Hello and a quesdtion about shellac and linseed oil.

[James McPhail]

Hi Folks,
I ended up here after surfing for general answers to my question.
I am making birch log candle holders. I have made some in the past and want to step them up a notch. What I have are about 50 or so white birch logs that are 2" - 4" in diameter and 3" - 6" tall. They are spalted very nicely and not too punky, still good and solid. I already cut the logs into holder size chunks.
My question is what to do after drilling and sanding. I have done some reaserch and purchased boiled linseed oil and de-waxed shellac. Now, do I put the oil on first (and whats the best method) or shellac first (best method?) or one or the other or what combination?
I stopped into the woodworker store and was told shellac first then oil and buff out. Then I stopped into another custome lumber yard and was told oil first then shellac and buff. The web has given me several more answers.
Pre-X-mas I sanded a few and sprayed with a polyurathane gloss and they are so porous that after 6 coats of soaking it up I just barley put a good shine on them when I emptied the can.
I need to seal the wood so a finish will stick. Right?
Well, you're the masters so I will follow your lead.
I also want to make some knife scales out of a couple for a good Helle style knife.

Thank You

[David B. Morris]

The usual method is oil first, then shellac. The latter dries to a hard film, so any oil put on top of it would not penetrate the wood very well. I suggest a light coat of oil, rub it out, let it cure 24 hours, then proceed with two or three coats of padded-on shellac. I use this method recently on a small walnut casework piece and was very happy with the result.

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[Wade Lippman]

Spalted wood will absorb an incredible amount of oil. Try it first with just shellac and see how you like that.
I happen to prefer it with oil, but some people don't.

[Jim Becker]

Welcome to SMC! BTW, I moved this thread here from General Woodworking...this is a fast moving forum site and we try to stay organized so that topics are easier to find.

Jim
SMC Moderator
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Relative to what Wade mentions, it's a best practice to always, always test your finishing regimen on scraps of your project material before committing to the "real deal". You should lightly apply some oil to a representative piece of scrap and then put shellac over it after it's cured a bit to see what it will look like. Do the same with just the shellac. Select the version you like the best for your actual project.

[James McPhail]

Thanks guys..
I think this spalted Birch is like a sponge. I have several wafer sized scraps I cut for testing purposes.
On one I oiled a few coats first and rubbed out then shellac. Then a couple with shellac first. I don't see a big difference. I think I need to sand more (finer grit) first and add more coats. The grain and spalting really pop beautifully on all of them but not much shine at the end..
Do I sand between shellac coats? Steel wool? Do I put the oil on thick with a foam brush or just rub several thin coats into the bare wood?
Thanks for any answers.

[Scott Holmes]

If they look the same why not skip the oil step altogether? Shellac will soak in and seal the wood. Shellac is colorfast and will never yellow. I would suggest a 2# or 3# cut. Zinsser shellac available at the big box stores comes de-waxed and also with the wax still in the shellac. The shellac with the wax will fill the pours a bit quicker. Zinsser Seal Coat is de-waxed Zinsser Clear still has the wax. Shellac is not varnish (poly is varnish) it should not be built up to a thick coat.

NO steel wool between coats; you will leave shards of steel wool behind and they will RUST.
#

[roger wiegand]

NO steel wool between coats; you will leave shards of steel wool behind and they will RUST.
#

With oil-base finishes or shellac? I've been using steel wool between coats for 40 years now and have never seen this problem. I have seen it with water-based finishes when I wasn't as careful as I should have been about cleanup, but even then it's seldom an issue.

[Mike Tagge]

My question is what to do after drilling and sanding. I have done some reaserch and purchased boiled linseed oil and de-waxed shellac. Now, do I put the oil on first (and whats the best method) or shellac first (best method?) or one or the other or what combination? I stopped into the woodworker store and was told shellac first then oil and buff out. Then I stopped into another custome lumber yard and was told oil first then shellac and buff. The web has given me several more answers.

Oil is first as the shellac will seal the grain. Shellac itself will not give you any "pop" because it does not penetrate into the wood fibers.

Pre-X-mas I sanded a few and sprayed with a polyurathane gloss and they are so porous that after 6 coats of soaking it up I just barley put a good shine on them when I emptied the can.

Are you spraying from a spray can? That's a really expensive way to go and has a lot of thinners versus actual polyurethane. I would wipe or brush from a can.

I need to seal the wood so a finish will stick. Right?

No. Sealing the wood has little to do with finish adhesion in this case. The reasons you seal the wood are to lock in colors such as when using a dye, to promote an even staining prior to using a oil stain, or to lock out odor or oils prior to applying a topcoat for high oil content woods like rosewood. Sealing using a sanding sealer can also help to fill small pores for a glass smooth finish. Most of the time, the adhesion to bare wood is better than to a sealer.

So what I would recommend you do is thin your linseed oil with some mineral spirits 1:1 and apply liberally with a brush. Let it soak for 30 min and wipe off excess. If it acts like a sponge, repeat until that stops. When you are at this stage, you should notice a very slight sheen. Stop with the linseed oil and let it sit for about a week unless pore filling. You may then start building your film finish. If you have pores left, you can go the shellac route or you can try a pore filler. If the shellac route, get some pumice or rottenstone (pumice for light woods and rottenstone for dark) and use some of that linseed oil on a rag. You need to push the grit into the pores until the surface is smooth. Then let dry for a week. You can now apply your shellac via a pad or brushing. I personally love applying shellac with a pad although with this route you could also pad a diluted polyurethane as well.

I hope this helps.

[Jerry Olexa]

My regimen is BLO first, let it soak in and "cure"..Then pad on your dewaxed shellac. Several applications..Then topcoat if you wish w a topcoat of your choice..
Remember, shellac is a sealer so oil later would not be wise IMHO.