Thread: finishing scales?

Lacquer, shellac, or polyurethane should all work. I wouldn't use a sole oil blend, unless it's a phenolic resin/oil blend like most Tung oil mixtures are, because they're not well suited for repelling water and they can take a long time to fully dry unless you thin them with alcohol.

Shellac is hands down the most beautiful finish I have ever seen ---it doesn't shine really it glows. Shellac has gotten a bad rap as a not so durable and problematic finish -- mostly from its competitors in the polyurethane business. But if you use a high quality, wax free shellac a lot of the problems can be avoided and with a coating of wax it can be a fairly durable finish. By using "wax free" shellac you can avoid the whitish spots left by water ---which really isn't a problem as long as you don't let it stand for long. Shellac is also extremely easy to spot refinish or refinish in general --- it just melts into the previous layer of shellac -- you can't do this with varnishes (polyurethane, phenolic, etc) of any type as they just layer on top of the previous layer making spot refinished extremely difficult if not impossible. Shellac also dries extremely fast because of the alcohol used as a carrier/thinner --maybe 30 minutes -- you can easily complete a job in a few hours. Shellac also rubs out nice because you don't have to worry about sanding through and causing what I think are called " witness lines" as you do in varnishes .

With finishes it's usually a trade off between ease of application, ease of refinishing and durability. A simple oil (linseed or tung oil) finish is not very durable but is easy to apply and refinish or repair. Shellac is fairly easy to apply, fairly durable and easy to refinish. Varnishes like polyurethane are very durable , take some skill to apply, but can't be spot repaired well and sometimes are a pain in the ass to refinish in general as polyurethane does not like adhering to itself even --- and any traces of wax will cause absolute ruin in the refinishing job. What's commonly called Danish oils is usually a oil/varnish/thinner mixture with very little varnish (resins) so the finish is basically absorbed into the wood with very little surface finish --- they can usually be refinished fairly easy and are pretty durable.

I don't have much experience with lacquer but for many it is considered to be the best all around finish. It's beautiful for sure, it rubs out well, and can be spot repaired. I don't know how easy it is to apply or how overall durable it is --- but I think it's more than shellac but less than varnish.

Then there's all the the finishes that are sprayed and intended for professional use like catalyzed lacquers and varnishes and UV cured and two component polyurethanes --- but that's for someone else to talk about.

A little bit more on shellac: Shellac is probably the best seal coat you can use -- it will adhere to almost anything (especially the dewaxed versions) and is a good transitional layer from one type of finish to the next --- for refinishing jobs and if you just want to seal in contaminates like wax, etc. Shellac is also a good choice for coloring wood --- (the variations are limitless) --- in place of oil based or aniline dyes ---even if you plan on completing the finish with a varnish, etc.

Well hope this helps somebody for that's all I know.


Justin