need help finding a good brush for shellac

[dan sherman]

I have been trying to get as feel for applying SealCoat with a brush, and I'm convinced my problem is the brush. The can says to use a natural bristle brush, but lets face it not all brushes are created equal.

If possible I would like to buy my brushes locally so that means I have Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, Farm & Fleet, Hobby Lobby, and Sherwin Williams to choose from.

what brand/price range/type, should I be looking for?

-Dan

[John Keeton]

White china bristle is what is recommended. Got a decent one at Woodcraft and the price was competitive, but that isn't on your list. Of the sources you have, I would pick SW.

[steve reeves]

Purdy which is carried by HD is a very good brush. Most of the quality paint stores also carry high end brushes but you'll usually feel the pain at the register. I found the identical Purdy brush at a 40% premium at a Benjamin Moore store which was well above SRP..

However I rarely use seal coat as a final finish so I tend to use cheap brushes when I apply it as it's going to be mostly sanded off anyway.

Even with all the new wonder finishes and sealers etc. It's hard to beat good old shellac....

[Steve Schoene]

I prefer going a different direction. I use a watercolor wash brush with synthetic Taklon gold bristles. I'll bet you have an art supply store in the area, and that's the place to find them. Here is a picture of the sort of thing that I mean.

http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/Brushes.htm

THe ones I mean are located well down the page.

The thing about these brushes is that the bristles are very fine so there are zero brush strokes that need to flow out. They don't carry a lot of shellac--no reservoir--but even if you have to fill them often the coat they lay down is so thin that an overlap isn't a real problem.

The secret with brushing shellac is to move quickly and never go back to pick up a missed spot or try to correct a defect. You basically are brushing only in one direction. Shellac dries so quickly that there is zero time to lay on the material and then spread it out like you might do with varnish. Also if you try to go back to a place you have done a minute before, you run the risk of "picking up" the previous coating partially redissolved by the fresh coat, ending up with a rumpled mess. The more you try to fix, the worse it gets. If you feel the brush start to "drag" you are on the verge of having that happen, so STOP, and don't touch that area again until after the shellac has fully dried. Any mistakes can be fixed on on the next coat, or with a little light sanding when the shellac is dry.

I often touch down about 3/4" from the edge (either of the wood, or where I had last lifted the brush, move back that small distance and then immediately move forward again. That eliminates any "bump" at the touch down spot.

[Stan Tilley]

I'll second what Steve said about brushes with synthetic Taklon gold bristles. I never had very good luck brushing shellac until someone turned me on to this brush.

[dan sherman]

White china bristle is what is recommended. Got a decent one at Woodcraft and the price was competitive, but that isn't on your list. Of the sources you have, I would pick SW.

I did miss 2 last night, i often forget we have True Value, & Ace in town since I usually only buy bolts from them

However I rarely use seal coat as a final finish so I tend to use cheap brushes when I apply it as it's going to be mostly sanded off anyway.

I have to be careful with the sanding in this case, as I'm working with cherry, that's had BLO applied and had a few hours in the sun. Having done it once already I can say sanding through is not pretty.


Is it true that chiseled tip brushes are better than square cut?