shellac finish

[Jerry B]

Need some help and options.

This is the first time I have use shellac and thus far, I have failed to achieve the results I want. I tried to rub out the finish, using a pad with shellac, little bit of denatured alcohol, resulting in what looks like the complete removal of the shellac. Thinking that I used too much alcohol I made a new pad. I put shellac and just a touch of alcohol with about the same result. This was on a test piece. The actual pieces have 3 coats of shellac that was applied using cloth (no pad). You can see lines similar to brush strokes.

Can I wet sand the shellac with 1500-2000 grit to level the finish and achieve a high gloss?

Options??

Thanks,

Jerry

[dwacker]

What you doing is padding the shellac, it takes practice. What id do is take an old t shirt and cut it up into strips. Wad the strips into a ball then wrap in a square piece of t shirt material and rubber band it together, sort of like a candy wrapper. I soak the pad in shellac and rub on thin coats. With shellac each coat is going to soften the previous coat so pressure is the trick here. The idea is to keep the pad wet enough to glide on the surface but dry enough not to flood the surface. It take a light touch so keep practicing.

Don

[kep1019]

To add to what Don said and clarify something you mentioned above..... You dont want to add alcohol to the PAD at first, you mix your shellac with alcohol to the cut you desire then soak the ball pad that Don describes above. then wrap the dry cloth around that. The inside does not need to be soaking wet just enough to hold shellace and let it bleed through the dry cloth. then as the pad gets harder to work apply a drop of baby oil to it. No much again......For high gloss you need to proe fill first with pumise powder and shellac. then body then clarify with more alcohol than shellac on the pad.

If you want a quicker process try spraying the shellac from a can if your project isnt to large and wet sand with 1000 and higher grit working to automotive polishing compounds.

A lot to doing what you are and it is french polishing. the easiest way to see it done is get the FW finishing DVD by Jeff Jewitt or at least his book, I was able to find it in my public library. He covers all the above in detail.