Charley wrote:

If you decide to dye it you should put a sealer coat over the dye. A
de-waxed shellac works great for this and dries quickly. Zinser Seal Coat
works great for this. Always lightly sand (or 0000 steel wool) between each
coat of finish to give the surface texture for the next coat to bond to
(sand the dye layer very lightly or not at all).

Are you sure this is needed with shellac? My understanding was that
with shellac (and lacquer) the new layers will "melt" into the old layers.

I can see sanding for smoothness, but I don't think its necessary for
adhesion.

Chris