Shellac

[B. Dudley]

I have worked quite a bit with shellac. It does have its challenges.

I peraonally preferred the commercially available zezners shellac over mixing it from flakes. The zezner is cleaner and easier to work with.

I usually just use a folded up piece of cheese cloth to apply it, lengthwise on the stock. And i keep the cloth in a container of denatured alcohol when i am not using it. Wring it out and use it again when ready.

You want to sand out imperfections after every couple of coats and hit it with steel wool too. Avoiding streaks completely is difficult. But they can be wet sanded out at the end with mineral oil. Then bugg with 0000 steel wool. And that birchwood casey sheen and conditioner works great for bringing the finish back up to a sheen.

The biggest thing is to avoid overworking at the corners and edges. Since the shellac has a color to it. Wearing through on edges will show big time.

Anyone who tells you that shellac is poor for moisture resistence is simply spreading fake news.