Finishes – Part 2
2016.6.27
Next I applied dye and shellac to the edges.
Before I started finishing the upper surface of the top, I used a clothes iron and wet rag to steam out some dents. Have I mentioned lately how easy it is to dent and scratch alder? Odd about the steaming though; some came right up and almost disappeared, while others wouldn’t budge no matter how much steam I applied.
Anyway, on to dye and shellac. I applied more coats of shellac than I had on the underside, for a little extra protection on the working surface.
Well, I have mixed feelings about the dye. I like the color better than the yellowish tones without it, but it looks a little unnatural to me, and the dye took more in some places than others so there are inconsistencies. Still, overall, it’s closer to what I imagined when I started this project, so it was probably the right thing to do.
Finishes I