I verified that the finish was Shellac by putting a few drops of denatured alcohol (available at Home Depot and Lowes) on an inconspicuous spot, waiting a few minutes, and then verifing that the finish was sticky. It turns out that denatured alcohol desolves Shellac.
My plan now is to remove all of the old Shellac using denatured alcohol, 0000 steel wool, and and a few rags....Again, am not a professional restorer, so I might make some serious mistakes.
I soak a rag with the alcohol and wipe down the old Shellac. Then I soak the steel wool in more alcohol and start rubbing in a circular motion. As I do this I use a clean rag to remove the loosened Shellac. I continue this process until the Shellac is removed.
I removed the old Shellac from all areas except inside the lid. The finish there is not nearly as bad and I have the Edison decal to deal with.....
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