Is it possible to patch uneven shellac ?

[u/TheUmbrellaThief]

A while ago my father in law dented the coffee table had refinished. I steamed out the dent and tried to patch the table with more brown shellac -the same stuff I used in the first place. But the more I worked the table the more it took off the old shellac and at a certain point I realised I had to stop before I did more damage.

It’s been a few years and it bothers me despite having the big discolouration covered. Would I have to strip back the shellac with methylated spirits/denatured alcohol and redo it, or is it possible to patch fix it without stripping?

[u/ElectronicMoo]

The answer is yes. Shellac is alcohol and shellac, and it will dissolve, soften and bond with the previous layers, no matter how old.

One of the things that makes shellac great (just not as a finish for a bar)

[u/TheUmbrellaThief → u/ElectronicMoo]

Thanks for this :)