shellac
Hey Al
Got enough snow yet?
Question on shellac. I bought some seedlac from Jewitt, dissolved it (1# cut), filtered it once to remove some junk left on the bottom. Now I have the waxy substance on the bottom. This is for my Declaration desk.
Searching around, some say leave the wax, some say decant it. If I decant it, I only get about half of the usable shellac, the waxy stuff remaining in the bottom of the jar. If i want 4 0z of shellac, apparantly I need to start with about 8oz so that after decanting, I'll have 4oz of shellac. Or as some recommend, don't decant, just use it with the wax in it. What did the old guys do in the 18thC with their shellac.
Also, do you think that I should start brushing with a 2# cut or a 1#cut?
regards
Ed
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by al breed on -
Ed- The waxy stuff is OK to leave in. Sometimes I use just the clear stuff off the top, sometimes I shake it up. The seedlac has a lot more junk in it than other shellacs. Just regular orange will be less hassle, and you might not notice any difference in the finish.
I usually start with a few coats of thinned out shellac, then go to a stronger mix. I can't tell you th cut because I just do it by feel. I don't sand between all coats, maybe just every third coat or so. Best-Al
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Permalink Reply by Ed Zappen on
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Thanks Al
I never used seedlac before and was surprised to see how much juck there was. I chose the seedlac because I thought it would give me a darker color but you are right, not noticably different from the garnet or orange that I usually use.
I have to measure the cut by approx, weight ( a confiscated druggie scale works pretty good :) because I don't have enough experience to do otherwise.
regards
Ed
al breed said:Ed- The waxy stuff is OK to leave in. Sometimes I use just the clear stuff off the top, sometimes I shake it up. The seedlac has a lot more junk in it than other shellacs. Just regular orange will be less hassle, and you might not notice any difference in the finish.
I usually start with a few coats of thinned out shellac, then go to a stronger mix. I can't tell you th cut because I just do it by feel. I don't sand between all coats, maybe just every third coat or so. Best-Al
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Permalink Reply by Dan O'Sullivan on -
http://www.shellacfinishes.com/
Ed
I have included the above address as a future shellac source and an information gold mine. Vijay Velji owns and operates this small business. How is he different than Jeff?
Vijay goes to India to get the shellac flakes he sells. If you have access to FWW, you can find an article with pictures of how the stuff is made and you'll find a well written article about the refinement process of producing the different grades of shellac. Its not complicated but there are a bunch of choices to make to get the results you want.
Seedlac: this is some crude stuff. Vijay was not all that supportive of my interest in using in on 18th century stuff that I build and repair. There are "higher quality shellacs" that will give you the tones you get with seedlac without all the straining and waste.
Take a look at his site, try to get a copy of his FWW article and if all else fails... you can call him in California if you have a little time. Vijay is a generous guy and he will spend some time on the phone with you.
regards
Dan O'Sullivan
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Permalink Reply by al breed on
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Dan- Thanks a lot for posting that info.
On a related subject, I've been told that shellac will deteriorate even in the dry form. It produces certain acids that will cause it to resist drying and mixing properly when you add the alcohol. I had some that when mixed would just stay like jelly and when I replaced it with fresh stuff had no problem.Al
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Permalink Reply by Dan O'Sullivan on
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Hey Al
I've heard of these troubles but have not seen it since I have used Vijay's stuff. Most of the shellac available to vendors is imported in large quantities and the inventory controls are... slack.
Vijay imports his own stuff and dates each bag he sends to you. This shellac is impressive. For my use, I generally mix small amounts from flakes. With his shellac, I don't even grind it most of the time and it is fully dissolved with several shakes after 3 hours. Completely dissolved. When I am in a rush(rarely.. ha), I grind it in an older style coffee grinder into smaller flakes and it dissolves even quicker. I love his blonde dewaxed shellac. This is the one I use to color with dyes and transtint for repairs and coloring. As you can see on the desk I posted, there were lots of color challenges and I did a good bit of it after the first layer of shellac.
To take the dissolving question another step, I had shellac from two other suppliers(another from SAPFM) and mixed all of them at the same time. Vijay's was ready and clear while the other two were in a big clump. No brainer there. Later, I found an article stating the reason for the long wait on dissolving some flakes was the low quality of the DNA folks were using?? Well it followed with a pitch to buy some high priced "pure " stuff. This sounded too much like the 13 oz. pound of coffee. Not me.
I don't use shellac for weeks/months at a time so it does age. Vijay recommends leaving the flakes sitting for less than a year. So I try to keep the supplies down and use it up or share it with friends and order new stuff. When I have a doubt, I mix it up and apply it to a piece of window glass. I can see the color and check the dry time and tack. If it meets my high tech test, I'm good to go. I don't keep it mixed for very long. I finished the floors in two rooms in my house with shellac(fantastic stuff) and I just spread it right over the old stuff and I'm in there.
I talked at length with Peter Gedrys down in Conn. and he gave Vijay a call. Peter is a finisher by trade so he does lots of little tests along the way. He likes Vijay's shellac.
Bottom Line: Vijay's shellac is not one dollar more than most of the other suppliers shellac I've tried. When you run out, maybe its worth a try??
dan
al breed said:Dan- Thanks a lot for posting that info.
Ovenn a related subject, I've been told that shellac will deteriorate even in the dry form. It produces certain acids that will cause it to resist drying and mixing properly when you add the alcohol. I had some that when mixed would just stay like jelly and when I replaced it with fresh stuff had no problem.Al
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Permalink Reply by Ed Zappen on
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Dan and Al
Thanks for the replies and the information. I just mixed up a batch of garnet that had been sitting on my shelf in a plastic container for at least 8 years. Aside from the usual sludge at the bottom, it dissolved just fine and applied over about 5 coats of seedlac, dried quickly and looks just fine. I actually liked the color produced by the garnet over the seedlac on Honduran mahogany.
I visited Vijay's web site. Very nice and I will buy my next batch of shellac from him. He offers a sample pack of 4 different
4 oz shellac flakes. That will be handy to have around as one often only needs a small amount of shellac to finish off a small piece.
For most purposes. shellac in its various forms is my favorite finish. It is easy and forgiving to apply, rubs out well and leaves a beautiful finish. And it makes for an interesting discussion.
regards
Ed
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