# Has anyone done a shellac finish on a guitar?



## capnjim

So i was lucky enough to have got one of Krall's les paul jr's. it was painted a horrible nail polish red.
I am in the process of stripping off the red. 
I have done lots of furniture re-finishing and usually use Polyurethane. 
I was also thinking just an oil finish. 
But, I wouldn't mind a nice shiny guitar-like finish.
i was thinking about shellac.
Has anyone ever used shellac on a guitar?
Here's a before and after pic.


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## flyswatter

I stripped and shellaced my old MIJ Tele last year after the original thin poly finish kept falling off in jagged chunks (which made it look like an embarrassingly bad relic job).

Easiest finish in the world to do. The shellac is non-toxic (smell like apple cider) and cleans up with methyl alcohol. You can rub or brush it on. Takes about 24 hours to cure, then you can light sand with emory paper and go for another coat. The more coats, the more durable and glossy finish you'll get (i.e. French polishing).

In my case, I just wanted a basic raw look to protect the guitar, so I went 2 or 3 coats and left it at that.

It wont protect against scratches and dings as well as other finishes, but if you don't mind the guitar taking on a bit of natural wear and tear, it's a great way to go.


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## capnjim

Thanks. I'm going to use Shellac or I might use Tru-oil. I have never done shellac before, but I have done Tru-oil and its also super easy. Just wipe it on.


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## nnieman

Shellac isn't any harder than tru oil to apply.

I like to mix my own form flakes (either from lee valley or woodessence).
You can also use shellac as a topcoat over colour coat, the amber/orange stuff makes a great looking vintage tint.

Nathan


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## nnieman

Fyi almost every finish before ww2 was shellac, done via French polish.
When the war broke out and most skilled workers were gone than spraying laquer took over , plus DuPont was making all kinds of cool colours.


Orange shellac to match an aged finish (1930s, 40s)





Epi sg 400 I stripped the damaged cherry finish (poly with a red dye) and then refinished with shellac.

Nathan


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## capnjim

Well...the red just won't go away. I will not take a heavy sandpaper to a '58 Gibson....oh well.
It looks like a well played 60 yr old geetar.
The neck grain is stunning....well worth the effort of stripping off the nail polish. 
I think some of the original finish was there, but it reacted with the new red paint.
I like it! A few coats of Tru Oil and she will be ready to rock. I never liked pretty new guitars anyways.


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## nnieman

That doesn't look bad at all, I'd rock it!

If you really wanted to even it out you could apply dye on top of whats there, either more red (to even it out) or brown (to minimize the red).

That's your call, I'd probably use it as is

Nathan


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## capnjim

Thanks Nathan....I was actually considering adding a bit of dark stain as it is very very red.....
I'll have to try a small area.
Cheers


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## Jim DaddyO

For a nice French Polish I used the method at Steve's guitar making on You Tube. 




The last 3 in the list is the finishing. I did not do the neck, I went with Tru-oil by Birchwood Casey for a more durable, flat finish that feels good and wears well (but I did FP the headstock).

When using dye on wood, wet the wood with water first to control blotching. I used powdered aniline dye from LV and mixed it a little light, you can always add more as you go.


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