Wooden cage?

[Lucille]

Aren't there issues with shellac and water? I believe you could wipe it down, I think the shellac might turn milky of you tried to wash it?

[Icearstorm]

Lightbulb
I have a wood cage finished with Polycrylic, and it works great (completely waterproof, easy to clean, etc). The only thing that could be a concern is birds breathing in vapors from wet finish, but it only takes a few days for it to dry, so this shouldn't pose much of a problem.

[paul-inAZ]

Aren't there issues with shellac and water? I believe you could wipe it down, I think the shellac might turn milky of you tried to wash it?

Yes. Extended exposure to water is not good. Damp cloth wiping is usually safe. Alcohol dissolves shellac and ammonia may damage it.

Shellac's best use in this situation is to seal the wood and provide a surface that varnish can stick to.
Water based varnish dries and cures quickly and has few fumes.
Oil based or urethane varnishes dry slower, smell, and will take a week or two to fully cure and off-gas.

[DamonIRB]

Aren't there issues with shellac and water? I believe you could wipe it down, I think the shellac might turn milky of you tried to wash it?

Yes. Extended exposure to water is not good. Damp cloth wiping is usually safe. Alcohol dissolves shellac and ammonia may damage it.

Shellac's best use in this situation is to seal the wood and provide a surface that varnish can stick to.
Water based varnish dries and cures quickly and has few fumes.
Oil based or urethane varnishes dry slower, smell, and will take a week or two to fully cure and off-gas.

Another product to consider... marine top coat used to paint/seal boats. You can get it in a variety of colors, but I used the clear coat on our flight. We made the flight out of oak, stained it, then sealed it with the marine top coat. The wood is most definitely sealed, so there is no risk of infestation from anything. The nice part is the easy clean-up - take it outside and hose it off! I built the flight 3+ years ago and the finish still looks brand new.

Just a thought...

[paul-inAZ]

Marine top coat is usually one of the polyurethanes or less likely an epoxy.
Fine for raw wood.

The issue in this case is that it has been finished with linseed oil. Varnish adhesion on oil can be hit or miss depending on the type of varnish. Thus the suggestion to seal it with shellac which gives an adhesive base for any varnish.