Thread: Shellac Over Pummice & Wax???

Originally Posted by jack620

This video? How to French Polish - Woodworking Finish with Shellac - YouTube

Yes I believe it was! But it was a long time ago. Thanks for that

Originally Posted by mic-d

Once I switched to making the cover for my rubber out of linen and using paraffin oil I achieved really good results. I used to dip it in the shellac but then I saw someone using a tomato sauce bottle to charge the rubber during bodying in, and a second tomato sauce bottle with neat alcohol to dilute the rubber during spiriting off and dampening a rubber neat for the final stages I found it very handy.

Here's a straw poll. Who thinks a French Polish is a very thin layer? Who thinks it is quite thick? Wondering because there are so many descriptions of many many layers applied I wonder what people's perceptions are?

One other thing on the wax from the OP video. Remember unless you're using dewaxed shellac, it already has wax in it.

Each new coat (layer) becomes apart of the previous coat, so bodying is creating an amalgamated thickness of shellac, where individual layers don't exist.

Originally Posted by Camelot

Each new coat (layer) becomes apart of the previous coat, so bodying is creating an amalgamated thickness of shellac, where individual layers don't exist.

Ok you misunderstand what I mean by layers, let's change it to iterations

Originally Posted by auscab

The cut off bottoms of Orange juice bottles. The pots are still going . They don't die!

Oh thats it then I'm raiding the pantry for old plastic bottles now, great idea!.

Bloody hell Rob, you must have biceps like a buffalo!. Better than any spray lacquer finish!.

Attachment 537696

Originally Posted by mic-d

Ok you misunderstand what I mean by layers, let's change it to iterations

Yep, if it had layers and they didn't melt into one another we would be having a hell of a time avoiding witness lines!.

On that note, anyone have any good tips on avoiding them or even getting rid of them in poly?.

Originally Posted by mic-d

Here's a straw poll. Who thinks a French Polish is a very thin layer? Who thinks it is quite thick?

The aim for me is to have the thinnest finished job with the grain full most of the time. So I'm using the mix thick as I can get away with until I start finishing it off. With good hard cut backs in between the bodys with oil / turps 280 to 320 grit paper. This is for a job starting from raw wood. And a traditional job on an antique. On the standard new aged tables and furniture I produce I colour and use oil based sanding sealer first then go to shellac using it the same way as above. The good hard cut backs are once again done. And are a very important part of it.
If its some new special fine new thing I'm doing like the acoustic guitar I built a while back then its a fine traditional job with just shellac.

Quick question: can you apply shellac over an Acrylic clear coat?.

Originally Posted by auscab

With good hard cut backs in between the bodys with oil / turps 280 to 320 grit paper.

What oil do you use?, When you say cut back you mean sand it back?, just making sure I've got all the terminology correct!.

Originally Posted by auscab

I colour and use oil based sanding sealer first then go to shellac using it the same way as above.

Do you ever thin the SS down?, the stuff I use is Feast Watson SS, and its as thick as yogurt.

Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71

Bloody hell Rob, you must have biceps like a buffalo!. Better than any spray lacquer finish!.

That was such a big job I had two other cabinet makers bodying at the same time.
Three of us were working hard at it and I was doing my section then going round pointing out how to body up and get the job done to them, they got into learning something new and enjoyed it.

When you FP for a $ you got to get it done right and if you ever watch a beginner at it you can see in an instant they don't know what they are doing if they don't know what they are doing .

When it comes to bodying for a $ and specially with a large area like that the shellac can be layered on fast and thick but has to be balanced by Hard heavy figure 8s and circles across the grain. Real hard! If your not puffing and sweating and getting a sore arm on a job like that your not getting what needs to be done done. It cant be hard or to wet enough to rip it off though. So it a balancing act and timing with the shellac going from wet to dry. But not so wet you get what I call rooster tails of wet shellac leaving trails. You know how a dirt bike , (Motor bike) leaves rooster trails spraying dirt out behind a bike ? If that happens behind a rubber it instantly dissolves the job. So dont do that.
The right shellac mix, thick enough, Pressure and timing and balancing them shifts the stuff on the job sideways and when you have done a good body and cant go further you leave it for the next day to rub back hard with the sand paper OT cut back. Three body's like that starting on a raw but stained wood and most of the time , depending on the wood , you have a full grain to start finishing off.
edit . That has been produced very quickly!

Now Ive also experimented over the years with this and tried brushing very thick layers on and timing when to hit it with the Rubber and had very interesting results . Also spraying it on and timing once again and bodying that in sideways. Its not a good standard way to get stuff polished to a fine standard. But it did give some finishes that Ive seen in the past on antique stuff. Very thick and cheap looking mostly. Like on cheap antique cases made to hold stuff I suppose and that Ive seen before.

Hi Rob,

In Australia Cabinet Makers gain a qualification through Tafe, so do I take it wood finishing does not form apart of the curriculum to achieve that qualification?

Like I mentioned before wood finishing was apart of the qualification in the UK, so we were taught by a College lecturer specializing just in that subject.

We also had to learn Upholstery to gain our City & Guilds in Cabinet Making (it formed part of the curriculum), but I only ever had one job where my Upholstery skills (now long lost & forgotten) were needed and that was when I was working for a Pub refurbishment business where we would make Bars & Backfitting's and sometimes the bar fronts plus bench seating would require deep buttoning.

Cheers

Nigel

Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71

Quick question: can you apply shellac over an Acrylic clear coat?.

You'll have to try that one and tell me.
Probably could though ?

Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71

What oil do you use?, When you say cut back you mean sand it back?, just making sure I've got all the terminology correct!.

Do you ever thin the SS down?, the stuff I use is Feast Watson SS, and its as thick as yogurt.

Linseed oil. Both types are ok if you wipe it off right and don't leave any behind.

SS gets thinned most of the time.

Originally Posted by auscab

You'll have to try that one and tell me.
Probably could though ?

I'll give it a go. So far the worst finish to polish over has got to be Poly, it starts cracking the shellac within a few days due to the poly still gassing off. Acrylic on the other hand I'm unsure of, worth a go I guess.

The only thing I have found that shellac definitely doesn't have an issue with is turps based sanding sealer, I remember you telling me that ages ago.

Here's someone I imagine knows what he's doing:

How To French Polish - Part 1 of 3 - YouTube