[jrblasde]

Thank you both, Joe and Ron! I appreciate it! I have worried at various stages that the results won’t quite be up to snuff, but I think it’s all coming together nicely. Diligence has paid off, and I’ve gotten a lot of “on the job experience” with this one! Many thanks to the folks who have chimed in to help.

Ron, I have always used spray lacquer or polyurethane, but this shellac came as a quart of liquid that has to be brushed or rubbed on. I am using a sleeve from an old flannel shirt, sort of crunched up like one of those French polish applicators. I’ve always erred on the side of spray-on clear coats for fear that I’d leave stroke marks, but I’m noticing that’s not the case with this shellac! Also thank you for confirming the semi-gloss. I suppose we’ll see, but I’m thinking the results will be a tad more glossy than a usual semi-gloss finish since I’m applying this shellac undercoat. I may also have to do some buffing to adjust the final sheen. We’ll see!