Shellac as a Wiping Finish? – Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Austin who writes:
I have a couple questions on shellac. I want to use it as a wipe finish for the inside of drawers. How much should I dilute a 3lb cut? Or a 2lb cut? haha i’m a little confused how you get a 2lb or a 3lb cut. I also heard Charles Niel say that you need dewaxed shellac, How important is this? P.S. i really liked your finishing video, thanks!
And my response:
Hey Austin. Shellac is a good choice for the inside of a drawer. Dewaxed or waxy shellac will work just fine, if its the only finish you plan on applying. If you are going to coat the shellac with a polyurethane (which doesn’t make much sense for the inside of a drawer), you probably want to avoid waxy shellac because of adhesion issues. But most woodworkers just stock dewaxed shellac since it is the safest bet in all applications. As for the dilutions, that can get a little confusing. If you are mixing from flakes, you might want to invest in a cheap kitchen scale. Measuring by weight is definitely the most accurate way to go. But to tell you the truth, I just do approximations and I find it easier in many cases to start with Bullseye Sealcoat (2lb cut). That stuff is good to go right out of the can. But if you have trouble applying it (gets sticky too fast), just dilute it a bit with denatured alcohol until it stays wet longer. Now if you buy the Bullseye Shellac (not SealCoat), you are dealing with a 3lb cut WITH wax in it. So you probably want to dilute it down with alcohol so that its closer to a 2 lb cut. This is where things can be a little tricky. Because of the fact that the “pound cuts” actually represent a unit of weight/volume, it not a trivial affair if you want exact formulations. So if you want to be a little pickier than I tend to be, check out this article from FineWoodworking.com: Mixing Shellac
Also, check out this great video from our buddy Charles Neil.
Smooth and Blotch-Free Finish – Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Jeff. He writes, “Love your videos have learned so much, only wish there were more! I have a problem and can’t find a layman’s answer. I like how you break down things so simply that even dumbass’s like me can understand. I built my nephew a computer desk out of Birch Plywood. I wanted to get this super nice cherry finish. The guy at HD told me to stain it with Cherry Stain (Minwax) then top coat it with Polyurethane (sp) Well, as I am sure you know it looks like “S**T” fortunately I did this on a test piece…please please please give me a layman’s answer as to how I can get a nice looking smooth finish, one that I would be proud of.”
And here was my reply: “Well this may not be super easy, but its the easiest way I know of. You can start by sealing the surface so that you get even stain absorption. I use a product called Bullseye SealCoat. This is a 2 lb cut of shellac but you might want to dilute it down to 1 lb. with denatured alcohol. Simply wipe on a good coat using a rag. It dries quickly so make it snappy. Let this dry for a few hours, then lightly sand the surface (by hand) with 220 grit sandpaper. Blow or wipe off the dust. Now you have a sealed surface on which to apply your stain. You can try the Minwax stuff, or you can try a gel stain. Gel stains are thicker and tend to sit on the surface more than regular stains. This means more even coverage over blotch prone woods. Once the stain dries, you can topcoat with shellac, varnish, lacquer, or any other topcoat of choice. But be sure to sand lightly between coats with 320. I like to actually increase the grit each time I sand. So after the first coat I use 320. After the second I use 400. After the third I use 600 and stay with it from there. And in general, as far as top coats go, I find wipe on varnish to be the easiest to work with. Remember, always practice on test boards. You never know how that stain is going to look until you actually try it. Good luck!”
And here are a few good related articles from FineWoodworking.com (made free for a limited time just for Wood Whisperer readers):
Avoid Color Mistakes and Learn How to Fix a Blotchy Stain
Dyes Can Do It All: Color bare wood without blotching, tint topcoats, and touch up blemishes
Gel Stain User’s Guide: Easy to apply, these stains are forgiving, even on blotch-prone woods
Alcohol-Based Stain- Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Bill. He writes, “I’m building some extra cabinets that match the kitchen cabinets that I installed last year. I ordered extra stain, so that everything would match. The stain would appear to be a dye in an denatured alcohol solution. How would you apply this stain? I’ve been applying a the shellac sanding sealer by zinser, but the dye mixture has a tendency to pull up the shellac. As long as I keep a wet edge it works (example baseboards), but it isn’t working very well on large panels.”
And here was my reply, “An alcohol based dye is actually best applied by spraying, but that may not be an option if you dont have a spray setup. The problem is that the alcohol evaporates too quickly and you dont have enough time to even out the color. And to further complicate the problem, your alcohol based dye mix is redissolving your sanding sealer. If you cant find a way to spray, I would recommend getting a little creative.”
“First, I assume you are using Zinsser SealCoat? Or are you actually using a true sanding sealer? If its sanding sealer, I say skip it. Get yourself the Zinsser SealCoat. SealCoat is a dewaxed shellac and will be a great sealer. Now instead of applying the sealer and having your dye mix mess everything up later, I would recommend adding some shellac to a portion of your dye. Since the dye is pretty much all alcohol, it will dilute out the shellac. I would say fill a container halfway with your dye, and fill it the rest of the way with the Sealcoat. This will give you a solution that is dilute enough that you should have time to apply it evenly. Consider using a brush. When the alcohol evaporates, you will be left with a sealed surface that contains some of your color. But since you diluted the color, it might not be intense enough. If thats the case, just sand lightly and apply another coat. Keep in mind with shellac, you need to move quickly and only do one or two strokes. Any more, and it becomes smeary.”
“Now this method isn’t perfect, but it should give you alot more control. Make sure your try this on an inconspicuous area first. If the color is too intense, then apply a diluted coat of the Sealcoat alone first, sand, and follow up with a coat or two of the mix I described earlier. Good luck!”
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