One shot shellac finish

[Pete J]

I was at the Perth Wood show on the weekend and saw most of a demo on a shellac finish - all in the one application. The idea is that one can keep bulking up the shellac finish by continuing to add shellac to the rubber and working up the finish coat all in the one go. No delays - no waiting for previous coats to dry.

In order to stop tearing out the finish when the existing coat 'grabs', use a few drops of oil to ease the way. The oil is applied by dipping the end of a finger into the oil (baby oil is fine apparently) and flicking a few small drops onto the surface being finished - and then continuing on with circular motions to keep filling the grain and the occasional 'straightening rub' lightly with the grain. The oil stops the grabbing of the drying shellac.

Final finish rubbing is cut half and half meths and shellac.

The argument goes that to remove the oil which will cause a bloom on the finish, one applies (with very light strokes) pure meths on the rubber in line with the grain.

Check for residual oil by breathing on the surface which, if the mark is retained, shows that oil remains in the finish. If oil remains, lightly apply meths on the rubber as before, with the grain. Try with your breath close to the finish again and if it leaves no mark after a second or three, then it needs no further work - if a mark is left, repeat the light 'meths only' rub - very gently.

I haven't yet tried this.

Is this a serious finishers technique? IE, have you tried it and doesit work for the weekend warriors?

Regards

[Ausworkshop]

Sounds good
If it works or not is yet to be tried I guess.
I'd love to have an easy one shot method for shellac.
Anyone tried this?

[thumbsucker]

This is just a traditional French Polish method.

[ubeaut]

Sounds like it came straight from the pages of this little publication "A Polishers Handbook" sounds better the way you explained it than what it really is.

Doing it in one hit like that is almost impossible. It is very quick and pretty easy to do once you have the technique down pat but definitely needs a few days, even if it is only for a matter of minutes at a time.

Doing it in one hit the polish would be too green to finish off properly and it would sink into the surface after a week and look pretty ordinary unless there had been some pretty good preparation and grain filling etc prior to beginning the process.

The finish isn't bulked up so much as applied and burnished with continual rubbing leaving a super thin finish which has amazing depth and clarity. It all sounds and looks good in a demo.

I can show you a similar thing in a 2 minute demo that will knock your eyes out. But as far as a finish goes, it's completely useless. Makes for a great demo though and if used as a base to build your polish on it is excellent.

As thumbsucker said it's just a traditional French Polishing method, only it sounds like they left out all the important bits.

Cheers - Neil

[Ausworkshop]

Oh well, looks like I will have to continue to explain to my customers why they have to wait yet another 3 days after I finish their job, just to apply the finish.
If only people knew how much time and effort was put into working with wood then perhaps they would understand the value in handcrafted items a little better.
Sorry to ramble, just venting my current frustrations

I recently ordered some more wax, eee polish and a swan mop from ubeaut, (came from Carols) I was going to get the polishers guide but I'm not sure if it was on the price list/order page? I saw it somewhere. Oh well I will look for it next time, maybe Ive gone blind.

Finish used for my products
At the moment I'm doing 2 coats of Cabots Danish Oil (light sand between) followed by hand rubbed traditional wax.
Im about to start trying the eee polish with the swan mop in the bench grinder as well before i use the wax.

I think this is probably the quickest easiest method I have found that works for me. I've tried Rustins which is great because it doesn't go off in the tin however I found it dries out in the wood over time because of the lack of poly so switched back to Cabots and only buy small tins so I can use it ALL before going off.

Any expert advice or am I doing ok?
What other brand Danish Oils have Poly?
Can you mix up your own?
I want to get into using shellac but I'm lazy, if its easier & quicker than what I am doing or brings a better result then I may have to make the change.

Great products by the way Neil, I wish I found them years ago.

[Pete J]

It all sounds and looks good in a demo.

I can show you a similar thing in a 2 minute demo that will knock your eyes out. But as far as a finish goes, it's completely useless. Makes for a great demo though and if used as a base to build your polish on it is excellent.

Neil - As you say it looks and sounds good in a demo. I have looked at your handbook and there are substantial similarities. The demonstrator however was undoubtedly making the claim that it was a one-shot finish.

Thanks for your advice Neil.

Regards

[MacS]

It may look and sound good, because in most cases the demo is done on a flat surface that is not to big, and in most cases a closed grain wood is used.

Once you get around to working on a night table, or other pieces of furniture, and you need to polish into corners, carvings, molding, and other things that are not flat, then the rules change, things get touchy, and now your own your own.

What will you do, when you need to polish a big ornate bed room set, its not like polshing that small piece of timber like the salesman polished out at the demo.

[kiwigeo]

Take along a guitar to the next demo....one with the bridge glued on.

[RufflyRustic]

Take along a guitar to the next demo....one with the bridge glued on.

That would test them