Tip #43
Finishing Touches
Part 3 of 6 - Applying A Natural Finish (continued)
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Shellac

Shellac is manufactured by an insect, the lac bug, which sucks sap from a tree, then excretes a resin. This resin is later scraped from the trees and dissolved or cut in alcohol. Five pounds of shellac resin cut into gallon of alcohol is called a 5-pound cut. This cut is important; shellac should be thinned to at least a 3-pound cut before brushing. Buy shellac in small quantities, because once the resin is cut into the alcohol, it has a very short life -- usually only 4-6 months.

When you get ready to apply the shellac, blend it with denatured alcohol to get the desired cut. Never shake the can to mix it, as this creates air bubbles. When applying, brush with long, even strokes. Short strokes leave too many brush marks. Allow the shellac to dry for two hours between coats. Once you've built up a deep finish, allow it to dry for a day, then rub the surface smooth with 00# steel wool. If you want a high gloss, follow-up with progressively finer grades of steel wool. Polish with a good, high quality paste wax.

Shellac can also be applied without a brush, using a technique called French Polishing that will produce a mirror-like finish that's beyond description. To do this, wrap a piece of fine linen around a large ball of cotton. Moisten the pad with 5-pound cut shellac, then sprinkle with linseed oil. Rub the surface of the wood is a circular or figure-8 motion. When the pad begins to stick, moisten it again with more shellac and linseed oil. The body of the finish will start to build up as you rub. When you've attained the desired lustre, sprinkle the pad with alcohol and rub the surface with the grain of the wood to remove any circular marks.

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