# Shellac Finishes?



## Hypno Toad (Aug 1, 2009)

What would you guys say? Pros and Cons.

I'm quite exceptionally amateur when it comes to the field of finishing techniques. Is it possible to buff and polish a shellac surface without resorting to full on french polishing?

Is a shellac undercoat and a few layers of nitro top good for a high gloss finish? I don't really feel like barreling through 5 cans of nitro to get a sturdy, good looking body finish.


----------



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

i put together a pine esquire- i used shellac, one rattle can, to seal it- then 2 cans nitro clear.
it sprayed really well, and i had zero problems with it.
was zinserr bullseye shellac
i wasnt really interested in getting a full on glossy finish, so after levelling i just hand rubbed the nitro with a rag and some turtle wax car polish. its pretty shiny, but not overly so.
im sure i could shine it up more but im not interested really.
the shellac is a good sealer, and it handles pretty much any top coat well. the nitro grabbed hold of it really nice- zero issues with the whole finish.


----------



## Hypno Toad (Aug 1, 2009)

Fantastic, the esquire looks fairly glossy. I'm planning on doing the whole 9 yards with wet sanding, polishing, and waxing. Hopefully it will turn out nice.


----------



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

Hypno Toad said:


> Fantastic, the esquire looks fairly glossy. I'm planning on doing the whole 9 yards with wet sanding, polishing, and waxing. Hopefully it will turn out nice.


i used shellac because id heard it was a good sealer for pine- i dont see why it wouldnt be a good sealer coat for any other wood.
i think i spent no more than an hour with the levelling of the top coat and polishing- by hand.
im positive it would mirror up with a bit more effort.:smile:


----------



## Lab123 (May 27, 2007)

I use French Polish on all my guitars....I like the finish but find that it is not as durable as a nitro finish....I am not set up to do any spraying yet so I am happy with the French Polish.....Takes a total of 8-10 hrs to get the desired finish....Larry


----------



## Hypno Toad (Aug 1, 2009)

8-10 hours? I'll just avoid that then 

French polishing is sort of something that require a lot of practice, right? I think I'll just be using the shellac more as an undercoat. I think nitro might be a bit more resistant to pressure, but I think shellac is something that is better against the elements. Did a group project on a rowboat in highscool, and we finished it with shellac because it is water resistant and pretty hardy, always thought it was tougher than nitro.


----------



## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

I don't use rattle cans but from what I have read on the all knowing internet two cans is standard for a finish application. 

Don't forget that Fender also hyped a thin skin model...... 

But you basically want enough on so you have enough to play with when you start sanding and leveling the finish.


----------



## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I am French Polishing mine and I have 8 to 10 hours into it just grain filling. Have at least that much to go. It is the most beautiful finish I have done with a deep shine and is easily repaired. That being said, I would not recommend using it for an instrument that will be played in bars, as alcohol will mar the finish easily.


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Shellac is mostly for small grain wood such as Alder, maple. if you have Say Ash, Mohagany and such, i don't use it. you need a real good grain filler and then a good wood sealer, specialy if you are gonna take the Nitro Road.

If this is your first time wet sanding a buitar body, use at least 3 full cans of clear coat, it's your best bet...if you're not used to wet sanding and you only shoot 2 cans, you can end-up sanding trough the body VERY fast and you either hit the color or have to reshoot some clear and wait another 4 weeks to cure.


----------



## Lab123 (May 27, 2007)

Jim..The most important think with getting a good French Polish finish is having the wood sanded to a real nice finish and then use a good grain filler...I use Z-Poxy....Three coats ,light sanding to level everything and French Polish....I even tried Z-Poxy on the Spruce top on one guitar ( Even though it didn't need filling) and was amazed at how fast the top started to look good when I started the FP process....Larry


----------



## Hypno Toad (Aug 1, 2009)

Last time I used one of those spray cans, I think I was able to get 4-5 good coats out of one.

Read an article by one guy who used 40 layers of spray can lacquer to finish an old gibson sg  I think that might be a tad excessive?


----------



## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Lab123 said:


> Jim..The most important think with getting a good French Polish finish is having the wood sanded to a real nice finish and then use a good grain filler...I use Z-Poxy....Three coats ,light sanding to level everything and French Polish....I even tried Z-Poxy on the Spruce top on one guitar ( Even though it didn't need filling) and was amazed at how fast the top started to look good when I started the FP process....Larry


The body is ash (huge pores), and I successfully filled the grain with shellac, using 4F pumice. I enjoyed the process. I am doing it pretty much they used to do it 100 years ago. Besides, I find it a very relaxing thing to be doing. I worked on it a couple of hours a day, sitting in front of the TV. Once I get it all together to my satisfaction, it's all getting taken apart for the final coats. I don't think it will take too many, unless I get mesmerized by the shine that keeps building and building. lol


----------

