Hi Ric - It has been years since I brushed shellac, as I always spray it now, but there are a few things that stick in my mind. As you already know, brushing shellac is tricky due to its rapid drying time, and large surfaces only make it trickier. First, a high quality brush is a must, with very fine bristles to help avoid brush marks. Thinning your 3 lb cut down to a 2 lb cut would also help immensely. You have to use long fast strokes when brushing this stuff, so you gotta have your 'game face' on when you are ready to begin ;-). Avoid heavy applications. If you still are having problems with application after thinning it down, you should consider adding a retarder to the shellac, which will allow you to keep a wet edge much longer, and lets you work at a more leisurely pace. The retarders that are used for nitrocellulose lacquer are compatible with shellac. The down side, of course, is that it takes longer to dry for subsequent re-coating. Regarding the splotchiness, are you sure that's not just temporary due to the uneven porosity of the oak? Will it not even out after the third or so coat? You have the benefit of seeing it, but it was worth mentioning. If you feel you need to do some leveling because of severe unevenness, use a stearated paper to minimize loading of the paper. Alternatively, you could just remove the whole mess with a rag soaked in alcohol and start over. This process would also serve to leave the pores filled rather evenly with the thinned down shellac, possibly allowing for more even absorption in subsequent coats. Hope this helps some... Mark Potter bases-loaded@juno.com On Sat, 7 Jun 2003 22:25:59 -0500 "Richard Moody" <remoody@midstatesd.net> writes: > I am refinishing a solid oak table top about the size of a large > upright bottom panel or "kick board" as it is sometimes called on > the old " high back pianos". > > Its out of the can 3lb cut. It is splotchy because of the > overlaps and it dries too fast to brush out the whole top. Is > there a way to get rid of the splotchy areas by brushing with > denatured alcohol? Or is sanding better? It is hard to tell if > it will be splotchy when applying because of the different rates > of drying. > > Why is it so hard for me to get a table top uniform when they used > to do large oak floors and those look uniform? > > Thanks > Richard Moody > > > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > >
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