zinsser amber shellac then behlen's?

[Matt Schnurbusch]

I hope so cuz I just applied a coat of Zinsser Amber "Traditional Finish & Sealer" over oak. Next step hopefully is to apply several coats of Behlen's Rockhard over the Shellac.

Three questions:

I have a couple little brush lap marks. Should I try to even them out with something?
How much darker am I going to get with subsequent coats of shellac?
Can I apply Varnish (Behlens) over the shellac that I used? The can says not to use under poly, but Behlen's is Varnish.

 

[McRabbet]

If you had followed the directions on the Rockhard varnish, you would have seen that they recommend sealing with a 50% cut with their Reducer (mineral spirits will work as well) and then continue with subsequent coats. I suspect you will be okay with the Varnish over the shellac, but I'll echo what Howard Acheson says in nearly every post of his "always try out your finish mixtures on some scrap wood to test the results." It is never too late to do that now -- don't experiment on your finished project!

 

[Matt Schnurbusch]

I do follow the instructions on the can, however this product does not impart a great deal of color. When it comes time to apply the varnish I will follow the instructions on the can as far as cutting it.

I made 5 or 6 stain samples on scrap so my SIL could choose what color she wanted. My mistake was in not fully reading/understanding the can of shellac. I have used Behlen's before over stain and it comes out nice. My questions were answered by tech support and my worries were unfounded. Applying Behlen's over top of the shellac is not an issue.

 

[nelsone]

If the shellac is de-waxed, you should be fine. I know Zinsser's Seal Coat is de-waxed, but I think a lot of their product is not. See if it says on the can if it can be top coated. Wax will be your most likely enemy.

 

[Matt Schnurbusch]

The can does not say anywhere on it whether or not it is dewaxed. That's what got me bunched up in a wad.

I called the woodcraft technical support line, and was told that since Behlen's is a varnish and not a poly, I would be fine.

 

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> The can does not say anywhere on it whether or not it is dewaxed. That's what got me bunched up in a wad.

Dewaxed or not is only important if you are over coating with a poly varnish or a waterborne finish. Behlen's is a standard oil based non-poly varnish so it will work over the shellac you used.

Let me say this though, Behlen's Rockhard is made with a phenolic resin. Phenolic resin imparts a quite dark amber color so starting with shellac was probably not necessary.