cleaning up shellac runs

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ttalma

ttalma

Well-known member
I finished my chair last night, and while inspecting it in he sunlight I found one small run that I had missed while applying the shellac. Fortunatly it will be covered by upholstry, so I'm not going to worry about it.

But what method do all of you use to fix a run or other mistakes when using shellac?
 
If I have a significantly thick run, I shave it with a freshly sharpened chisel or scrape it with a thin freshly sharpened cabinet scraper. Then I recoat the area by rubbing/polishing several times. It may not be possible to completely blend in the surroundings and elininate all traces of the run, but often only you and no-one else will notice it.
You mentioned this was on a chair. Runs are most noticeble on flat surfaces and may not be noticeable to anyone other than yourself on the multi-facetted surfaces of a chair. Consider rubbing the area with 0000 steel wool and waxing to see if it's less noticeable. If not you can take off the wax with some mineral spirits and try the shaving/scraping techniques.

Howard Steier
 
Sindle edge razor blades make great "scrapers" to level out runs in most any finish.  Large softer spots can be lifted by running the blade under the run.
 
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