Spray Can Shellac?

[mudbean]

Saw this at the local hardwarehouse store the other day - the Bulls Eye brand by Zinsser, I think - how does this stuff do for bodies?

I've been having a tough time with applying wipe on shellac smoothly.

mud

[ChicknPickn]

My experience with spraying shellac is that you get pebbling in the finish. You can sand this down, but spraying again tends to get the same results, even if you use a retarder. On the other hand, sanding and topcoating shellac with polyurethane works very well.

Wiping shellac can be frustrating, especially when you follow instructions for "classical" shellac application - - i.e., using a two-pound cut and applying with the traditional tampon of wool and linen.

There is another way to go about this that has worked much better for me than the instructions you usually see on furniture finishing discussion boards. Use fresh shellac from flakes, but mix a very light cut - - less than one pound. I have used 1/2 pound cuts with good results. Wipe using a pad of folded, 100% cotton linen. If you have old bed linens with a high thread count, that's perfect. Because you're using a mixture that is almost entirely alcohol, you can pretty much soak the pad before swiping across the work piece. The coat will dry very rapidly.

It's hard to resist applying another coat when it seems that the work piece is dry, but you'll get better results if you apply a coating and wait 20-30 minutes before reapplying. If you get "drag" when applying the pad, you know that you need to allow more time for drying between coats. Because you're using a very light mixture, it will take more applications to build up your finish. But I think you'll see that it's MUCH different applying 1/2 lb. shellac as compared to 2 lb.

[boris bubbanov]

The spray can shellac is not good enough value for money, IMO. I tolerate the same cost per can (slightly less) for lacquer but that stays on there. A lot of the shellac is just gonna be sanded back off. More important is the Bulls Eye rattle can just won't go on smooth enough. You can get just as good a result with Preval sprayers and flakes you blend with alcohol yourself. Or even the quart cans of Zinsser Bull's Eye if they are fresh.

[Mike Simpson]

Mix your own flakes and spray it through a preval sprayer.

Available at Home Depot, Ace, Lowes and most hardware stores for $5 to $7
http://www.prevalspraygun.com/


I won't use Zinser Bullseye shellac.

[appar111]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

The spray can shellac is not good enough value for money, IMO. I tolerate the same cost per can (slightly less) for lacquer but that stays on there. A lot of the shellac is just gonna be sanded back off. More important is the Bulls Eye rattle can just won't go on smooth enough. You can get just as good a result with Preval sprayers and flakes you blend with alcohol yourself. Or even the quart cans of Zinsser Bull's Eye if they are fresh.

I concur w/ Boris... I'll only use the rest of the can of spray shellac that I bought for wash coats, since most of it will be sanded back off anyway.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by Big Mike Simpson

Mix your own flakes and spray it through a preval sprayer.

Available at Home Depot, Ace, Lowes and most hardware stores for $5 to $7
http://www.prevalspraygun.com/

Y'know, I'm not afraid to announce my ignorance here, being a total noob to this very cool world of Tele finishing ... I've been seeing youse guys mention Preval sprayers ... just assumed (yup, there you go) that they were big, expensive PITA paint spraying systems, nasty to clean, yadda yadda - thanks to Mike's post, I now know that they are quite the opposite. Wow - I need to check these things out!

mud

[ChicknPickn]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Y'know, I'm not afraid to announce my ignorance here, being a total noob to this very cool world of Tele finishing ... I've been seeing youse guys mention Preval sprayers ... just assumed (yup, there you go) that they were big, expensive PITA paint spraying systems, nasty to clean, yadda yadda - thanks to Mike's post, I now know that they are quite the opposite. Wow - I need to check these things out!

mud

Yeah, they are pretty cool. Once you see how they work, you start getting lots of other ideas.

[jkingma]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Y'know, I'm not afraid to announce my ignorance here, being a total noob to this very cool world of Tele finishing ... I've been seeing youse guys mention Preval sprayers ... just assumed (yup, there you go) that they were big, expensive PITA paint spraying systems, nasty to clean, yadda yadda - thanks to Mike's post, I now know that they are quite the opposite. Wow - I need to check these things out!

mud

I always apply shellac with a preval. Great little things they are. And I mix my shellac from flakes. I never use the pre-mixed stuff.

[appar111]

Originally Posted by ChicknPickn

Yeah, they are pretty cool. Once you see how they work, you start getting lots of other ideas.

Everyone talks about how easy they are to get-- i.e. hardware stores, auto parts stores, etc. I can't find any place in Columbus, OH that knows what the heck I'm talking about when I mention Preval sprayers. The only ones that do know what I'm talking about say "nope, we've never carried them". Lowes, Home Depot, Advance Auto Parts, Auto Zone...

[jkingma]

Originally Posted by appar111

Everyone talks about how easy they are to get-- i.e. hardware stores, auto parts stores, etc. I can't find any place in Columbus, OH that knows what the heck I'm talking about when I mention Preval sprayers. The only ones that do know what I'm talking about say "nope, we've never carried them". Lowes, Home Depot, Advance Auto Parts, Auto Zone...

Stew-Mac

[Schizotronic]

I brush shellac, mainly as a washcoat for special see-thru finishes OR I brush like 6 or 7 times in a very old-fashioned, time consuming style when I refinish violins or cellos from bare wood. Keyword here in these cases: SOUND. For these classical instruments, shellac sounds beautifully. For solid body guitars, I found little difference between lacquer (nitro) and shellac, regarding sound.
I really do not recomend spraying shellac. Make yours from fresh flakes, try dewaxing the mixture and use a very good (the best you can afford) brush. Sand between each two or three coats. Closer to the last ones, you can sand between each one.
That's MY experience here in Brazil. Weather helps a lot in here.

[ChicknPickn]

Originally Posted by appar111

Everyone talks about how easy they are to get-- i.e. hardware stores, auto parts stores, etc. I can't find any place in Columbus, OH that knows what the heck I'm talking about when I mention Preval sprayers. The only ones that do know what I'm talking about say "nope, we've never carried them". Lowes, Home Depot, Advance Auto Parts, Auto Zone...

I've noticed that the distribution of Preval products is a little odd. Once you find a place that has them, buy plenty. In my neck of the woods, ACE Hardware seems to make the best effort to stock them reliably. Lowes has them occasionally. The auto parts places act as if they've never heard of them.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by ChicknPickn

I've noticed that the distribution of Preval products is a little odd. Once you find a place that has them, buy plenty. In my neck of the woods, ACE Hardware seems to make the best effort to stock them reliably. Lowes has them occasionally. The auto parts places act as if they've never heard of them.

Local Home Depot has them, sometimes Lowe's also.

Agreed, auto parts places look at you like you're asking for iridium.