Using Shellac on Vic Ash

[Geoff123]

I made up two toys for the G'kids today. One was a rain deer out of Vic Ash, the other a whale out of NZ Kari. Being destined for baby mouths, (the Gc's are 6 and 10 months old) I checked the forums for the best finish. Decided that shellac was the best way to go, and applied first coat with a rag to both toys. All ok, but when I applied a second coat using steel wool,,, whooo. The kari was fine, but the Vic Ash discoloured to a nasty black colour on all the end grains.

Since sanded back and have applied a Raganoil natural wax to the rain deer (Vic Ash). it looks great.

I have put this one down to experience. But here is the question. Do I hand over the rain deer with rganoil wax finish to the Gc's for chewing on, or leave it on the shelf for viewing only until they are less orally inclined?
Cheers G.

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[Darklord]

What. Why would you apply shellac with steel wool? That would be about the worst thing you could ever apply shellac with. You might just as well have applied it with sandpaper or a wire brush.

Darky

[Geoff123]

Hi Darky,
The metho in the shellac mix raised the grain in the vic ash making the surface very rough. I have often applied a final coat of scandenavian or danish oil using steel wool to good effect. Cheers G.

[jimbur]

All I can think of is that the grain wasn't sealed or you unsealed it. Water plus iron/steel and eucalyts will give you a nice dark stain. Just try leaving a damp nail overnight on a piece of scrap Vic Ash and see if you get the same effect.
Cheers,
Jim

[ubeaut]

Decided that shellac was the best way to go, and applied first coat with a rag to both toys. All ok, but when I applied a second coat using steel wool,,, whooo.

As Darky said applying shellac with steel wool is an absolute no-no.

Some timbers are tannin rich and will react badly to steel wool. Vic Ash is one of those timbers. That aside, using steel wool to apply shellac is something that should never be done. Apart from the fact it will give you a really cruddy finish. The steel wool also breaks down and and deposits minute pieces of metal in the finish. These will not only react with tannin in the timber and leave brown or black spots in the finish, but will also reacts with the shellac. If you leave any metal in contact with shellac it will corrode very quickly and darken the shellac to deep brown and eventually almost a jet black.

You also need to be very careful applying Dainish, etc with steel wool as the again the tannin rich timber can cause a problem but you also need to dispose of the s/wool in an air tight container or soaked in water as it can spontaneously combust and cause burns or worse burn down your shed.

Steel wool on fire is also very hard to extinguish. Needs to be immersed in water to put it out.

Danish oil should really be applied onto raw timber as part of the way it works it to polymerise in the timber. Applying it over a base of shellac or sanding sealer isn't the best way to use it and may actually lead to problems in the finish down the track.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil

[Geoff123]

Hi Darky, Jim, Neil,
thanks for the taking the time for some great indepth feedback. It all makes good sense now. I'm glad I discovered this potential problem before using the same method on the dog hiding in the cactus. He would have been much harder to clean up. Cheers Geoff.