Joe Wells wrote in
news
On Sat, 23 Oct 2004 15:44:06 -0700, David wrote:

I just came from my shop a few minutes ago. Guess what I was doing,
Joe? Applying shellac with a surgical towel, which is made from a
stiff fabric, who's composition I'm not sure of, but it works like
gangbusters when folded into a pad. I use the flat, rounded edge,
about four inches
wide.

And you're just dipping this into your shellac, right?

I use old dish towels, because there's maybe 4 bushels of them in the shop.
Same principle.


I cut 3# shellac by about 30-50%, meaning I'm not using
anywhere near the #1 cut that others recommend for padding. Works
for me, and reduces the number of coats required for the same finish
thickness.

I tried it with a 2# cut and seemed to be OK. But then I pre-loaded
the pad with alcohol before applying.

The pre-loading with alcohol isn't needed, in my experience. Dip in the
bowl, and squeeze a bit. No drips on the workpiece, because they screw up
the work you've already done.

By the way, padding the dewaxed shellac (SealCoat, or mixed from flake)
seems a whole different experience from using the Zinsser Amber in the can.
More controllable, to my hand.

I think the squeeze bottle with alcohol is from french polish technique.
That's further down the road than I have explored. What David said about
leveling with 320 or 400 grit is what I do. Then, after the last coats
have cured for long enough (several days at least), they get several coats
of wax applied, usually with a white 3M synthetic pad. Cuts the sheen,
hides the blemishes, adds warmth.

There are other ways, but these work, and have been learned from the old
ones here on the wReck. I see no reason to change.

Patriarch