Limited working time with shellac question

[Duane N]

I'm a novice woodworker and just as experienced in the finishing department.  I have done a lot of homework in regards to finishing a living room table set I built out of Maple for my home and decided on using SealCoat un-waxed shellac tinted using various colors of Transtint then followed by some sort of topcoat.

I quickly realized (doing the underside of the first table top) that there isn't much working time with shellac.  Not having the work space to use a sprayer to apply the shellac I'm limited to brushing it on but it's pretty much tacky/dry by the time I get done with the underside of the table. 

Can anyone recommend the best/better way (besides using a sprayer) applying shellac yet still have some working time with it or am I doomed from the start choosing shellac to begin the finishing process of the 5 tables I built.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer.  I approach everything I do in life as a learning process and I try to learn as much as I can and pass it on to the next person who's also willing to learn. 

Duane

[jteneyck]

Applying toners (shellac + Transtint) is really, really, really difficult to do by hand.  I did it before I had a spray outfit and it was one of the great motivators for me to move up to spraying.  I diluted the Sealcoat with Behkol alcohol, which slows down the evaporation rate of the mixture somewhat.  I've heard but never tried it that if you add a little turpentine to shellac it will greatly extend the working time.  You might want to look into that further, try some tests, etc.  Perhaps someone here has tried it and will chime in. 

John

[Duane N]

Thank you John....I should be a little more clear.  The shellac is already tinted using transtint in the can the shellac came in.  I've done several test pieces on small scraps of Maple to get the color right but now that I'm moving onto larger surfaces I'm finding I don't have much working time.

I will google search how to increase the working time of shellac if it's possible.


Edit:  I found a blog where the person says using gum turpentine will increase the working time of shellac.  1 tablespoon of gum turpentine mixed with 8 oz's of liquid shellac

[MikeBob]

Thank you John....I should be a little more clear.  The shellac is already tinted using transtint in the can the shellac came in.  I've done several test pieces on small scraps of Maple to get the color right but now that I'm moving onto larger surfaces I'm finding I don't have much working time.

I will google search how to increase the working time of shellac if it's possible.


Edit:  I found a blog where the person says using gum turpentine will increase the working time of shellac.  1 tablespoon of gum turpentine mixed with 8 oz's of liquid shellac

I like Shellac a lot and use it a lot, tinted and non, I wipe it on and use a 1.5-2lb cut, one big projects, I feel your pain, work fast or spray.

[Duane N]

Adding the gum turpentine didn't seem to help with the set up time on the tinted shellac.  Applying the shellac with a cotton cheese cloth seemed to give me a better thin coat but I had to work quickly and not go over areas already covered too much.

Always learning....
.

[frigator]

You may want to consider padding that shellac on:

http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/padding-shellac/

I don't worry too much about the surface quality of the shellac when I apply it because it's going to be rubbed out at the end and leveled. I apply by padding and also use golden Talcon brushes and even badger hair brushes. I've never have any problem. I like the fact that it dries fast so you can get multiple coats in a day. Doing thin coats is the key.

[fredhargis]

I can't add anything to what has been said, other than to wish you luck. Have you consider applying the dye without shellac (dilute with water or DNA), and then top coating (with an oil based finish, since a waterborne would cause it to streak)?

[Duane N]

You may want to consider padding that shellac on:

http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/padding-shellac/

I don't worry too much about the surface quality of the shellac when I apply it because it's going to be rubbed out at the end and leveled. I apply by padding and also use golden Talcon brushes and even badger hair brushes.  I've never have any problem. I like the fact that it dries fast so you can get multiple coats in a day.  Doing thin coats is the key.

This is the method I decided on applying the shellac (I'm using a cotton cheese cloth and wading it into a ball).  The only thing I didn't do was apply linseed oil prior to starting the shellac coats and apply denatured alcohol to the pad before soaking it with shellac.  I'm starting on the side pieces (they have 2 coats already) but once I start on the legs and tops that are being seen I will test out the linseed oil as the first coat. 

VERY informative link you provided and I bookmarked it for future projects....thank you.

[Duane N]

I can't add anything to what has been said, other than to wish you luck. Have you consider applying the dye without shellac (dilute with water or DNA), and then top coating (with an oil based finish, since a waterborne would cause it to streak)?

Using just the dye and water was my first attempt at picking a color but I couldn't come up with a color I liked.  Mind you, I have never used dye before so I was unsure how much to put in the water.  I stumbled across a video and the finisher tinted the shellac (seal coat) to get his desired color.  I opted to do the same thing and it worked out in the first can I tried tinting (I actually got lucky and thankfully wrote down how much dye I used).  So here I am...working with shellac for the first time. 

I like the results I'm getting so far but have a few more coats to apply.

[jteneyck]

With shellac, you don't want to apply a lot of coats, or you risk it crazing in the future.  The right number of coats is that number which just forms a continuous film.  That might be 2, 3 or even 4 or 5 coats depending upon how porous your wood was to start with and how you apply it.  But more than that and you are likely headed for disappointment. 

John