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Plywood Bowl - Shellac?

Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
73
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381
Location
Apache Junction, AZ
I'm caught up in a plywood mode, just experimenting and trying different things. I've also never really used shellac as a finish, so am thinking of combining the 2 things in a new experiment. But before I delve too deeply in it, would shellac be a good finish for a plywood bowl? The plywood is glued up running vertically.
 
Never tried shellac on a plywood bowl, but I have used it on a lot of plywood - any jigs, sleds, shop stuff get “shellacked” to resist dirt and liquid.

For application, just depends what you want. Ply will soak up a large amount of shellac, good if you want the reinforcement created. If you just want a finish, put on light coats and give time for evaporation. It may take quite a few to seal it up. Then you can buff, French polish, whatever.
 
What is your hesitation? There is no flattening agent in it, so it will be high gloss. It'll take a LOT of coats soaking deeply into the end grain veneer. Shellac will work on anything, but if you plan on making this a daily cereal bowl, I'm not impressed with its wear characteristics nor liquid exposure.
 
Shellac is easy to apply and if the finish on the item gets scuffed up you can reapply a fresh coat of shellac and it will readily bond to the prior cured Shellac finish on the item.

The hard, shiny shells on candies are often made from shellac, a resin secreted by the lac bug. You may know shellac from its more famous work in varnishes and sealants, but it's also a mainstay in pill coatings, candy, coffee beans, and even the waxy sheen on apples and other fruits and vegetables
 
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