Found a trick for getting rid of those tiny air bubbles in shellac

I've been fighting with pinholes in my shellac finishes for years. Tried thinning it more, tried different brushes, nothing worked great. Then an old timer at a hardware store in Columbus told me to warm the shellac up by putting the can in a pot of hot water for 15 minutes before using it. He said cold shellac traps air. I tried it on a walnut desk I was finishing last weekend and I'll be darned if it didn't work almost perfectly. Anyone else do this or got another trick for bubbles?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_park765h ago

Have you tried letting the shellac sit for a few minutes after warming to let even the last bit of trapped air settle out? I've found that giving it a gentle stir after the hot water bath helps too, then letting it rest again before you dip your brush. That double step gave me the smoothest finish I've ever gotten on an old oak table I was working on.

amy9754h ago

Gotta disagree with you there. I've messed up more finishes by overcomplicating shellac than by just mixing it and slapping it on. All that standing and stirring introduces more dust and junk into the mix than it saves you from bubbles. Half the time I see people fussing with warm water baths they end up with shellac that's too thin or starts kicking off weird because they let it sit too long. If you just brush it on quick with a decent quality brush and don't overwork it, those tiny bubbles pop on their own anyway.