully done you can get a mucky buildup that takes that rich glow out of it. The best maintenance I've found is to wipe any dust off & rub vigorously with a soft paper towel - keeps that lovely shine.
Cheers,

[Christos]

After some procrastination I have decided to continue with another two coats of shellac. This is the first lamp that I am intending to make and so it sort of is a prototype.

Hoping to finish by the middle of next week but that always depends of work.

[jane123]

Hi Christos

I too LOVE shellac. I have just finished a three piece English oak lounge suite and it looks WONDERFUL. I stripped the old finish and then sanded back to 400 grit and then applied a sanding sealer coat of dewaxed white shellac (U Beaut Brand). I applied the sanding sealing (1:6 dilution) and subsequent two coats (1:4 dilution) with a brush. I then used quadruple 0 wet and dry sand paper to rub a dark wax in. I am extremely happy with the finish. After the application of the dewaxed white shellac the finish was very shiny. After I applied the wax it was a silky smooth matt but somehow glossy finish. I will post photos shortly if you are interested.

[Christos]

Yeah I am interested.

Please post picture when you have the time?

Thank you