Waterbased finish - horrible mess

[larryh]

I think the furniture doctor book I have suggested french polishing which is basically what that is as put on in that circular motion if I recall right. I will have to give it a try and it does sound interesting an wouldn't be prone to brush marks. Never too old to learn, (I hope).

[gramophoneshane]

Yeah, proper "French polishing" is done with a circular pad that is made from cheese cloth with a big cotton wad inside, and linseed oil is added to the pad, and this is used in a circular motion. The linseed oil mixes with the shellac to give it more body and extend the drying time.
My way is simply replacing the brush with fabric to prevent brush marks & control the flow of shellac better than a brush.

[frenchmarky]

After some more experimenting and practice, I really like using the suggested cloth method on the flat areas. I just use a piece of an old t-shirt. Leaves a much more even, thinner layer with no brushstrokes. I'm sure I'll have to factor in 1 or 2 more coats using this method. If I use a brush and put on too much shellac, it can start to get mottled or rippley as it dries. I use a small brush on all the pieces of long trim on the doors and such though, works good for that. I'm prepping between coats with some superfine steelwool, making sure to get every shiny spot. At this point it is doing the trick vs. sandpaper, and easier to get into every spot especially when dealing with flat areas that aren't perfectly flat. I saw a site that said you didn't really need to prep shellac between coats, but it probably improves the results.

Also I am applying the shellac to everything in a horizontal position, so I don't have to worry about drips or runs in the finish as it dries. Boy I can see where that would be a problem if applying it vertically! I'll just rotate the whole cabinet to each side when I'm done with the doors and lid.

[larryh]

Watch out for that steel wool as it can be easily missed when cleaning and you end up with little pieces of it stuck in the finish. Shellac shouldn't need more than a very light scuffing between coats, you don't have to get rid of the shine. You do that when you have applied all the layer and are ready to polish it and wax it.

To remove the steel wool you might need a good vacuum with brush or better a "tack" rag which you can buy in a paint or hardware store or you can make one for which instructions would surly by online.

I will have to try that cloth and shellac business soon to get a feel for it.. Do you put quite a bit on the rag or how do you determine how much to use to keep it flowing since it dries so quickly? Are you thinning it down? I guess I better check the link later and read up on it.

[Brad]

I would avoid the steel wool as well. I use an extra fine sanding sponge which you can get at home cheapo. Nice and flat allowing you to get into corners and will conform to curved surfaces.

I use the rolled up tee-shirt for all surfaces (flat and trim) and have not had any issues with curtaining on vertical surfaces.

I think you will find what I found, working with shellac is fairly easy and gives good results.

The next method I want to try is spraying shellac with my HVLP gun.

[gramophoneshane]

. I just use a piece of an old t-shirt. Leaves a much more even, thinner layer with no brushstrokes.

If you can find (or even buy) some of the fleesy lined stuff, you'll find it's a lot better. The fleese holds a lot of shellac so you wont be dipping it in the shellac so often, and because it acts like a wick, it releases the shellac as it moves across the surface better too.
Once you get used to it, you can more or less control how much shellac you lay down by the speed at which you pass the rag over the surface. The slower you go, the more shellac it releases.

[frenchmarky]

I've gotten several coats on the whole cabinet and and about ready to put it back together, looks pretty darn good. I switched to a much better brush and that ended up working better on the sides of the cabinet, using very SLOW brushstrokes and loading the brush just right.

QUESTION - what is the best method for rubbing down high spots, like dried drips etc? Example, I had a couple of dime-sized spots that got messed up and I had to re-build up shellac on them so now they are not smooth or level (high spots). Is it just careful use of sandpaper and then one more coat, or is there another way like some kind of special polish or compound - or perhaps just rubbing it with a rag soaked in alcohol? Thanks!

[JohnM]

Here's a great article on French polishing. It is specific to guitars, but may be applied to furniture as well.

http://www.milburnguitars.com/frenchpolish.html

[martinola]

With regard to flattening-out high spots, I've had success using wet/dry sandpaper. If you aren't doing any more coats, then you want to finish up with a finer grit like 450 to 600. Use it dry in this case, because you don't want moisture migrating under your finish. Once you have built-up the finish to where you want it, then you'll want to smooth out the entire surface with the wet/dry sandpaper. The next step is where you polish it with rottenstone. I admit that I frequently use white auto body polish, which is more readily available, but I have to work harder after removing white debris in corners, so rottenstone is the better choice. After that; wax and enjoy.

One really important aspect in all of this is to wait for the shellac to harden up properly before trying to sand or polish. Obviously, thick spots will take more time to dry. If the cabinet is in a heated environment, I'd let it cure a week or more at least before trying it. If you start and you find you've hit a gooey patch, that's a good time to walk away and let it harden some more. Another thing to be careful of is not putting anything on the cabinet after it's finished for at least a couple of months. Good luck with your project. It sounds like you are well on your way on this and I commend you for sticking with it.

Martin

[frenchmarky]

Thanks, I have completed the shellac-ing and will give it a week before I address those little glitches with your wet sandpaper etc. idea, sounds good.

Definitely am much more confident using shellac in the future, after I got the hang of going really slow with the brushstrokes and dialing in the amount of shellac on the brush. Gives the brush time to drain out the shellac as it moves along.

I'll post a pic in about a week after it fully cures and I reattach the lid and the four doors. I'll also do the extra-fine steelwool trick then to satin-ize the finish a bit so it is more correct looking. Yeah you can tell it isn't a professional job but pretty darn good for a first total refinish, I'm happy with it : )