Praises for shellac/turpentine

[Willyou]

Frustrations with shellac has kept me from using it much. So, I have very limited experience with it. I decided to use it on my current small cherry table project and noted a recent posting here of good shellac retardants. I decided to use turpentine and am glad I did. The project has included both spraying and brushing. For spraying, the retardant almost eliminated orange peel leaving a surface that will require only very fine sanding and buffing. When brushing, lap marks and brush marks were minimal; again, requiring only a little fine sanding and buffing. Another benefit is that I like the smell of turpentine better than the other chemicals. I know that most of you experienced finishers already know this, but I decided to pass it along for those that don't.

[mignal]

Not too much turpentine, it can cause problems if you use too much. I'm referring to brushing, I've no experience of spraying Shellac. You can also use Spike Oil of lavender, which does the same thing. Smells nice too.
Brushing shellac, which is really called spirit varnishing, is not an easy skill to acquire IMO. It's certainly no easier than French Polishing.

[Willyou]

I used the recommended amount (1 tsp per 4 oz) very carefully measured. You didn't mention the kind of problems created, but this seems to have worked well. Thanks for the heads up.

[mignal]

I don't quite know the name of that 'problem', something like fisheye. I guess it's the bit where the Shellac/alcohol can't hold the turps or perhaps it's reached saturation point.
I've done quite a bit of 'Spirit varnishing' after many years of French Polishing. A lot of the Violins made in factories are Spirit varnished. It's incredible to watch the skill of those guys when using a brush and of course they make it look so easy.

[Willyou]

Thanks for the advice.