Shellac under Chambers Oil Finish

[Yancey von Yeast]

Hello,

This may have been covered already, but here is a question. Has anyone tried using shellac to fill the grain under Chambers Traditional Oil finish on American walnut?

Thanks,
Yancey

[Acer Saccharum]

I usually seal maple with shellac, then oil. Walnut, I have not sealed with shellac, but I don't see why not. Rub it on like French polish(look up YouTube), across the grain, and the shellac would fill the pores.

I've done Lin-Speed on a more modern walnut stock, but that was many coats, with wet oil sanding in between to slowly fill the grain while removing the surface build-up of finish. Laborious, but beautiful. Impossible to finish carving in this way.

[FDR]

Yes you can either maple or walnut! Correctly done it is equal to the best London oil finish.

[bob in the woods]

I've done it, but make absolutely certain that the shellac has dried completely. i.e. all the volatiles have off gassed.  [ Not certain as to what shellac you're using ...so had to put that in    ]    I saw a gun at the range that had small bubbles under the oil finish . Since the fellow used a shellac sealer, I'm guessing that was the cause.

[Dennis Glazener]

This may have been covered already, but here is a question. Has anyone tried using shellac to fill the grain under Chambers Traditional Oil finish on American walnut?

I have not tried shellac, might be great but having tried to fill walnut grain with other wood finishes i.e. oils, varnishes etc I recommend that you try a wood filler made for that purpose. I prefer black but you can get it in any color you want. Chambers carries a black filler that I use. It does a great job, is only $5 and easily enough for 2 gun stocks, maybe more. Other places carry a white that can be tinted to any color you want.
Dennis

[T*O*F]

I usually wet sand walnut using copious amounts of the oil and use the resulting slurry as a grain filler.  Then wipe it off across the grain while the oil is still wet.  Alternatively, you can do the same thing using water, but let it dry and then buff it cross grain with burlap.

[tallbear]

I use a coat of seed lac under almost all my finishes(Jim Chambers,Tried and True....) .Any issues with shellac under a finish probably is'nt drying time(it dries almost instantly) it's most likely old shellac.Shellac absorbs water from the air and should never be used if more than six months old  as it won't dry properly.There is no telling how old that premixed can of shellac is on the hardware store shelf!! I mix my own from dried Lac in small batches and toss it after a couple of months or so.

Mitch

[longcruise]

I just picked up a can of zinnser bullseye and noticed that they advise against using it as a dealer under oil.  Also noticed They sell a Product specifically for use as a dealer.  I've used it, however, on walnut and beech with good results under Tru Oil.  Maybe too many users were NOT doing as Dennis suggested!

[longcruise]

"Dealer".  Dang phone!

[PPatch]

"sealer." yeah, dang that phone. 

(mine does that too...)

dave

[WadePatton]

I use a coat of seed lac under almost all my finishes(Jim Chambers,Tried and True....) .Any issues with shellac under a finish probably is'nt drying time(it dries almost instantly) it's most likely old shellac.Shellac absorbs water from the air and should never be used if more than six months old  as it won't dry properly.There is no telling how old that premixed can of shellac is on the hardware store shelf!! I mix my own from dried Lac in small batches and toss it after a couple of months or so.

Mitch

As a new user of shellac, thanks for the reminder.  I'll date my cans and source up some flakes. Note I'm using it for other things mostly. 

[tallbear]

Wade

A great source for all things shellac http://www.shellac.net/

Mitch

[Yancey von Yeast]

Thanks to all for the tips. Some great information!

Yancey

[Eric Krewson]

Slightly off topic but I used Birchwood Casey walnut sealer under Chambers oil finish with great results. I put on a bunch of coats of the sealer, sanded it off to bare wood (the pores were filled) and applied 5 thin coats the Chambers oil finish.

I thought it came out really nice.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

 I use a 1# cut of dewaxed garnet shellac ... 2 coats then sand or scrape back to bare wood, leaving the pores filled..... burnish the shellacked wood thoroughly with a crumpled up paper bag and a smooth antler tip for hard to reach areas.... do it fast to warm the shellac... you will not need to do any whiskering after burnishing shellac.  Apply the Chambers Oil Varnish....  

[Daryl]

This is simply True Oil, only. Filled and sanded back (several times to ensure filling) to the top surface with 1500grit wet/dry paper, thin extra 3 coats, then polished with a rouge paste.

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