Vridar

For authenticity, We used shellac to refinish our old house's woodwork. We experienced one could not work with it out of the can. To give some extra time we added denatured alcohol quite often to keep it workable. We felt too thin was not a problem, but, too thick was definitely not workable. We thinned to as thin as possible just to the point it would start to run when applied with a brush. This, of course, required up to maybe three coatings. Glen will surely chime in with the gospel.

Edit: we only used linseed oil in the final coat to smooth the surface. And, then only a drop on the smoothing rag (T-shirt). Bob Flexner has a great book on finishing and is my go-to authority, Understanding Wood Finishing, I believe is the book's title.