Today was a holiday. Memorial Day to be exact. So thank you to all of you who have or do serve in the U.S. military.
As for me I had two tasks that I needed to complete today. Mow the grass and get three coats of shellac on the table bases. After my morning coffee I went out to the shop and burnished the milk paint with 0000 steel wool on all of the show surfaces of the table bases. Then I wiped all the dust off of them and applied a sealing coat of shellac to every surface. While that was drying I mowed some grass. By now it was in the low 80’s here. Then I took a break and drank a stout. Then it was time for coat no2 of shellac and another stout. Back to mowing. Then a break and another stout. Then shellac coat no3 and a celebratory stout. Like I said in a previous post, the milk paint is now smooth and has a deeper color. There will be a nice even sheen once the shellac is rubbed out and a couple coats of paste wax are applied.
So now the grass is mowed, there are three coats of shellac on my table bases and I’m low on stout. All in all a pretty productive day. Hopefully after work tomorrow I’ll be able to rub out the shellac with steel wool and apply a coat or two of paste wax and move them into the house. Which is important because my shop is so small that I have to move the bases out in order to have enough room to work on the tops and shelves. I still need to buy some white oak and glue up panels for the tops and shelves, but next weekend should see these tables completed.
HILLBILLY DAIKU 
The color change is pretty dramatic, much more so then I thought it would be.
The color change is dramatic for sure, but predictable. Milk paint has to be experimented with though. The great thing is that you can use it to achieve a wide range of effects. From a very light wash to a full-on paint coating.
Greg
I love using shallac. It dries fast, is easy to apply, safe and there’s no messing around with cleaning brushes etc. The tables are looking good! I’m enjoying reading about your progress…
Thank you. Yep, shellac is my go to finish. Its hard to beat it’s simplicity.
I’m glad you’re enjoying my odyssey with the tables.
Greg
Looking very nice Greg. My shop is all packed up so I will have to participate vicariously….. I’m sure the depth of colour must be nice
Thanks Brian. The color is just what I expected it to be. One of the things I like about milk paint is that it is not a flat color. There are several variances and they are always different. It adds some life to the finish.
Greg
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