I am applying the finish to a hall table I built out of mahagony. I stained it with water-based stain and sprayed with Zinsser SealCoat (unwwaxed) shellac (in the spray can) to seal the stain, then applied Crystalac clear grain filler.

I am now padding on the same shellac (from a can of course) and am getting edges along some of the overlap strokes of the pad. Most noticeable on the top of course. I also sometimes get some "fat edge" on sharp corners.

I love the color and grain I am getting and am going to keep the shellac as the final finish.

At this stage, what is the best way to avoid the overlap edges and the fat edges.

I have seen butanol suggested as a retarder. Does that eliminate one or both types of edges? And if so, where can I buy it?

Thanks