I'm working on a picture frame and having problems trying to brush
schellac. I'm using waxy bullseye clear (dated April 2006). I cut it
down to less than 2 lbs.

Previously I padded my shellac and had good results. I thought I had
this shellac stuff figured out, now I feel like a knucklehead.

This time I rubbed out and was not happy with the results, so
reapplied and rubbed out again, still not happy, had dull spots, etc.
In frustration, I stripped all of it off with an alchohol soaked rag.

I think I just put too many coats on too thick, and too fast. Anyone
ever had this happen during thier first attempts?

I just reapplied the first coat, and tried to put it on as thin as
possible.

How soon should I wait until the next coat? And after how many coats
should I stop?

On Feb 27, 10:07 pm, wrote:
I'm working on a picture frame and having problems trying to brush
schellac. I'm using waxy bullseye clear (dated April 2006). I cut it
down to less than 2 lbs.

Previously I padded my shellac and had good results. I thought I had
this shellac stuff figured out, now I feel like a knucklehead.

This time I rubbed out and was not happy with the results, so
reapplied and rubbed out again, still not happy, had dull spots, etc.

Dull spots are probably from areas of end grain absorbing the thin
cut
shellac.

In frustration, I stripped all of it off with an alchohol soaked rag.

I think I just put too many coats on too thick, and too fast. Anyone
ever had this happen during thier first attempts?

I just reapplied the first coat, and tried to put it on as thin as
possible.

How soon should I wait until the next coat? And after how many coats
should I stop?

Get the Bullseye in the spray can. No wax, and no oxygen to turn
the bug juice into a nondrying gum. Three wet, thin coats, letting
each coat dry to the touch. Rub out after an overnight cure.

First, with your previous success at padding, I'd think you'd be padding
still (and I recommend it.) Second, use freshly mixed shellac starting
with flakes and alcohol. The stuff in the cans is problematic and may or
may not be any good regardless of the claims made on the label. After
spending so much time and effort on any given project, why cheat on the
finish? Freshly mixed shellac is remarkably water-resistant and durable
and dries almost as fast as you can rub it on (which is why it's so easy
to do many coats.)

Get the Bullseye in the spray can. No wax, and no oxygen to turn
the bug juice into a nondrying gum.

It's not oxygen that does that. The acids in the shellac and the alcohol
solvent begin to esterify as soon as they're mixed (oxygen or no) and
it's the esterification that sooner or later makes the mixed shellac
refuse to dry (and even if it dries, the film formed from old mixed
shellac won't be as waterproof as it could be.)

Mixing fresh shellac is too easy to do and the product so superior to
the canned stuff that I can't imagine why anyone would use canned
shellac on a woodworking project. If you have some questionable shellac
around, save it for priming/sealing when you paint the house. But for
that end-table or guitar, why not the best?

--
Ron Hock
HOCK TOOLS www.hockfinishes.com