Don R Davis wrote on Nov 3
rd, 2019 at 9:22pm:
I have read that a lot of folks use a sanding sealer so I thought about giving it a try.
if, as I'm guessing, your sanding sealer is shellac, you need to be careful.
Padauk
Here is some info that I cut from various sources. They all have the same conclusions and I don't have to write it all down.

Because padauk’s pigment is alcohol-soluble, brushing or wiping on shellac can cause the color to bleed or smear onto adjacent lighter woods. To avoid problems, spray on a few light coats of shellac to seal the color before using a brush or rag to apply subsequent shellac coats. Alternatively, use lacquer or varnish.
The wood’s natural oils have been known to retard the drying times of oil-based varnishes, but don’t seem to affect water-based finishes. (Wiping the wood with acetone can help by removing some of the surface oils, but test the wood before you commit to a particular finish.) Oil-based penetrating oils or wiping varnishes are generally a good choice, although they tend to darken the wood more than water-based finishes.
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Almost every forum having anything to do with woodworking has at least one thread devoted to finishing padauk.