How to......shellac

[ocwmb]

Hi,

I'm restoring an old 1920s oak sideboard with walnut (?) veneer. I've never used shellac before and am looking for a good reference on the web to get me going. There appears to be a bit available, but I haven't yet found one that gives good detailed direction. Any hints you can provide would be most useful.

Thanks

[Bob38S]

G'day ocwmb and welcome to the forum.

I have found the forum sponsor's book to very good.

https://secure.cyanide.com.au/ubeaut/order2.html

A Polishers Handbook - by Neil Ellis

$30.50 plus postage Plus GST in Australia

A mouse click on the Ubeaut logo on these pages will get you to the order page or click the link above. It may not appear to be cheap but in reality I have found it to be money well spent - I purchased mine after it was recommended to me by another forum member - another big advantage for me is that the book's spine is such that it will lie flat on the bench so I can refer to it without it closing of its own accord.

No affiliation with the company just a user of the products.

Hope it helps, regards,
Bob

[son_of_bluegras]

There is a free ebook on Project Gutenberg on french polishing I like. It contains a lot of information on other ways to finish wood as well.

French Polishing and Enamelling by Richard Bitmead - Project Gutenberg

[Horsecroft88]

There is a free ebook on Project Gutenberg on french polishing I like. It contains a lot of information on other ways to finish wood as well.

French Polishing and Enamelling by Richard Bitmead - Project Gutenberg

All great references for sure. Ditto, check out Youtube for a range of videos on how to shellac finish wooden furniture. It is not hard to do, is a really forgiving finish and the results really can be most pleasing.

Other info is also readily available here on the forum under either the finishing and/or restoration threads. I have posted plenty of practical information on how to use shellac, as has a range of other people. By all means have a look at my thread on various projects I have been working on (help needed for projects), or Lawry's one re restoring an oak table etc etc.

The one thing I can suggest straight up to try to help you is that, if the oak sideboard you want to re-finish has an old shellac finish which has gone off (dry, flaky, scratched, dull) etc the first thing you are going to need to do is remove it entirely, for in re-applying with new shellac without doing this, it will react badly, and you are likely to encounter a range of problems in finishing it.

So best off using metho and coarse grade steel wool to clean it off, wiping off excess with clean rags, or and this might sound a little harsher to use paint stripper and coarse steel wool (same effect just faster). The only thing here if you want to go that way is perhaps to try it out on a small area, one perhaps not so readily visible to ensure this doesn't cause any issues re dark staining the timbers.

The one thing you should never do and especially if it has a vaneer finish over the wood carcass is to use belt sanders, or orbital sanders etc as they will damage the vaneer. Even using coarse grade sandpapers on this could cause you a lot of problems with scratches etc.

Sing out if you need some more ideas re this and of course post some pictures if possible as this can help generate further info/help from forum members for you. Cheers and all the best with the project, Dave

[Pup]

Hi ocwmb,

One thing you definitely want to watch out for when applying Shellac in this weather is the heat! if it is to hot then the shellac will flash off too fast for you to be able to apply it properly. I've been up since 5am applying shellac to a douglas fir bookshelf I made to try and beat the heat.

I've also just finished giving my workbench a nice new thick coat of shellac, although that wasn't entirely by choice if you catch my drift

[ocwmb]

Thanks to all who responded. I'll follow up on your good advice.