Shellacing Problems

[AldenW]

Hey guys, I'm having problems applying shellac. I've been using a pipe cleaner, and I've been trying to apply with one pass so as not to smear the stain, but I'm winding up with an uneven surface (the shellac has lines between strokes and rough patches). What am I doing wrong here?
I saw somewhere mention of applying, counting to seven, then wiping it off, but this stuff gets tacky way too fast for that.

[d.huber]

Hey guys, I'm having problems applying shellac. I've been using a pipe cleaner, and I've been trying to apply with one pass so as not to smear the stain, but I'm winding up with an uneven surface (the shellac has lines between strokes and rough patches). What am I doing wrong here?
I saw somewhere mention of applying, counting to seven, then wiping it off, but this stuff gets tacky way too fast for that.

I don't have a lot of experience with shellac, but I believe the idea is to apply and then immediately wipe it off. Maybe yours should be cut with more alcohol? Sorry, not sure this was much help.

[SimeonTurner]

How much dilution have you done to it, Alden? My shellac is way more denatured alcohol than shellac.

[RadDavis]

How old is your shellac? It gets "funny" after a while.

Rad

[AldenW]

My shellac, unfortunately, is not the flake kind; it's the hardware-store pre-mixed stuff. It's pretty new. I tried diluting it this time, with denatured alcohol, but when I went to wipe the shellac off it pulled up a lot of stain with it. It is much smoother than before though. I've spent waaaay too long finishing this pipe, so I'm gonna leave it lighter like this (it looks fine).
Still, I don't feel like I've got this shellac thing down yet.

[Sasquatch]

Make thinner yet. It will pull up SOME stain, but go real thin, go real fast. And don't touch it again till it's dry (I know Kurt wipes it off but he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about, right?). I leave it, let it dry, and then polish with tripoli. Gently.

[Sasquatch]

Or, put a little stain in your shellac mix, and do both at once.

[KurtHuhn]

It's true - I flail blindly in my workshop, and sometimes a pipe falls out.

Sas is half right - I wipe it on super fast, then count to ten and wipe it off with a shop towel. Some stain comes off, but most is left on the pipe. Sometimes I do that twice before allowing it to cure before polishing.

But, I pick my nose with my thumb - so my judgement is clearly impaired...

[SimeonTurner]

My shellac, unfortunately, is not the flake kind; it's the hardware-store pre-mixed stuff. It's pretty new. I tried diluting it this time, with denatured alcohol, but when I went to wipe the shellac off it pulled up a lot of stain with it. It is much smoother than before though. I've spent waaaay too long finishing this pipe, so I'm gonna leave it lighter like this (it looks fine).
Still, I don't feel like I've got this shellac thing down yet.

I don't use flake either. The Zinser in a can is fine. About a 5:1 ratio works for me. YMMV

[The Smoking Yeti]

I disagree with all other techniques than the one Todd Johnson(he might've been joking) told me. "I just spray it on the pipecleaner and that's my cut." It works great! Super thin layer, no lines, easy to buff to a high shine. Go TJ!

[Sasquatch]

And if Todd Johnson told you to jump off a cliff?

[d.huber]

And if Todd Johnson told you to jump off a cliff?

You jump. Was there another option?

[the rev]

jump

rev

[AldenW]

All the mythical creatures on this thread are offering up great advice. I'll go buy some spray shellac too. Thanks for bein' a bunch of mensches!

*jump*

[Leus]

My old man was a really good old school woodworker. Back in time shellac came with all kind of impurities in it, so he used to sift it through a nylon pantyhose (my mom was never too happy about this.) Perhaps it is worth a try.

And, of course, jump.

[the rev]

rev

[wmolaw]

Jump.

[PremalChheda]

Another option for applying shellac is to use a modified french polish method.

[Sasquatch]

Modified by getting a tiny little man to do the polishing motion? I can't do French Polish on a pipe worth beans so I fake it - shellac it, and then scrub it flat with tripoli.

[PremalChheda]

Modified by getting a tiny little man to do the polishing motion? I can't do French Polish on a pipe worth beans so I fake it - shellac it, and then scrub it flat with tripoli.

Good Idea! I need to get some tiny men to start doing all of the tiny things in the workshop.