Good finish for brass escutcheon plates - will shellac take/hold?

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Hi, This question needs a back story - I usually use inset brass escutcheons, either polished or "antique" finish for darker woods, and my usual shellac (brown button waxy shellac) for my restorations and new builds alike and that is fine over the small amount of metal showing. However, I have just built a jewellery box as a Christmas present for my American daughter-in-law out of American flame maple (name it was sold to me under) and Tasmanian and Queensland Blackwood. It went well until I used the wrong drill bit to cut the hole for the drop in escutcheon. Even though mounted in the drill press, it slipped sideways in the highly figured/uneven texture of the timber. Now, I could fit the escutcheon and then bog-up the small gap, but that goes against the grain especially for the front of the piece of beautifully figured timber.

The box is finished in shellac.

IMG_1048.JPG

So, I bought a small fancy surface mount escutcheon plate from Goods and Chattels. It arrived a bit tarnished so I will polish it up before I fit it. In the past I have used Incralac on larger brass items, but don't have any at the moment.

So, finally, to my question: have members successfully used shellac to get a reliable protective finish on brass escutcheon plates?

David

[ubeaut]

Shellac has been used for ever as a protective coating over brass. Orange (regular) shellac will make the brass go a deeper gold colour. Dewaxed White shellac won't change the colour and will leave it with a beautiful protective coating.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil

[Nanigai]

Really nice looking box David, any chance of a photo with the lid closed? That grain looks pretty special.

You have the answer to your question already from the master so nothing i can add there.
Cheers, Ian

[burraboy]

[QUOTE=Xanthorrhoeas;1829786

In the past I have used Incralac on larger brass items, but don't have any at the moment.

[/QUOTE]

Incralac is good stuff! I wonder from the name if there is any shellac component to the ingredient list. It would be very handy if it came in tins rather than spray cans.

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Shellac has been used for ever as a protective coating over brass. Orange (regular) shellac will make the brass go a deeper gold colour. Dewaxed White shellac won't change the colour and will leave it with a beautiful protective coating.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil

Thanks Neil, that is a great reassurance, as well as being the easiest for me!

Cheers

David

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Really nice looking box David, any chance of a photo with the lid closed? That grain looks pretty special.

You have the answer to your question already from the master so nothing i can add there.
Cheers, Ian

Thanks Ian,

Only have a quick snap at this stage. and just taken quickly and obliquely sitting on my table saw. I will take some more once I have completed it, if you are interested.
IMG_1047.JPG American "Flame Maple" (may really be what they call Curly Maple from reading Fine Woodworking magazine.

I have made a similar box for my daughter out of Huon Pine, which I have yet to finish for Christmas too!
IMG_1051.JPGIMG_1052.JPGIMG_1053.JPG Birds-eye Huon Pine with fiddleback Blackwood base (ply veneered both sides with sequential sheets so as to appear a solid piece).

I like to use spiffy timbers so that my workmanship is not the primary focus!

Regards

David

[Dengue]

Absolutely beautiful. Very "spiffy " timbers indeed - well done David

Out of interest, how did you get the continuous grain going from the lid to the sides - a very wide board to start with?

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Absolutely beautiful. Very "spiffy " timbers indeed - well done David

Out of interest, how did you get the continuous grain going from the lid to the sides - a very wide board to start with?

It was not very wide, and was not rectangular, being wider at one end than the other, but was thick enough for me to bandsaw it into a number of thinner boards with very similar figure, which I then used for the lid (two boards joined) and sides. Because it has such a distinctive fiddleback figure it was not too difficult to line up the figure to the best effect. I have to give credit to the wood, really, as it made it easy for me. That's why I love spiffy timbers (OK only one of the reasons!)
Regards

David

[Nanigai]

Thanks David, it was as I thought, well executed and very nice grain.
The HP version is pretty nice as well, well done and thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Ian