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I would like to put a coat of shellac on a set of wood so I can shoot some photos of it for a prospective client.

I've tried the naptha route and it just evaporates too quick to get multiple photos.

So.... if I coat the wood with shellac will it make a mess of things when I run it through my thickness sander later?

Thanks

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

I'm guessing it would gum up the sander pretty bad, but I haven't done it. Maybe if you use alot of alcohol, and a little shellac??? For pictures I wet stuff with mineral spirits. It won't dry as quickly. Someone smarter than me may have a reason not to use mineral spirits though.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

It doesn't bother mine....an old woodmaster drum sander with 80 grit on it.

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

Works fine for me, with well-cured shellac, if the grit on the sander isn't too fine.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Pat - is 120 too fine?

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

Paul, I think 120 is to fine for any reason on a thichness sander. I don't ever put anything finer than 80 grit on mine.

Water will work fine too to show wood grain and features. Mist it with water, take your pictures, let it dry then sand away.

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Wouldn't getting the wood that wet introduce the possibility of warping?

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

Shellac sands just fine by hand, I would think that a drum sander won't be much different. Just a week ago, I got out some quilted maple and misted it with DI water to show a visitor the nice figure. It did not warp - and maple is as unstable as anything when highly figured, I believe. Now, maybe I got lucky, but I really don't think it will be a problem.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I don't think shellac would be a problem when sanding.The glue joint would be more of a concern than the shellac.

Paul,

I'm with Rod on grit, though once in a great while I use 120, but I wouldn't use it with shellac.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Naphtha evaporates very quickly, I do it all the time either to shoot pics and see how the piece would look under finish, or simply clean. Shellac will gum up your sandpaper, the drum in the sander spins fast, generates heat and will melt the shellac. Best and fastest way to remove any finish is with a sharp scraper IMHO.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Sometimes the simplest solutions escape me.

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

A light coat of isopropyl alcohol will remove shellac very simply. I used 4-0 steel wool to persuade the worst spots on a nasty shellac finish I recently removed from a D-28. Most of it came off very easily with a rag.

Mineral spirits will work to highlight grain, and it dries off only after a few minutes.