SHELLAC - sanding out finish ????

[Conase]

I just refinished an old bureau with shellac.

Turned out MUCH better than expected with a new cheapo HF HVLP sprayer. Finish is a little rough since it was done outdoors.

Can SHELLAC be finished with wet/dry sanding, steel wool, pumice, and/or rotten stone and compound like OTHER furniture finishes ???

Suggestions on how long to wait before using the above ?

When done "sanding", I assume PASTE WAX will restore the shine.

TIA

[Gregory McGuire]

hi conase,

I saw a educational video on pbs and they were finishing ocean liner guest rooms with 12 coats of shellac (light sanding between coats) and then wet sanding and then to finish off with some kind of liquid polish -with a random orbital buffer. It looked like a deep and clear finish when done.

To add to that I just refinished a piece of furniture with 2 coats of shellac and 3 coats of varnish and then wetsanded with 1200 wet dry paper and the finish is really nice and smooth. (just the top not the sides and legs)

[patriarch]

[e-mail] (Conase) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Have you seen the recent thread regarding one Paully Rad?

I never had the pleasure of meeting the man in person, but every time I use shellac, I think of him, and a trumpet player from SoCal.

This was one of his recurring lessons which he shared with the community. It continues to be available through Google.

[e-mail]%20&lr=&num=20&hl=en

Watch the wrap.

Everything I know about shellac wouldn't begin to fill the next half an hour you can spend with the results of that search.

Patriarch

[Preston Andreas]

Check out

for some good information on rubbing out a finish. Supplies are also offered at Homestead Finishing if you need them. BTW, Jeff Jewitt suggests waiting a week for shellac before rubbing it out. Shellac is a great finish to rub out. I have only done a little with shellac, but the results are wonderful. The same techniques for lacquer work for shellac. If you use automotive products on the shellac, make sure you test first to make sure it doesn't soften the shellac. Of course, rubbing out using traditional methods work fine.

[Mike Pio]

I recently rebuilt my staircase and curved it. I made the handrails from solid maple and finished it with ebony stain and shellac. I applied 8 coats, waited a week, sanded it smooth with 320. Then I applied another 8 coats over the smoothed surface, waited 2 weeks and resanded with 320, then

600, then 1500, then pumice, then rottenstone. I spent 14 hours rubbing the finish, but you can see your eye color in the mirror-like reflection. The results were very well worth the effort.

One note: I tried both using paraffin oil to do the rubbing and water. The water worked better because it was less messy and cut faster. I would suggest starting with the oil first to get the feel of it. Also, cheesecloth seemed to be the best to use during the pumice and rottenstone phase.

BTW, I followed the advice on the thread the Preston Andreas cited.

-m