Shellac Pre-stain conditioner?

[Ian Butler]

I've been using Zinsser's Bulls Eye SealCoat universal sanding sealer for quite some time on projects made from Tas. Oak with fantastic results.

Now I need to slightly stain a project to match another piece of furniture and am unsure of proceeding. Firstly, because the assembled item has been glued with PVA adhesive and there are places where I've not been able to remove some of the squeeze-out. So because of this, staining the bare sanded timber will probably be a problem.

I looked at the Zinsser SealCoat Technical Data sheet and found this...

"SealCoat is ideal for preventing uneven stain penetration over softwoods such as pine. Thin product by adding 3 parts alcohol to 2 parts SealCoat. Apply with a brush or wipe on with a cloth, working with the grain. Do not over apply or re-coat. After 15-minutes, lightly rub with fine synthetic abrasion pad. Apply stain according to manufacturer's directions."

Has anyone had any experience with this method of stain application and what stain base would I use - water-based?

Any and all advice appreciated.

[Ian Butler]

Thanks for those who looked at my thread problem.

Found the answer, well sort of, from the U-Beaut site about their Sanding Sealer side-use as a retarder; what I understand as a pre-stain conditioner.

Similarly, spoke with Cabot's/Feast Watson Tech.Service and was told "No", I couldn't mix a spirit stain with a Shellac product, but lo and behold, I find in the Feast Watson's product brochure ('Timber Finishes and Stains' pp.6) Mastertouch™ Interior White Polish is stated, quote - "White polish may be coloured with up to 10% Prooftint™."

Of course, a spirit-based sanding sealer needs a dissimilar stain base and then so does the final topcoat.

So there you go!

(If I'm wrong, I'd appreciate being shown or explained the error of my findings.)

[ubeaut]

You can use an alcohol stain or universal tint (the stuff in the carousel that they tint paint with) in shellac to colour your work.

You cannot use spirit stain/dye beneath shellac as it will pull out into the finish.

Using colour in the shellac requires a bit of skill and an even hand in the polishing to stop it from appearing to be blotchy and uneven.

Cheers - Neil

PS best bet for future, if you need to stain do the staining as much as possible before gluing up preferably with a water dye. You can mask glue areas or water dye should accept the glue without a problem.