In article 36,
Patriarch wrote:

"mp" wrote in :

Working on a new computer table. The frame is cherry with the top
being a piece of 24" x 42" 3/4" Cherry ply edged with a 3" band of
Curly maple with an inlayed 3/8" Greek key band on the seam. I
finished the frame last night and put several coats of Garnet shellac
on it and it looks great. I figure it won't really require a lot of
protection beyond the shellac. The top is a different matter. I was
going to just satin poly it since I know that will stand up to
spilled anything and the keyboard sliding and such but I really enjoy
the look and ease of shellac. Can I simply do shellac for the top
then a really good coat of wax or are there any other suggestions for
a durable finish on top of shellac. I'd like it to be matte or I'd
just use some spar varnish I have.


The wax, at only a few molecules thick, isn't going to offer much in
the way of protection. Shellac is tougher than many people think but
poly would be much more durable on a desktop surface.


Depending on how much abuse you expect the desktop to get, shellac might
be all you need. Poly doesn't prevent chipping or breaking through the
veneer when you roughly drop a monitor or systems unit on it.

With as much effort and cost as you have put into this desk, you likely
will be treating it pretty well. Here's my recommendation:

If you want to use the garnet shellac for the top, go ahead. Put on as
many coats as it takes to get to the correct color, and then switch to a
superblonde shellac, and put another three or four 'padding sessions' on
it. Let it cure for a week or so, then rub it out with Johnson's or
Butcher's clear.

My wife has an oak schoolteacher-style desk, from at least the 50's,
maybe earlier. I think the finish is shellac. The computer table I
made three years ago has a shellac and wax finish, and looks as good as
it did the day I finished it.

And enjoy.

Patriarch

I think I might go with this course of action. If it goes poorly I
think I could simply strip the wax with turpentine and use alcohol to
get rid of most if not all the shellac, a little sanding and then poly
to recover?

Allen