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That time a shellac finish went cloudy on me in a damp Chicago garage
I was finishing a maple dresser about five years ago, right as a cold front rolled in. I brushed on a fresh coat of shellac and within an hour the whole surface turned milky white. The humidity must have spiked to 80% in that unheated space. I panicked, thinking I'd have to strip it all back. Instead, I gently warmed the surface with a hair dryer on low, moving it constantly about six inches away. The cloudiness faded as the moisture evaporated out of the finish. Ever since, I keep a cheap humidity gauge on my bench. What's your go-to fix for a blush in a finish?
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spencer_chen65mo ago
A hair dryer and a prayer, basically my whole workshop motto. That milky panic got me so bad once I actually yelled at the can of shellac like it had personally betrayed me. My go-to now is a heat gun on its lowest setting, but I hold it so far away I look like I'm warming up a tiny marshmallow. If that doesn't work, I've had to just wait a few days for the weather to dry out and try again. You ever accidentally melt a finish trying to fix a blush?
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blair6266mo ago
Hair dryer trick is a lifesaver... I've done the exact same thing. That milky panic is real.
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taylorhunt6mo ago
Yeah, that milky panic is the worst. @blair626 is right about the hair dryer, I've also had luck with a light rub of mineral spirits on a rag.
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