Issues with shellac...

[Morgan]

I bought some spray shellac to finish a bow with and this stuff is driving me nuts. Regardless of how thin I spray each coat, it gets air bubbles that rise to the top and pop. Thinner the coat the smaller the bubbles. One coat, I just hit with a fine mist and it was hundreds of tiny bubbles. I’m at a loss. Never put a hard clear coat on a bow and I read a lot about shellac and it appealed to me, as what I read said it is easy to apply and easy to repair damage to finish later on, but this is testing my patience. I’m about to sand it all off and hit it with poly.

[Badger]

  I can't imagine a spray shellac. Maybe a thin coat then rub it out real quickly. I usually apply coats with a soft cloth, very thin.

[Pat B]

I use spray shellac to seal bow wood but not as a finish. It works well to seal the back and ends while I'm working on the bow.
Did you shake the can well before using it?

[Morgan]

I use spray shellac to seal bow wood but not as a finish. It works well to seal the back and ends while I'm working on the bow.
Did you shake the can well before using it?

Tried both ways. First was shaken and I thought thought that may have caused the bubbles. Sanded that mess off and next tried not shaken and same result.

[Weylin]

Have you tried using your own mixed shellac? The dewaxed flakes dissolved in alcohol? If you haven't I recommend it.

[Morgan]

I have not. I will give it a go sometime though

[hoosierf]

Morgan i give good ole Johnson’s paste wax my highest endorsement. Put a coat on, buff it and repeat three or four times; more if you like. For the final polish use a piece of paper bag and polish it until it has the gloss you want. Couldn’t be easier and you’ll be surprised how durable it is and how long it lasts.  I have a Remington 700 i haven’t re-waxed for over ten years and the finish is still shiny and hard. There’s nothing easier and it always looks great.

[Eric Krewson]

Shellac isn't waterproof and makes a poor bow finish. If you get caught out in the rain you may end up with white spots on your bow.  It does make a good primary sealer if you follow it with Tru-oil, spar urethane or as mentioned, lots of coats of wax.

Shellac dissolves in alcohol so you may be able to wipe your bow with a rag saturated with denatured alcohol and get rid of the bubbles.

[Weylin]

Shellac isn't waterproof and makes a poor bow finish. If you get caught out in the rain you may end up with white spots on your bow.  It does make a good primary sealer if you follow it with Tru-oil, spar urethane or as mentioned, lots of coats of wax.

Shellac dissolves in alcohol so you may be able to wipe your bow with a rag saturated with denatured alcohol and get rid of the bubbles.

I use it as a primary sealer as well, followed by about 8 coats of tru oil