I plan to make a wash coat of a mix of 1:1 shellac and alcohol and apply over pine. Then apply a penetrating stain and a topcoat. This is for a TV stand that I am making.
So the questions are:
Is this a OK mix & procedure? (I have been experimenting with Zinsser Amber Shellac and I like the results).
The shellac as it comes out of the can from zinsser is too thick to put down a seal coat. The short answer on a good mix is make it thin almost like water. You want the shellac to penetrate to the max. After you apply the first thin coat of sealer, let it completely dry. I like to go over the seal coat with 3M pads or steel wool 0000 to get it slick. If it feels like you went thru the base coat, apply another coat. As a rule I don't use amber tones for the seal coat. As you can imagine you get some variation where you went thru the thin coat. Zinsser makes a product they call "Seal Coat shellac" and it is dewaxed. Its very clear. I don't know if I would run out and get another quart can if I was only doing one project I guess I'd just work with the amber to make it work. Bottom Line: you can not go to thin. Streaking in the initial coat happens much more often when you are too thick.
What topcoat should I use or can I stay with the Amber Shellac?[/QUOTE]
TV stands do not get a ton of abuse. If you like the results(color and texture of the shellac), stay with the shellac. If you want a super tough topcoat you can apply varnish over shellac provided the shellac base was a "dewaxed solution" mix.
Then apply a penetrating stain and a topcoat.
If you apply the shellac as a sealer and you do a good job, the penetrating stain WILL NOT penetrate. You can use it to tone the surface but the shellac will prevent the stain from reaching the wood. The stain will lay on top of the sealer. This is not a bad thing as it will prevent blotching that you will find when coloring pine quite often. Once the stain dries you need to put a top coat of shellac on the stain surface. If you use an oil stain and you want to apply something like polyurethane you must seal the stain or you will have a mess that you won't like. Trust me here.
A word of caution: Don't apply shellac like you would oil based varnish. Do not brush back and forth. One pass and let it dry. Overlap each pass about an inch.
There is an enormous range of preferences from users on the forum on what to use to apply the shellac to the surface. Many have found the foam brush to be a good choice and they are cheap. With this method you are throwing them away after each use.
I like to use natural bristle brush that I have found to be the best brush on results. They are expensive but they have advantages synthetic brushes don't offer.
Like lacquer, shellac reactivates each time you apply a coat and the brush is easily prepared unlike varnish. I rinse my brush after each use in dna and let it dry with some residual shellac on the brush. Before I use it again, I let it soak for a few minutes in DNA and its ready to use. I have 2 brushes that I have been using for over 3 years and they perform like the day I bought them.
Dan