Stain on shellac?

Hi Florian) how many coats of shellac? what kind of wood? and what is the colour of stain? and this kind of trying hurt… are you willing to put stain on the  project with lots of  components? the reason is shellac should work as a wash coat but stain will not go deep enough in the wood, when you going to send between coats you have to sand very carefully to prevent of  sending  colour , and if you don’t like the colour you have to strip everything.Well its good to try on peace of wood but on the whole project its unpredictable))

BTW, shellac isn’t difficult to strip if necessary.  Denatured alcohol and perhaps a plastic scraper followed by some light sanding so do the trick.

Florian,

Yes, check out dyes as an alternative to stains in order to maintain some transparency.  When I want to color my wood (other than painting) I mixed an alcohol soluble dye with shellac.  I’ve used different ones but prefer Homestead Finishings Transtints.

http://www.homesteadfinishingproducts.com/htdocs/TransTint.htm

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodnews/march_2006/alan_noel_march.html

A) Is it possible to apply finish to some interior parts before glueing up? Yes, you can put finish on before glue-up, but be careful to not get finish on the areas where you want to apply glue. The glue will not adhere to the finish. Either be really careful or apply painter’s tape to the areas where you don’t want finish and just be careful.

B) I would put some wax on it as a final step. Would you go for a coat of shellac prior to waxing or would you consider this a bad idea? Don’t put the wax on prior to the shellac. The shellac will not adhere to the wax. Waxing over a few coats of shellac is a good way to add a warm, satin look and feel to a shellac finish. Just be sure to give the shellac and reasonable time to cure. It takes a pretty good while for it to become fully cured but I’d wait a day or two if I had the time.

Also, I’d apply at least two, and more frequently three or four coats of shellac, applying the wax. I lightly sand between coats with a maroon scotch bright pad. You can also use 0000 steel wool if you’re not using the water based finishes. You’re only trying to level any rough spots in the shellac finish and remove the sheen. Try to not sand through the entire coat of shellac. The idea is to build up a nice, smooth surface prior to applying the wax.

Yes, I would apply at least two and maybe three. The stain (as long as it’s not one of the stain/finish mixtures) doesn’t affect how much finish to apply. I’d apply two and see how it looks. If satisfied, you could let it go at that. I’d apply a 2 to 3 lb cut of shellac. The 2 lb is what I apply. If you’re using a ready mix, such as Zinsser’s, it’s good right out of the can. I’ve read where Zinsser’s is a 2 lb cut. A 2 lb cut is a good compromise between getting enough shellac on the project and being easy to apply without problems.

Here are some good articles on finishing by Jeff Jewitt. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th articles tell you alot about applying and rubbing out shellac.
http://www.homesteadfinishingproducts.com/htdocs/articles.htm

Florian

For pine I buy the ready mixed shellac sanding sealer. Used under a waxed finnish I give it three coats, used before stain, I only use one coat. Works great. 😉