Les Palt (LP-1SSL)

[dingobass]

Thats weird.. Never had that happen..
Wonder if it is caused by water in your Shellac mix?
I will ask a few old timers I know to see if they have an answer for you..

[ozbird]

Thats weird.. Never had that happen..
Wonder if it is caused by water in your Shellac mix?
I will ask a few old timers I know to see if they have an answer for you..

Thanks, Dingo.

I've tried varying the "cut" of the shellac, but without any noticeable effect.

"Rubbing" levels out the worst of the bubbles, but it will need many "layers" (shellac on, shellac off) to fix the problem.

If the problem is purely temperature-related: (i.e. heat dries the shellac skin before the ethanol can escape),
I guess I can wait until winter for a "final coat."

If it's purely a finish problem, I guess now is the time to glue in the neck... "How hard can it be?!"

[ozbird]

Too hot (summer) and too thick seems to be the answer.

I removed most of the bubbled shellac by painting on metho, waiting a bit, then wiping off the goop with a rag. A scraper blade can help remove bulk goop on the back (flat), but can "relic" the finish. When the bulk goop was removed, I used a mouse sander with the finest grit (P240) to smooth out any rough patches. Cleaning the sandpaper frequently to remove the shellac dust is a good idea, before it "blobs" and scratches the surface.

I think at that point I painted on some metho to dissolve any remaining bits of goop, but didn't wipe it off; it looked pretty good apart from a couple of dull patches.

My new plan is:
* paint on a single layer of shellac with a foam brush, and let dry.
* paint on some metho to smooth out the shellac (ridge lines, touch up defects etc.)
* sand it back with wet 'n' dry to knock off the ridges (no overall build up - fill the valleys.)
* repeat
* Ideally, cut 'n' polish back with Micromesh pads (1500-12000).

I'm glad that I applied the "white" shellac to the spalted maple front first; any runs of garnet shellac can be carefully sanded off without damaging the veneer. (I may need to apply some more coats to play it safe.)

Getting there!

[Wayne.Mumford]

Looking good Ozbird.

[ozbird]

It has been a while since my last post, but I've been experimenting with ways to get a decent shellac finish.

My current experiment: a mouth atomizer.

It's not perfect, but with practice you can apply a neat coat of shellac without the streaks/ridges of brush/pad application.

[Andy40]

Intriguing......maybe a tutorial for us sometime?

By the way, welcome back Ozbird

[stan]

i agree with the assessment of to warm a day and too thick a finish - had this exact thing happen to me using acrylic clear. I also think is may have something to do with the colour beneath being heat affected, or even the moisture in the timber surfacing on a hot day