Which shellac for an antique?

[johndi]

I am restoring an antique Eastlake desk. Cleaning with Dawn and some bleach just made it look miserable, so I scrubbed a board that won't show with DN alcohol and steel wool and removed the old shellac. The wood is beautiful. Looks like now I'll have to do the entire desk.
I'm guessing that the desk was made early 1900's.
Was dewaxed shellac used back then or would Amber shellac be more appropriate?
Thanks

[jteneyck]

Dawn and water on a damp cloth is fine.  Bleach?  Well, now you know.  

If you want to strip the rest of the finish off, chemical stripper will do it a lot quicker than DNA, but DNA or lacquer thinner and patience will get you there, too. You can get dewaxed shellac in many colors; just buy dewaxed flakes.  But there's no reason to use dewaxed shellac if shellac is the only finish you plan to use.  I would try some Zinsser Blonde and Amber on an area that won't show and decide from those results which looks better to you.  Also, you can adjust the color of shellac to any color you want by adding Trantint dye to them.  I mostly buy Sealcoat (dewaxed) shellac and add whichever Transtint dye(s) to it to get the color I want. Whichever route you go, good luck.   

John

[johndi]

Thanks John, I tried using Amber shellac on the area I removed the finish from and was pleasantly surprised how good it looks.
I'll know better in the morning when it's fully cured. I am going to grab a can of Sealcoat in the morning and try it on another inconspicuous area.

[Cooler]

Thanks John, I tried using Amber shellac on the area I removed the finish from and was pleasantly surprised how good it looks.
I'll know better in the morning when it's fully cured. I am going to grab a can of Sealcoat in the morning and try it on another inconspicuous area.

Sealcoat is "water white" (or nearly so).  It does not seem to add any color.  It dries fast and sands easily and makes a great "primer" for most other finishes. 

There is actually a shellac "fan" website:  https://www.shellac.net/news/2018/12/21/...finishing/

You can find most anything about shellac there.

[johndi]

Who'd a thunk? Thanks for the heads up.