Advanced Hard Shellac Finish from Gore/Gilet

[yakka]

hi there
have tried the Advanced Hard Shellac method of finish on some guitars I was making (first go at finishing), and was not real happy with how i went. The results were OK but could do better. Anyway thought i would try again and give it a real crack.
I had a beautiful piece of gidgee from Curly timbers that i would try various ways of applying the finish and then sanding it to try and get a smooth finish.
after many sanding errors and reapplication of the Hard Shellac this is the results.
I followed the application method according to the Gore/Gilet books.
1, Fan over the work
2, Hard shellac/Acetone mix
3, old tee shirt for the application (could not find the cloth they recommended)
I only ever applied along grain (no figure 8s), each time i started i would spin the piece around so I started from the opposite corner.
After each coat i would wait 20/30 seconds and apply another coat.
After 8/10 coats wait 20 minutes and apply 10 more

I would wait 2 hours then try to level the finish with Micro mesh or 1200 w@d, wet with dishwashing liquid in it.
First go i went through the finish in some areas and had to apply more coats.
After each level (its not sanding just really light pressure, using sanding cork with some yoga mat between the paper and the cork), i applied more of the shellac.
When i decided there was enough shellac on the piece i then started with 1200, then fine micro mesh but was not getting the shine/polish I had been hoping for.
After some research I used tooth polish and wet rag and this polished the surface nicely but left fine swirls when looked at under a light and the piece was jiggled.
I then used flexible polishing fabric (3M Tri-M-Ite Flexible Polishing Fabric) in different grades to get those out and this was a lot of work.
The final and most pleasing result was
1. Get the finish as level a possible while applying the shellac
2. level with 1200 w&d wet with plenty of soap/liquid in the mix, I used circular and straight
motions at this stage.
3. now use 3000 w&d wet with plenty of soap/liquid in the mix, only straight motions along the
grain
4. then the polishing fabrics in succession Pink, Mint, Pale Green wet with plenty of soap/liquid
in the mix, only straight along the grain.
From final application of around 10/15 coats of shellac to all the levelling and polishing was 2 days, so once experienced at this method and in warmer weather it seems as though this method is pretty quick.
next step would be a buffing wheel if you have one, you can probably miss out some of the stages as well making it quicker.
white volume section 19.6 has all the info

regards
Yakka

[lamanoditrento]

My first go at this method didn't go well either. I think I was working too wet and I ended up with drips and messes in place. But it did fill all the pores and enough finish to level. I then reverted to a slower Robbie O'Brien method but got a good result.

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[Kamusur]

Gee that's a pretty nice job with the finish Trent.

Steve

[lamanoditrento]

Gee that's a pretty nice job with the finish Trent.

Thanks Steve, I will be happy if I can ever get it strung up

[Steve.Toscano]

This one below was my first full body hard shellac finish.
Trick i found was to let the finish harden for a good ~6 weeks before hitting it with the micro mesh. I final buffed with the micro mesh liquid polish.