How to achieve this look - shellac?

[Turnaround]

You can slow down the drying a little, and improve brushabiliyy of shellac by adding a few drops of lavender /spike oil into the shellac.

Or a bit of pure gum turpentine (about one teaspoon per 4 oz. of shellac) will slow drying time to make it more amenable to brushing.

 

[petermwright]

If you are going to apply lacquer over the shellac, use de-waxed shellac.

Thanks - are there any other considerations with choosing whether to use de-waxed shellac?

 

[Turnaround]

Thanks - are there any other considerations with choosing whether to use de-waxed shellac?

Water-based finishes do not do well over shellac that has not been de-waxed. In fact I would only used de-wawed shellac under any other finish. Zinsser's "Seal Coat" is de-waxed, but their "Bull's Eye" is not.

 

[petermwright]

Water-based finishes do not do well over shellac that has not been de-waxed. In fact I would only used de-wawed shellac under any other finish. Zinsser's "Seal Coat" is de-waxed, but their "Bull's Eye" is not.

Ok, so if I want to put another finish on top then it should be de-waxed. If I don’t decide to put another finish on top then is it better not to use de-waxed? Or is there no disadvantage to using it?

 

[RSBBass]

If you are concerned about durability, people have used additives like sanderlac to get a harder finish. Violin folks go nuts with special mixtures.

 

[Turnaround]

Ok, so if I want to put another finish on top then it should be de-waxed. If I don’t decide to put another finish on top then is it better not to use de-waxed? Or is there no disadvantage to using it?

I have not found any reason to use shellac that contains wax. I have found reason to not use shellac that has not been de-waxed. If there is to be no top coat of another finish, I see no reason to prefer one over the other.

 

[boxerrider]

I used de-waxed, and mix my own. I have had problems with stuff that comes in a bucket. If that's what you use, then learn their date-coding system and make sure what you buy is fairly fresh.

 

[byacey]

If you are concerned about durability, people have used additives like sanderlac to get a harder finish. Violin folks go nuts with special mixtures.

It's actually Sandarac resin. It is a hard resin, and some varieties of Copal, as well.

 

[Novarocker]

Get de waxed shellac flakes and mix it with everclear. Denatured alcohol can have ugly stuff in it.

I did an entire vintage trailer interior that I rebuilt.

I wanna say I used IPA. Have you used that, any comparison to the everclear?

 

[byacey]

I wanna say I used IPA. Have you used that, any comparison to the everclear?

Another product is Polish made Spiritus. It's about 96% ABV.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Shellac rules because it is VOC free and you don’t need a respirator or even gloves if you work neat. I could do 5-6 coats on an 8’ x4’ panel of ply in an afternoon. While doing other biz like cooking

 

[boxerrider]

I use denatured alcohol and have been ok so far. It's mostly methanol, although there is no telling what else might be in the mix.
At the volume you need for a bass, pure grain ethyl alcohol from the liquor store may be feasible. A few gallons at a time, it was not for me.

 

[petermwright]

In the UK, I’m finding it hard to find anything that describes itself as ‘amber’ shellac. I’m finding plenty of ‘button’, ‘blonde’ and some ‘lemon’ and ‘orange’.

 

[MonetBass]

Have you considered using an oil-based polyurethane? That would be easy to apply (either wipe-on or spray-on) and would give you some amber color.

 

[Turnaround]

In the UK, I’m finding it hard to find anything that describes itself as ‘amber’ shellac. I’m finding plenty of ‘button’, ‘blonde’ and some ‘lemon’ and ‘orange’.

Orange is the equivalent of amber. I always knew it as orange shellac, but I think the marketers wanted to make it sound sexier.

 

[petermwright]

Orange is the equivalent of amber. I always knew it as orange shellac, but I think the marketers wanted to make it sound sexier.

Thanks, that's good to know.

 

[petermwright]

Ok, so I've started this build, and have a bit of a dilemma regarding the body finish. The body is alder, and is actually quite dark, which I wasn't expecting (my previous experience with alder was stripping and refinishing a Fender, and the wood was lighter than this). I have some shellac, which I have used on a test piece, and with just one coat, it comes up quite dark (see picture). At the top is the orange shellac, and at the bottom is transparent shellac. I've also tried some amber nitro, with similar results (albeit a bit more yellowy).

I'm not sure what to do. Should I bleach the wood? And if so, how? I'm reading that Fender do this (or have done this) with alder. This might explain why that Fender body I worked with before didn't look so dark.