Question About Shellac

[J.M.Browning]

I formulate my mixture to the specific piece- pieces, black walnut root ,sugar maple , hickory , western big leaf maple , burl redwood As you all know presentation is specific to every piece of wood . Something like a long rifle one piece of wood is fairly straightforward finish . The mixture I posted #18 I let sit for a minimum of 24 hours between first two applications & longer after the first two applications  might be several days . Once again my color - tint - stain is formulated in my finish . I hope this helps .

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

I use a 1# cut of dewaxed garnet flakes. Primarily because it works under nearly all finishes. On a stock I soak in the shellac and then scrape back to bare wood to apply the oil finish. This leaves the pores filled with shellac as well as providing good contact for the oil varnish.

[Gaeckle]

Getting back to other questions about shellac: can you apply dewaxed shellac over a finish like Tried and True? Currently I have about 6 coats on a stock and wonder if the shellac will penitrate the Tried and True, or am I wasting both time and shellac?

[bob in the woods]

Getting back to other questions about shellac: can you apply dewaxed shellac over a finish like Tried and True? Currently I have about 6 coats on a stock and wonder if the shellac will penitrate the Tried and True, or am I wasting both time and shellac?

I don't  believe that the shellac will penetrate the oil finish, however , it is my experience that shellac will stick to pretty much anything .

[Nordnecker]

Pholder- you might want to experiment with a lye wash to “even out the color”.

[Daryl]

This discussion about shellac makes me wonder on the finish of Taylor's Joseph Lang rifle. The finish, if looked at closely, has a myriad of tiny cracks. I suppose some form of shellac or
varnish. This is the rifle's "original" finish, btw. Unfortunately, the cracks do not show in the picture- but, shining times.