Post #492203 by Kino on Thu, Nov 5, 2009 2:25 PM

I am ready to put a finish on my latest piece, but I have some questions before I make some stupid mistake. I found this advice on a thread and would like to try it out on my carve ;

" I used to brush on spar varnish, let it dry, and sand in between coats - pretty labor intensive process. Later (on Benzart's advice) I started using spray shellac first, then spray varnish second. I know those two work well together, and using spray instead of brush cuts way down on time. You can do the whole thing in one day with the coats totally dry in between applications, and no sanding. You'd have to try really hard to get drips with this approach. "

Can any of you more experienced guys answer these questions for me ?

1- if I'm not sanding my piece will the above technique still have a nice look ?

2- how many coats of each product should I use ?

3- I carve palms, do I need to let them dry completely before the shellac/varnish ?

3a- if I seal them when they are still wet, will the moisture eventually dry out ?(slower maybe)

4 - what should I use to seal the top and bottom ?

Thanks in advance