I’m rehabbing a 1910 quarter-sawn oak sideboard with its original orange shellac; after a gentle mineral spirits wash, the alligatoring is handsome but holds dirt. I’m tempted to reamalgamate with alcohol and a fresh 1.5-lb cut, yet my instinct is stewardship, keep the story and stabilize; how do you decide when to leave the craquelure and when to level it?
how do you decide when to leave the craquelure and when to level it? I do a quick naphtha scrub with a soft toothbrush to float the grime, then pad on a very thin dewaxed shellac (about 1 lb cut) with a drop of mineral oil so it consolidates without flattening; if the pad drags, I stop and let it harden. I only reamalgamate small rings or glossy patches, not whole fields — are you okay with a slight sheen shift if you go this route?
My take: I’d lean toward the simplest next step and see if it changes anything this week — if not, you’ve got a clear case to escalate. What would block you from trying that?
Agree with @kfields63, but with that orange shellac I’d preserve the alligatoring: soft-brush vacuum, microcrystalline wax.