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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on January 21, 2018 at 9:26am

Myself, I put on a coat of finish first thing to avoid stains from finger grease, bbq sauce, spilled coffee, etc. because I'm sometime not as fastidious as I could be. Or, as my wife puts it, I'm a slob.  :D

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Permalink Reply by Paul W. McGuire on January 21, 2018 at 9:38am

That’s what I as thinking, a couple of thin coats just to protect the wood.  I would hate to have a oily fingerprint that showed thru the finish.  But on a Facebook page of CBG owners and builders they recommend to do your work then varnish.  I’m going to varnish first.  They also recommend using this varnish.  What do you think?

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Permalink Reply by rob muller on January 21, 2018 at 9:55am

I think the general thread is pretty good, seal things before they can get gummed up. Just a word about your chosen finish material - it isn't varnish. Shellac, if I remember grade 8 shop class correctly, will seal the wood all right but if you don't put a true varnish over it it will be sticky and turn white if it gets wet (sweat etc). Shellac is especially good at stopping pigment from knots etc. from bleeding through. And as the lable says it will also tint your work an amber colour. Hope my two cents (that's three cents Canadian money) is of some use.

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Permalink Reply by Paul W. McGuire on January 21, 2018 at 10:11am

Like this?

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on January 21, 2018 at 10:22am

I don't have any experience with shellac, I use a few coats of satin spray-on poly for everything, usually sprayed on thick then wiped off but I'm going for a functional beer-proof finish on my builds for now, not anything particularly beautiful. Someday when my building skill goes up I'll explore other finishes.

I'm sure we have some finishing experts here that can help you out though.

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Permalink Reply by Milt Haselmire on January 21, 2018 at 12:52pm

Shellac is used for French polishing which is a traditional finish coat for acoustic instruments.

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Permalink Reply by rob muller on January 21, 2018 at 11:38am

Spar varnish is pretty heavy duty stuff. It's traditionally used on boats for ultimate weather protection. It will work, all right, but it will be somewhat heavy and definitely also tint your wood darker. There are other varnishes - Varathane and Minwax being two manufacturers - that are more intended for furniture. Some, including some spray on types will be virtually clear and not tint the color of your project.You might even try some of the water based varnishes these companies make. Cleanup is easy and brushes wash up with soap and water.

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Permalink Reply by JL on January 22, 2018 at 3:39am

you could also try sanding sealer.  it is sort of a thinned lacquer that will protect your graphics and seal the wood against dirty finger prints, and lets later stain/varnish/poly go on more evenly.

d'oh, Erasmo beat me too it, LOL

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Permalink Reply by Paul W. McGuire on January 23, 2018 at 10:54am

The Amber Shellac is great.  Did some reinforcements inside the box today and two coats of amber shellac.  I love the color change, look at the pic at the top of the thread and this pic today.  Looking forward to getting my parts, I’m ready to build.

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on January 23, 2018 at 12:56pm

Looks great Paul.

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