Virtues of sheep and shellac
bill tindall
>Some months ago various people requested wool, at least in cases to be used for applying shellac. I may be the last person to discover this technique, but in case not, I will report it here.
I just started using shellac in the past year or so. I found it a nightmare to apply. I bought recommended brushes (pricey!!) and found they didn't hold enough material to be useful for cabinet sized projects. When the bursh ran dry on a swipe I would get a mark where I reloaded and started again. Spraying had its own problems. A rag worked better but not entirely satisfactory. Inspired by the request for wool I wrapped a wad of wool in a portion of wife's sweat pants and and tried wiping shellac with this arrangement. WOW! This arrangement would coat a 3' length without reloading and I could lap without "brush" marks. Worked just as well applying shellac to objects on the lathe (bun feet).
Next I am going to try it for wiping varnish.
It all makes sense. My best paint roller is lambs wood (probably in fact sheep wool). It holds pounds of latex paint. And I know that on rainy days a sheep rubbing against your leg will send a stream of water running down your pants.