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Shellac as a turning finish?

R

Ron Kaplan

Joined
Mar 3, 2010
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Location
San Marcos, CA (North San Diego)
I do not often hear people talking about using shellac as a finish. i know it is used as an sealer and undercoat, but does anyone use it like a french polish finish? Are there negatives about shellac as a finish or are there just better alternatives?

Thanks
 
Guess you'd have to call it a dish. Soft maple and about seven inches, as memory serves. One of those firewood projects you do because you want to turn and there's nothing else ready. I call them "unnatural" edge pieces, because it's the act of splitting for firewood that shows me what's nice.

I use a 1# cut normally, and either grape or olive oil as a lube when a lube becomes necessary. Low viscosity and non-curing oils I can clear from the surface with a soft cloth.
 
Hi there Ron, I have used it as a sort of sealer / polish if mixed with
1/3 BLO, 1/3 meths, wipe on wipe off method, it seems to give a fairly hard finish, but it's a case of horses for courses & depends what timber you are working. Like others I would use more for show pieces as opposed to utility pieces
 
Ron I seal most of my turning with Shellac and then depending on if it's for me or others... For me I ususally put 3 coast of shellac and then smooth with 400 and then one more coat. Then a couple layers of a parafin wax/linseed oil/turpentine/carnauba wax. buff it out. I like the way it feels and looks. The down side is, it doesn't holds up well around liquid.
 
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