Sometimes, the only palliative is to go online and rant to others who understand, and this gent did just that. – Editor

"I hate shellac. Doubt I'll ever use the stuff again. I've had problems with amber shellac constantly. I find it very difficult to get a consistent smooth steady color. Going over it after with just alcohol later does help, but it's too much hassle. Last night I tried SealCoat™ over the amber shellac. Now I've got waves showing in the finish from the end of a wiping stroke. The stuff simply dries too fast." – Brian

Not everyone agreed. – Editor

"I don't know what you are doing wrong, but for me and many others, shellac has to be one of the easiest and most forgiving finishes around." – Ted

Some shared their story of how they "learned to stop worrying and love the" shellac. – Editor

"I love shellac. Once you get the hang of it, shellac can be the easiest film finish to achieve a good result, but it is very different than varnish. For amber shellac from the can, the first thing to do is to dilute it with nearly equal amounts of denatured alcohol, then the shellac can be applied using a pad. Old, well-washed T-shirt fabric formed into a pad with the ends all tucked into the center works well. Then apply the shellac quickly, never going back to touch up a missed spot, and basically working in just one direction. You will need quite a few of these very thin coats, but as you apply them they will even out. Missed spots will get filled in with the next coat, and overlaps won't keep occurring in the same place. Each succeeding coat should have a longer interval of drying. One important point is that if you feel even the hint of the pad dragging or getting sticky, stop immediately and let the surface dry." –  Steve

"I use a lot of shellac. I hated it when I first started to use it, but kept trying and now I prefer it. I French polish and spray shellac with very good success. If it's drying way too fast, you can use Behlen Bekhol Solvent, as it dries slower than standard denatured alcohol." – Dennis

"The first few times I used it I wondered how anyone ever was able to get a uniform coating. The secret is to apply in a way where the edge stays wet and not too much goes on at a time. I use diluted coats, applied with a rubber made from a wad of wool and a T-shirt. The rubber holds much more finish than any brush I was able to find so keeping a wet edge became less of a problem. Several thin coats were easier to control than one or two thick ones." – Bill

"As others have said, lots of thin coats padded on work best." – Johanna

"Any colored transparent material like amber shellac will color unevenly if the film thickness has any variation. Many spend too much time brushing on shellac. It should be flowed on in long even strokes, not brushed back and forth. You need to keep moving or it will begin to dry and cause problems.
Also, Zinsser's standard shellac is too concentrated for good brushing. It should be cut with denatured alcohol. SealCoat is already cut to brushing consistency." – Howard

"It's the larger surfaces that require three or four dips into the can that are the problem for me." – Brian

"Use a lamb's wool pad, like those used for hardwood floor finishing, and an old ketchup bottle full of 1.5 pound cut shellac. Wet the wool pad very well with shellac, set the pad down on the large flat surface, and, as you slowly drag it along the surface, squirt shellac from the bottle onto the surface in front of the wool pad. This will do two things for you: put finish on the surface quickly, and help to keep the wool pad loaded, preventing you from wasting time going back to the container for more shellac. I did a chest of drawers this way and it worked very well. You'll need to let the flowed-on coat of shellac dry overnight before you start poking at it." – Dennis

"I agree that it's hard to apply on large surfaces by brush. I prefer spraying for that reason. What you could try is to cut your shellac with a type of retarder that will slow down drying substantially. Isopropyl alcohol would help, and I think glycol ether slows down drying the most. Or you could chuck all the above advice and finish your work outside; with today's temperature that ought to slow down the drying." – Denis

To clarify, isopropyl alcohol dries slower than the ethyl alcohol used in denatured alcohol, and butyl alcohol dries slower still. Both are available from any chemical supply house. Glycol ethers are a large category of high molecular weight alcohol compounds that vary greatly from one to another, which makes using them more risky unless you are familiar with their various properties. – Editor

"I, too, share your problems with shellac. I suggest thinning SealCoat with isopropyl alcohol, not denatured alcohol. It adds considerably to your working time, especially in summer heat or low humidity conditions. Use the 95% or 99% solutions if you can find them. I mix a 50-50 solution of SealCoat and isopropyl alcohol." – Dave

Still can't get the hang of it? This writer suggests you try spraying. – Editor

I used to hate shellac, too, but that was when I was trying to brush it. If you have an air compressor, you can learn to love shellac. Fill your gun with shellac at about a 1.5 pound cut and set your compressor to just enough pressure to get proper atomization, but no more. For me that is usually around 25-30 psi. Spray light coats and move quickly. I usually find that the gun alone leaves a pretty good quality finish." – Rob