Shellac under a stain?

[Andy123]

I know a guy who does a lot of timber based work (furniture, small sculpture etc) and sought his advice on finishing a kit. He said if it were him he would use white shellac instead of a grain filler, so that it formed a nice even base to lay the stain down on. This goes against almost everything I've seen on this forum.

Wouldn't a shellacked surface prevent the stain from soaking into the wood?
Even if the stain dried nicely on top, would the shellac affect it's colour?
I've no idea of the cost involved - would it make the whole thing more expensive?

[Simon Barden]

My thoughts are that the shellac would prevent the wood taking the stain, though the shellac itself might. You can apparently stain white shellac with an aniline dye, so you could do an all-in-one sealer. But I've no idea if it's any better at levelling the surface than standard grain filler.

You could get some and try it out. Ready-prepared shellac apparently doesn't last long after opening, and even unopened in the tin/bottle you can't store it for too long. So don't buy a big bottle thinking that you'll use it on another project in a few months. Just the smallest bottle you can get away with.

It's normally mentioned as going on over bare or stained wood but apparently you can stain white shellac. But you'd probably get a different finish to directly staining the wood. Your guy probably wants a more even finish and less grain prominence, whereas you normally want to highlight the wood grain on a guitar if going with a clear/translucent finish.

But you'll certainly need to put other coats of something over the top, as apparently the dye doesn't stick to the shellac that well.

[ozzbike]

I know a guy who does a lot of timber based work (furniture, small sculpture etc) and sought his advice on finishing a kit. He said if it were him he would use white shellac instead of a grain filler, so that it formed a nice even base to lay the stain down on. This goes against almost everything I've seen on this forum.

Wouldn't a shellacked surface prevent the stain from soaking into the wood?
Even if the stain dried nicely on top, would the shellac affect it's colour?
I've no idea of the cost involved - would it make the whole thing more expensive?

Andy...NO. Shellac is exactly what sanding sealer is...mostly.

I helps even out the colour so that end grain does not look darker and soak up too much stain. If you sand to say 180 grit....pore fill with timbermate.....then sand to 240 grit. Then wipe or blow off dust.....up to three coats of a shellac all over. Let it dry for a few hours and then stain away.

Honestly it makes using water based stains so much easier and helps stop blotches.

Shellac...I make my own fresh each build. The flakes from the green shed are mixed with methylated spirits and allowed to dissolve overnight. I apply it with small pieces of cloth....and it dries really quickly due to the methylated spirits.

I use a lot of alcohol based stains....and the shellac really helps stop blotching....and when I burst finish.....the join lines are easier to feather out.

Overall....yes it does effect the colour. In a great way by helping keep it uniform....same on the top, back sides and I believe it helps show the grain in the wood.

I have had no issues with dyes or stains going on over the shellac and filling in and staying put.....just don't put much more than three coats on.....I usually just do 2.

[Tweaky]

The operative words in this whole conversation is 'With WATER based stains'.
It will work with water based stains,but Shellac uses Alcohol as a base, so if using Alcohol based stains it could end it tears.

Also water will cloud shellac, not a problem if you are only using shellac as a base coat, but if the rest of your guitar is shellac finished, and water gets onto it, it will cause spotting of the finish.