Shellac questions???

[Al Killian]

Helllo, I am ready to try using some shellac on a hutch my wifes wants refinished. There are a few things that im not sure about. First what is the difference between waxed and dewaxed. Second, what brush works best. Several sites say a good brush makes a huge difference. Lastly, where is a good source for the flakes? Thanks in advance for your help.

Al


Updadte: I was planning on using poly over it to seal it.

[David Rose]

Al,

Shellac is a great finish. I brush it some, but mostly pad it on. Natural hair brushes are normally considered better than man made. As I said, I normally pad finish, so I can't really help you much with that. There are several good sources for shellac flakes. For Super Blond, I really like the flakes that Lee Valley offers. They are Behlen's dewaxed. Shellac normally contains wax. The wax will allow more water penetration from both the air and liquid contact. Dewaxed shellac allows more types of top coats and more moisture resistance. I'm not sure how much difference it makes if shellac is the only finish you intend to use. I always use dewaxed.

Padding is simple, relatively fast, and does not necessarily require rubbing out for a smooth, superior finish. Study it and give it a try. You might like it.

Maybe this will help some with your questions. Others can help more.

David

Helllo, I am ready to try using some shellac on a hutch my wifes wants refinished. There are a few things that im not sure about. First what is the difference between waxed and dewaxed. Second, what brush works best. Several sites say a good brush makes a huge difference. Lastly, where is a good source for the flakes? Thanks in advance for your help.

Al

[Eddie Darby]

This is a good web-page for shellac...enjoy.

http://www.hockfinishes.com/

Yes it is from the aftermarket plane blade maker Ron Hock.

[Steve Schoene]

Padding on shellac with tee-shirt material rags works well. I do prefer to use a brush because it builds a bit faster. I've found the best brushes for shellac are watercolor wash brushes with the synthetic bristle Taklon gold. These are very fine and simulate sable. These fine brushes, which don't carry much shellac at a time allow applying very thin coats that don't have brush marks and small overlaps or gaps are insignificant enough that they can be "corrected" in a subsequent application.

Jeff Jewitt carries a good line of shellac flakes at www.homesteadfinishing.com. There is also a lot of information on that site.

Dewaxed shellac is a bit more water resistant and clearer, but its principal advantage is that other finishes will adhere to it better than shellac with wax. (By the way the wax isn't added, it is a natural part of the shellac and must be removed to get dewaxed shellac.) Traditional resin varnish will stick to shellac with wax, but polyurethane and waterborne finishes won't.

[Al Killian]

Hello, I am in need of some information regarding sources, waxed over dewaxed and brush type. My wife has me refinishing a hutch for her and I would like to use some shellac, but need answers before I do. First what is the difference between waxed and dewaxed? Second thing, is a badger brush really need to apply shellac, if so where can I buy one? Where should I be looking to buy shellac? I have looked at Rockler as it is closer than Woodcraft (1 and 15 min. vs. 1and 45 min.) I would like to stay with flake as I can mix a needed. Thanks in advance for your help.
Al

[Bud Zysk]

I'm no expert by any means, but dewaxed is just that. The wax has settled out of it during processing. You need to make sure that if you're going to be using shellac as a sealer between say a stain and a topcoat that the shellac is dewaxed.

I've applied shellac with a paper towel, a clean cotton cloth, a nylon brush and an airbrush before. IMHO, the brush type doesn't make the difference, it's how you apply it. I think I might have put it on with a foam brush once too, but that would have been a while ago.

Also, any reason in particualr that you're wanting to use shellac on a hutch? It's a pretty soft finish for something that the top surfaces may take some abuse (dishes slid across it, liquids spilled, etc). Polyurethane or Waterlox would probably be a more durable choice. But to each his own.

[Russ Massery]

Al, you can buy Dewaxed shellac at most Borg's and Hardware stores. Zinsser sells it under the Seal coat name. I use it as a seal coat under waterborne finishes I use.

[Larry Fox]

www.homesteadfinishing.com for the shellac - hands down the best shellac I have ever used. Disolves very quickly. Trick to putting it on is to put it down and don't fuss with it. Given your questions above I would recommend picking up a copy of either Jeff Jewitt's or Ron Flexner's books on finishing. They each devote auite a few pages to shellac. There is also the forum on homestead.

[Steve Schoene]

Actually shellac is harder than single part polyurethane varnish--but it does scratch more easily. But, when it does scratch, it will take less than an hour, start to finish, to have it back to "good as new". The same damage to a poly finish may be more rare, but when it does happen the repair is likely to be a strip and refinish job. You might use shellac on everything except the one working top, where you could add a couple of coats of a good varnish, such as Behlen Rockhard over shellac.

[Ken Werner]

Like Russ said, the Zinnser seal coat is a really nice and readily available dewaxed shellac. If your now first venturing into shellac, I'd recommend that rather than starting out flakey...
Good luck,
Ken