@tjbray:  I'm actually using an airbrush - the $10 from harbor freight, with 5 changeable bottles; the air blows over the nozzle for the bottle and sucks the shellac out.

It seems to work pretty well.  I've managed a few layers (6?) before I came down with the flu.  It seems to go pretty well - half a bottle (about 1oz bottles) per coat.  I'm still learning - got some sag, and bits of dust here and there; but I'm knocking it down with 400grit wet/dry.  As it gets thicker, I'll be moving up to 600 grit...maybe eventually something even finer.

I think I said before - I did one-pound cut for the airbrush.  Also, I'm being careful to clean out the nozzle each use by swapping to a bottle of just alcohol and spraying that for a bit.

@tjbray (and anyone else following the story :) - So I got my shellac flakes...as soon as I got home, I put them into ever-clear (190 proof grain alcohol, in case you were raised by teetotalers like I was).  It's FULLY dissolved and I can't wait for my daughter's boyfriend to wake up (he sleeps in the basement where I'll be doing the work).

For my first batch, I went with a little less than a cup of alcohol (everything in the little $5 bottle) and an ounce of flakes.  Very near a 1lb cut. 

I will probably up it to a 1.5 cut for the next batch.

@40hz: (re vanilla) - So, I gave out little 1oz bottles of vanilla to my co-workers (wife did the same).  So I think I'm on to something.  Here's my recipe:
* Vanilla beans - I buy from Vanilla Products USA via Amazon (1/2 lb for around $35 ... I'm gonna email them and see if I can get a return customer discount...maybe even a referral discount.  Tell 'em I sent you and deserve it :) - the batch that did so well was "Madagascar grade B"
* 80 proof vodka (around $13 for the really cheap stuff, here in Utah)
* Clean 2 quart bottle (6 for $15 at the local wal-mart)

I used roughly 3 inches of bean for every tablespoon of vodka.  Didn't split them, just cut them into 1-inch (or less) chunks.  (this next time, I will put them in a food processor with the vodka and chop them up that way...not puree, just lots faster and a bit finer chopping).  I put that in the bottle - and *CLOSED THE BOTTLE* (maybe that last is obvious to everybody but me...my first batch I wasn't sure, so I put cheesecloth over top of it ... just didn't taste the same).

Wait a year or so.  Shake a LOT the first couple of weeks...then shake it whenever you remember about it.

When I was dishing it into the 1oz bottles, it smelled like alcohol instead of vanilla.  But the next day when a co-worker opened the bottle?  Oh, YUM!!!!

My wife said "Let's do that again...triple batch this time."

One last note: I put a couple of chunks of bean into each of the 1oz bottles so it would keep ?fermenting?  ?proofing? ?steeping?  Whatever it's called...as I was doing so, I noticed a couple of them actually had vanilla *syrup* dripping out the ends.  So I "squished" the beans as best I could into the remaining extract, added an extra $5 bottle of ever-clear (see above) and this time I put the cheesecloth on it (figuring the overdose of alcohol would really need to burn off).  This was a week ago, and even in the big bottle it's starting to smell really really good.

@TJBray - I'll look forward to getting the forms (Might even have them already - haven't checked my messages). 

And I'll plan to do the airbrush thing...we've mentioned my patience deficiency, right?  But I'll be doing the work in my basement...probably really dusty, but I can actually *do* it :)  I'll just expect to have to sand dust bumps out.

If I'm airbrushing, should I maybe even go with a thinner mix?