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You are not yet trying to fill these in, but you want to apply stain or wood finish to them. If you were to begin staining the project and filling in all of the gaps, you would find that the deeper layers would soak in more stain or wood finish causing them to be much darker in appearance. Shellac enhances the beauty of wood grain unlike any other finish. Shellac is one of the only wood finishes that really brings out the natural beauty of wood without that fake plastic look. Shellac, especially when applied using the French Polishing technique will make the wood grain pop.
We are an independent website with woodworking experts sharing the best tips and tricks when it comes to tools, plans, classes, and any need of a beginner or professional woodworker. I do have a can of Zinnser specifically because I needed some and ran out of Russ's orange. I know their guarantee is 3 years, but I just don't believe it. To me, using shellac for a fine finish simply means mixing my own. There are some good reasons not to intermix certain coatings.
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Or, if real busy, sometimes we'll have two guns set up. We use just a cup gun anyway, so the hoses/pots are not an issue for us. I've never dewaxed shellac and used it much under NC lacquer, vinyl sealer and pre-cat acrylic lacquer . Always scuff coated the shellac before applying finish over top of it. Never had a bond failure.I'm of the opinion that most adhesion failures are a result of a failure to thoroughly and completely provide a scratch pattern on the surface before applying subsequent coats.
It is sometimes referred to as “powdered lac” because the wax has been removed. This makes it a pure form of shellac ideal for several types of finishes. When protecting your woodworking projects, you need to use high-quality shellac.
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I figure the extra few dollars for dewaxed is not worth the shop time to figure out if you have a problem, let alone begin the terrible process of fixing it. It doesn't cost much more and it's not any harder to obtain or use. There are so many different kinds of oil used to finish wood that it can be hard to decide which one is right for your next project. Three of the most common oils are teak oil, tung oil, and linseed... Unlike other types of finish, all types of shellac can be applied in cold temperatures without concern over proper drying and curing times.
To prevent this from happening, you can use dewaxed shellac between the layers of wood finish or stain that you are applying. The dewaxed shellac can act as a barrier that prevents the absorption of the stain on certain parts of your project. Then, once you have finished staining your entire project, you can seal the piece with a different, more durable finish like lacquer or polyurethane . Both of these products seal the wood equally well, but some finishes won’t stick to regular shellac. Both amber and clear Bulls Eye shellac have a natural waxy substance that interferes with the adhesion of oil-based polyurethane and water-based finishes. To address that problem, Zinsser created SealCoat, a dewaxed shellac, meaning it has the wax removed.
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Instead, it can be utilized on decorative pieces such as mirrors, wall art, end tables, and nightstands. In this way, you can achieve the artistic design you originally had in mind . A representative at Zinsser told me that although they are still producing SealCoat, a poor shellac crop has driven the prices up, and many customers have turned to cheaper alternatives.
It is much better to be safe than sorry in protecting your projects from being damaged. Along with that, these types of sealants are not incredibly difficult to apply to your project. Fortunately, a lacquer is going to be able to be applied carefully over your shellac to provide a smooth finish. However, applying the dewaxed shellac beforehand is not overly cumbersome. Ok, so you have come up with a beautiful design for the perfect woodworking piece in your new dining room. It is all completed in its natural state– now is the time to begin applying stain, finish, sealants, etc.
Apply Between Layers of Stain and Wood Finish
Waxy shellac isn't like Teflon - stuff sticks to it, though not quite as well. I too have seen minor adhesion problems with waxy shellac. I have shot a lacquer over one brand of shellac several times with no problems. I may not have noticed the adhesion problem, but for the job hanging around in my shop for several weeks. After walking by it a hundred times or so, I noticed unusual light variations in this old walnut sideboard I had refinished.
As pointed out, though, there's certainly no harm in buying and using dewaxed shellac exclusively to keep it simple. If an adhesion problem occurs, there is one less thing on my list of suspects if I have used a dewaxed shellac. Therefore, it is recommended to add the protection even if you do not foresee much contact with water or other elements. Even if you apply a thin layer of dewaxed, it won’t protect the wood from dirt and water. But with this dewaxed pre-sealant, you can enhance your wood’s natural grain. A 'waxy' shellac may not ever cause a problem, or it may down the road - it is hard to tell.
I make an 8oz liquid sample of every lot of shellac I sell, so I have trace-ability for a lot. I also deal with a vendor that can supply an assay immediately or upon request if one does not exist for that lot. Sometimes the Lemon flake that is used to make Bullseye has a particularly high wax content and the lots I buy are no exception. Zinsser goes to great lengths to blend the Lemon flake used for Amber Bullseye so that lot differences are minimized - but still there can be differences. If you use the Clear Bullseye, you're apt to experience more consistency from can to can.
I stick to low-wax content shellac lots for the few waxy pre-mixed shellacs I offer, because it seems prudent to do so and I can be picky. I sealed first with someone else's shellac before applying your topcoat. It doesn't matter if that was the real reason for the failure - you are screwed.
It will produce one of the most beautiful finishes in woodworking. Get complete site access to video workshops, digital plans library, online archive, and more, plus the print magazine. Shellac flakes are dissolved by denatured ethyl alcohol. It's very easy to use and an excellent non-toxic choice for woodworkers. This provides the advantage of being fully compatible with any other kind of finishing products such as Polyurethane, Waterlox, dies etc. This is a good habit to get into before applying any kind of die, varnish, stain, or paint.
Even though it is often marketed as water-resistant, this is often not the case for exposure to much water. Sure, dewaxed shellac adds a thin layer of protection if you were to drop a bit of water and immediately wipe it up, but it will not protect the wood from long term water exposure. Shellac will adhere tenaciously to virtually any surface and is much less brittle than lacquer and does not scratch as easily. Unlike toxic polyurethane, a damaged shellac finish can easily be touched up or renewed by applying another coat.
Zinsser Bullseye Shellac is a great product for woodworking projects because it provides an instant “hard-top” finish and durability that prevents moisture from soaking easily into the wood material. If you want a waterproof sealant, you’ll need to use a more durable and water-resistant product to protect your wood project from the elements. For instance, you’re not yet ready to fill in wood gaps but want to apply a wood finish or stain. If you proceed to stain the wood in this kind of finish, the deeper layers would most likely absorb more stain or finish, leading to the workpiece becoming darker. The Seal Coat is not the same as the regular clear Zinsser, which is waxy.
When I have to use products from different suppliers to do a specialty finish, I always do a sample and personally test the hell out of it, especially for adhesion. I have done adhesion tests with lacquer over shellac and I am not impressed. When you use dewaxed and other sealant properties, you can expect to find beautiful and durable wood pieces, and this is an effective way to make your pieces stand out. Then, after it is applied, you can sand it down between layers and then apply a lacquer or polyurethane sealant on top of it to give the more durable sealant properties .
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