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Recent Bios FAQ

269956 "Joseph Sullivan" <joe@j...> 2020‑02‑20 Re: Advice needed
SNIP
I was planning on using one pound cut clear shellac as a sealer and them apply a
jell stain to at least achieve a light or moderate redish brown.  I planned to
apply Shellac to fight the blotchiness I sometimes see in stained pine.  Then I
started thinking (always dangerous), after seeing some doors others had simply
applied clear polyurethane on.  What kind of color or stain might I expect to
see if I applied 2 pound cut (Bullseye) amber shellac??  Locally, getting the
garnet or other darker shellac is not that easy.

END SNIP

I have used quite a few gallons of shellac on furniture and construction.  With
some woods like pine, you must seal first of you WILL get a blotchy result.  The
easiest approach is to use ZInsser Seal Coat, which is a super blond dewaxed
pre-mix designed for the purpose.  You can go over that with your stains or your
poly.  Do not cut regular Zinsser Amber for use as a seal cost, as it has wax
and may cause adherence problems for subsequent layers of non-shellac finish.

It is not hard to mix amber or ruby shellac or any other color you want.  Just
order the flakes and get a high-quality solvent.  Denatured Alcohol s the most
usual, but for best results try to get a DNA that has very low water content.
That can take some looking.  Avoid paying up for the expensive branded solvents.
They are quite good, but not good enough to make up for the cost.  If you do use
a darker shellac, you will get some shade of amber.  You will not have enough
film thickness to make the door look like the flakes.

Also be aware that use of darker shellac straight over pine can cause blotching.
To avoid that, use the same blond sealer that you would use for poly.

If you use straight shellac outdoors with no varnish topcoat, over time you will
get white water marks.

I

Recent Bios FAQ