Within the large box of canned goods from the relocating woodworker are some gel stains, dyes, sealers. I'm wanting to make grain pop a little more, so am branching out. First up, Bullseye Sealcoat Sanding Sealer. Like the way it went on. Did a 0000 buff after it dried - almost dried, next time I'll wait a little longer. Like the way it looks.  What happens if I do nothing further - no top coat. No foul?

 

@Gene Howe , you asked me about R.Monocoat, so I assume  you're using it.

 

Have you sealed your wood or used something to enhance grain prior to R.M. ?

 

I'm not using it, presently. I asked simply to further my knowledge. 

Not sure what is in the Zinsser but since they are known for shellac will guess that is it. Seal coats or sanding sealer were developed by the furniture industry to make sanding easier, These are not intended to be a topcoat and are softer than hard surface finishes. I have seen some use them as final finish on turnings but not much use in those usually so hard may not be a problem.

 

Don't know about RM but to enhance wood grain I use BLO . However remember long cure time and allow 4 to 7 days before adding final topcoat over BLO.

Seal Coat is simply a 2# cut of dewaxed shellac. While it wouldn't be all that durable under heavy use, it is perfectly good for a top coat. Because pretty much everything sticks to dewaxed shellac, Zinnser markets it as a sealer.

I made walnut presentation plaques for a trophy shop for several years and used a standard finishing process. One coat of Zinsser Seal Coat and then three coats of satin finish water-base polyurethane. The sealer popped the wood color and sealed the wood evenly so that the poly wouldn't get splotchy. Gives good level of protection for the wood but doesn't stand out as a plastic looking topcoat.

6 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Seal Coat is simply a 2# cut of dewaxed shellac. While it wouldn't be all that durable under heavy use, it is perfectly good for a top coat. Because pretty much everything sticks to dewaxed shellac, Zinnser markets it as a sealer.

Yes, this is all correct.   I use it regularly as a sole coat for things that don't get a lot of wear and tear.  It is just marketing jargon to get you to buy the dewaxed shellac.    It is not the typical "sanding sealer" that has zinc stearate added to make it easy to sand.  But putting a true "sanding sealer" with zinc stearate on too thick makes a fragile undercoat (VOE).  https://www.popularwoodworking.com/finishing/flexner-on-finishing-sealers-what-are-they/#

 

SealCoat is also wonderful as a barrier coat for oily woods or refinishing where there is any chance of silicone contamination from Pledge polish.

 

Edited July 11, 20223 yr by kmealy

Just as an add-on, the Bull's Eye products in the can (but not the aerosol) are waxed shellac and do present adhesion problems for some finishes.  SealCoat also has a bit longer shelf life than most shellacs.

Jim, Keith mentioned something that can be important. The premixed shellac has a shelf life (actually, so does the fresh mixed flakes) and it's can be a pain trying to decipher the code dates Zinnser uses. It's best to test it before use, if it's bad you don't want to apply it to your project. The stuff is supposed to have a 3 year shelf life, but it sometimes sits 2 years at the store. Anyway, the test is simple, out a drop on a solid surface (glass is good) and see if it dries within maybe 15-20 minutes +/-. Longer than that may indicate it's way past it's prime.

Thanks, Fred. I have some shellac flakes but assume they are not de-waxed. I did, against my normal procedure, read the can and see that it is spirit-based. I'll remember the 'test'. It is simple enough.

 

I'm trying to look ahead when doing projects. I tried the SealCoat on the BACK of the project to feel how it spread, see it in action.  Gluing the brackets onto the live edge walnut shelf, I taped the underside. Spread glue sparingly on both surfaces. Let it get a little tacky. Then clamped, adjusted, clamped, adjusted, clamped . . . Removed the tape, used a sharp edge to clean it up good.

 

Just now cutting on the porch, I checked the blade for 90˚, cut a little, checked it again. Yep, it had moved. Re-adjusted it. Used the miter slider fence for a cross cut. Checked the final. Swapped into the thin kerf. Weighed my sawdust - 4.75 lbs! 

 

 The "Process" 

 

With a second coat of SealCoat then CARE-ful 0000 buff, I'm happy. D.O.N.E. 

 

"2022 07 14 Whimsical Shelf No. 2"

 

Very nice and, very creative use of that lumber. 

 

Thanks, Gene. This was the second oval-themed scrap-built wall shelf.  Purpose-built from a sketch, inspired by the words of an almost-girlfriend (she has a daughter, so it would have been instant family had we three united ). But I noticed the wood choices were issue-plagued. The inlaid points sloppy.  I left too much to chance. 

 

No. 3 Whimsical Shelf will use purpose-chosen pieces for the back. Beefy strips glued into one plank.  The "balcony" ring dish inlet into the back instead of surface-glued. An opportunity to buy a new tool. 

 

A curved gouge to carve out the ring dish. 

 

The Goal:  1] Tight straight horizontal grain all the way up.  2] Tight curvy grain on the vertically-inlaid slats.  3] Expand on the ring dish detail.  I like the way grain is revealed on the rounded edges of the dish.  I've got the same blanks in "stock".  Guess it means I'll be turning wood soon. More tools.