Hi Ken, I worked for an antique restoration specialist here in Woodbury, CT (which is the antique capital of CT) for several years. Practically everything he worked on was finished with Shellac. The first thing every piece of furniture got was a good cleaning with Soilax. This is a sudless floor and tile cleaner and can be found at most hardware stores. Mix about 2 tablespoons of Soilax in a 1/3 bucket of water. Soak a pad of 0000 steelwool and rub a small area in the direction of the grain. Have plenty of papertowels on hand. Once you've rubbed(cleaned) a small area ( approx. 2 sq. feet, or one surface of the fallboard) wipe dry with a paper towel or two. You might have to do this process 2 or 3 times depending on how much dirt and wax is on the furniture. You are going to be amazed at the difference this one process makes in any piece of furniture. Dirt, wax, cig. smoke, nicatine, and even white rings from water stains comes out. Sometimes if the finish is in good shape just the cleaning is all it needs. You might want to apply a fresh coat of wax if this is the case. This now leaves you with a completely clean finish in what ever shape it is in, crazed, no finish, or good finish. But it allows you to correctly assess the direction you want to take the project. If the finish is crazed and the customer wants a smooth finish then start sanding the old finish off and reapply a new one. Hope this helps. Doug Mahard, Associate
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