While the raw leather adds a nice Conan-like smell to my shop, I’ve got to finish the legs, stretchers and backrests for the Roorkhee chairs.
My finish of choice: garnet shellac – Tiger Flakes from Tools for Working Wood, to be specific. I love the stuff. It mixes like a martini, is easy to spray and gives me just the right color for vintage stuff.
Of course, spraying shellac always attracts the attention of the new neighbors behind us.
“It’s OK,” I’ll yell. “You can eat this stuff. They put it on strawberries and apples and pills and…”
The neighbors go inside and start closing their windows.
I guess that’s what you get for building a new house in the drainage swamp behind our house.
When I spray lots of pieces like this, I string up a clothesline between a tree and basketball goal; then I hang the parts on some wire hangers. This is how I learned to spray doors while working at the ThermaTru door company. Of course, I don’t have an oven to bake on the finish like I did at ThermaTru (that’s OK, shellac dries fast.)
And there was one more big advantage to spraying at ThermaTru – birds wouldn’t crap upon your work. The inside of my campaign chest still has some poo shadows.
— Christopher Schwarz
Would you consider drying shellac indoors a desperate alcoholic behavior?
It’s denatured alcohol. I’d go blind(er).
I’ve mixed it up with Everclear 190 for a friend that was worried about MEK in some denatured alcohol. I also used some good ole fashion Southern Mountain liquer when I was learning to French Polish in NC since I had a ready source down the road.
I also do my spraying outside, under a Live Oak tree. Stuff is always falling from those trees, but it wasn’t a major problem. A while back, something dropped a large payload on a critical project. I’m not sure if it was an eagle, a condor or a flying yak, but it was a mess. I already owned a cheap version of those four-legged, free standing canopies and have used it on spray jobs since. Granted, you sacrifice the added character of poo shadows, but…
I have told my wife a dozen times about the virtues and edibility of shellac. She still closes the door.
Really pretty cool video on how shellac is made in India.
That’s cool! Really makes one appreciate the product!
There’s an advertising line for Joel! ‘Shaken, not stirred…’
Regarding poo and the risk thereof marring one’s project…. when spraying out of doors couldn’t one rig an awning or create a temporary spray booth?
I tried spraying shellac once and the piece I was spraying turned milky, I think it was because of humidity. Chris, can you please give more details on your spraying techniques?
Hi Chris,
I spray outside all the time, usually under the deck. That eliminates the sky bombs, but unfortunately not the danger of dogs on the deck above, if you catch my meaning!
Love your blog, keep it up!
Hi Chris,
I spray outside as well, usually under the deck. That protects me from the sky bombs, but not dogs on the deck above, if you catch my meaning! Love your blog and your books, keep up the great work. You’ll be hearing more from me soon.
Sorry to change the subject, but I don’t remember you saying what wood you use. Teak? Mahogany? And now I see how the tapered tenon holes look – none of the other photos make that clear. That is a tough joint – not at all fragile like it looks when all you see is the very small tip end of the tenon standing proud.
Yep, I gotta get a lathe…
Like the original, these are mahogany.
Spraying????
Why is a handtool anarchist using a spraygun? What’s wrong with a polishing mop? Even a good quality one costs far less than a spraygun, doesn’t need a compressed air supply, and if looked after will see out most craftspeople.
If you were finishing all day, every day, then fair enough – a spraygun makes sense; but for twice a month on the amount you’re doing, a mop would probably be quicker by the time you’d dragged the compressor out, set everything up, cleaned it out afterwards….
I’ve been spraying since I was 18. I’m a much better spray finisher than anything else. I use the Earlex — made in Great Britain, cheap and well-made. I get FAR better results with it than a brush or rag.
For me, it is the far better tool. So it fits my personal philosophy.
C
Fair enough! Nobody said that anarchism had to be fanatical – a bit of practical pragmatism sounds fine to me!
By the way – good to hear that we can still make good stuff in Britain. We seem to have a lot of Moaning Minnies over here claiming that we don’t make anything anymore – dare say you have some in the US, too – just buy it from Germany, Japan or China. Must admit I’d never heard of Earlex, but if they make a good product, good luck to ’em!
Chris, after going to all the work you do to make things like the originals, spraying your finishes defeats that goal. A sprayed finish has a different look than a hand applied one. That is one thing that seperates the old from the new. And the finish is the first thing someone sees when looking at a piece. For most people, it is the only thing they see.
As far as your getting better results spraying than by hand, it is because you practice it more. You didn’t become proficient with hand tools by using power tools. Put down the spray gun and slowly back away.
Hi John! I have to disagree a bit. Each to his own. I love my hand tools but I also have a bandsaw and tablesaw as well as a few other power tools. A friend and retired shop teacher in our woodworking club who does a lot of handwork put it this way; ‘The power tools I use are like the apprentices I don’t have. They do the grunt work for me. Who wants to rip 8/4 stock that’s 8′ long by hand?’ If one wants to do purely hand work in the historic fashion, great, go for it and loud applause and admiration from me! But if one wants to work in a hybrid mode or all power mode, that’s OK too. There be room for all of us!
Despite my lack of love for machines, I couldn’t agree more.