amber shellac on pine anyone tried this?

Mike Gager

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Topeka KS
i have a chair i made using low grade "knotty" pine. i think its actually white pine or something, its the cheap stuff at home depot. anyways im at a loss to how to finish it and ive been thinking about just leaving it natural and putting on some polycrylic or maybe trying some amber shellac. i read an article saying it was a good way to go for pine but ive never used it. was wondering what you guys thought and maybe someone would have a picture of a finished project using the shellac?
 
A sealer coat of 2# shellac is almost always my first coat of choice. I did our entire bedroom set in #2 pine and the shellac helps even the tone, gives it a nice 'aged' look, and is very easy to sand. I normally follow with several coats of a wipe on poly.
 
Mike,
Our kitchen is knotty pine finished with amber shellac. Think '50's knotty pine and that's what you'll get. It goes somewhat (ok very) orange as it ages. I like it, but some don't. If you want more of a "red/brown" color buttonlac will give you that. Of course this is all without doing anything else prior to finishing such as dye or stain.

FWIW,
Wes
 
Slap some of your shellac on some scrap and see if you like it or not. Only issue I've had with amber or darker shellac is uneven color if you're not careful getting it on evenly.
 
As you can see, this is a utilitarian piece to hold newspapers, mail, and feet. It is recovered pine, finished with amber shellac, and then covered with polycrylic. The box jointed boxes tilt out for access, and I don't think they were as blotchy as this photo makes them look. I paid a bit more attention to the top as I finished it, since that's really what you see, and it's not blotchy at all.

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well you know that looks really nice but now im not sure if its exactly the color im looking for. :doh:

i have some pics of the chair i made but i toook them with my camera phone so the quality isnt great. maybe you guys could give me some suggestions for an easy to apply finish? the chair has a lot of nooks and crannies that i think would be hard to apply stain to so something easy is a definite plus. im not opposed to leaving it natural also if you guys think that would be ok
 

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I second the seal coat of amber shellac - the premixed stuff is generally a 3 lb cut. Thin it with denatured alcohol. A 3 lb cut means there are 3 lb's of shellac flakes for every gallon of alcohol. 2 lb cut meand 2 lb's of flakes for every gallon, and so on. I usually seal coat with 1-1/2 lb cut. With softer woods, it may soak in and may require a 2nd coat to give even coloring.
Shellac is really a nice product, and i use it a lot. It does, however, absorb moisture and water. It's a really good idea to let it dry overnight, then protect it with either varnish or poly. Someone recommended wipe-on poly. That's a great choice, but it does build up slowly and may require more passes than the thicker, brush on stuff. The wipe on is easier to control, however, making a blemish free finish much easier to arrive at.

Paul Hubbman
 
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