Shellac Blush

[Carter Ruff]

I have found several effective ways of chasing blush out of lacquer finishes, but I am having the devil's own time of chasing the blush from a shellac finish (following a neck removal).

I have tried a "ring remover" from the hardware store, spray Blush Eraser (from Stew-Mac), heating the spots with a blow dryer, and lightly stiffing them with an alcohol-dampened pad. They're not even smaller.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

-Carter

[Bob Webster]

The alcohol dampened pad should do the trick if you take your time. I had to deal with blush on my daughter's old cello that had, paradoxically, a French polish finish. I started by carefully wiping the area with an alcohol dampened cotton ball inside a piece of T-shirt material. Dampened is an exaggeration; the pad left only the briefest of trails on the surface. It takes a bit of time for the shellac to accept the alcohol if the finish has been on the instrument for a long time, so changes to the surface don't happen immediately. I followed the treatment with a bit of 1lb cut superblonde shellac lubricated with a spot of olive oil and, after a 3-4 passes, the blush was banished from the surface.

[Greg Mirken]

I agree with Bob; persevere with an alcohol dampened pad. Old shellac finishes become almost insoluble, and it will just take time to coax the trapped moisture out.

[Jim Bancroft]

I guess this what I would try.
I'd spray a light coat of straight denatured alcohol on the area, instead of using a pad. Spraying won't remove the original finish like a pad can do, especially if you do too much wiping with it.

Jim

[Greg Mirken]

That's a good idea. I'd use an airbrush to get a fine mist to avoid a spattered or cratered look. Any way, it will just take some time.