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Hi All,
A while back I asked about best finishes for bottle stoppers and quickly learned that shellac based finishes like HUT or Mylands friction polish is not a good choice.
I have about 30 stoppers that I have already made a finished with HUT friction polish and am wondering how to put on a more durable finish since I plan to give these as gifts.
Do I need to sand them all to get rid of the HUT, or is there anything available I can use over the HUT?
TIA
George
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HUT is a shellac and wax mixture. You might try wiping with denatured alcohol. If you get rid of the wax part, shellac won't hurt any subsequent finish you apply. You may also want to cross post your question to the Finishing Forum. A lot smarter folks than I am about finishing hang out there.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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AHill said:
HUT is a shellac and wax mixture. You might try wiping with denatured alcohol. If you get rid of the wax part, shellac won't hurt any subsequent finish you apply. You may also want to cross post your question to the Finishing Forum. A lot smarter folks than I am about finishing hang out there.
Mineral spirits is a MUCH better solvent for wax than alcohol. MS and some 00 steel wool should give you a good mechanical binding base for varnish.
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MichaelMouse said:
[blockquote]AHill said:
HUT is a shellac and wax mixture. You might try wiping with denatured alcohol. If you get rid of the wax part, shellac won't hurt any subsequent finish you apply. You may also want to cross post your question to the Finishing Forum. A lot smarter folks than I am about finishing hang out there.
Mineral spirits is a MUCH better solvent for wax than alcohol. MS and some 00 steel wool should give you a good mechanical binding base for varnish.
[/blockquote]
Agreed.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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I'm with Michael and Allan on this. The offending issue is the wax, which is solvable with mineral spirits. You may need to work with that to remove as much wax as possible, then give a light sanding and coat of dewaxed shellac before new finish.
Doug
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Wipe on poly or rattle can lacquer makes a good hard finish. After you clean as been suggested above.
Mel
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I've not used either of the commercial products you mention, but almost exclusively use shellac as a finish for turnings. Never had a problem, even though I hear it's so terrible, blah blah blah. (Whatever - I can have a bowl finished perfectly in 10 minutes flat instead of playing around with stinky polyurethane for 3 days.
) There have been times, particularly when I was first learning to use it, that I didn't have the pad wet enough & the paper towel applicator pad tore & became part of the finish. Simply wipe with a clean pad soaked in DNA while it's on the lathe and the finish goes bye-bye in a hurry. It's not dewaxed shellac that I'm using and applied another finish immediately after, but didn't feel anything but wood after wiping with DNA. Don't know how it'd work on hardened shellac though... stuff is pretty tough IME.
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George,
I'd put one back on the lathe, reduce the speed a bit, apply MS to a fine MIRKA mesh pad, 1500 grit, and remove the waxed shellac. Try it by hand first as a test case. Once the piece has dried, re-sand on the lathe at turning speed, with a 3000 grit pad to smooth out the raised grain. Peachtree Woodworking sells the pads -
http://www.ptreeusa.com/abrasive_pads_sponges.htm I use them as the last part of my finishing schedule. Once I've sanded a piece using 340, 400, and 600 grit, I use the 3000 grit pad which actually polishes the surface baby butt smooth.
For a finish, I apply 3 coats of General Finish's High Performance lightly sanding between coats by hand with the 1500 grit pad to remove any rough spots. By the third coat the 3000 grit pad will provide a smooth surface. Send me a PM if you need more info/ have questions.
Dave
