Mixing shellac

[vandenboom]

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I just bought some Feast & Watson shellac flakes from Bunnings. I haven't mixed my own before. Just need some stuff to protect wood prior to routing so not concerned with quality.
I am mixing as per directions (250 gm per litre). Instructions imply it should all dissolve - I've been stirring for 5 mins and I am wondering if I've got the process right.

Should I leave it sit for a while and have another go, or would you expect a lot of the flakes to remain undissolved.
Frank

[Steve]

Hi Frank,
Check out the Milburn tutorial (http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html. There's a section on dissolving the shellac.
I dissolved some flakes recently & it took about an hour before they were fully dissolved.
Regards,
Steve

[Kim]

Hey Frank,

I used some of the F&W stuff from Bunnings to coat my bench tops, radius dishes, and jigs etc. I mix and leave sit over night, it should all desolve by then if it the flakes are fresh.

That is one of the things that can affect shellac's ability to dissolve, the shelf life. As the dried flakes age, they begin to polymerize as they react with the oxygen inside the container. So old shellac simply will not dissolve properly no matter what you do. If the next day the residue is not to bad, I will decant of the clear mix and discard the rest and it still seems to work OK. If the undissolved residue is heavy after sitting over night, I will not use the mix as it seem to affect its ability to dry properly so the mix does not sand well and is more trouble than it is worth.

Another thing to be aware of is that metho is hygroscopic, the more water it absorbs, the less effectively it will dissolve the shellac flakes. Some insist on paying out for products like everclear to mix their shellac with, I find that if your metho has been looked after (sealed well after use) and the shellac is fresh, then there is no need as your garden variety metho is just fine.

As for shellac, the F&W stuff is OK for tools and benches but you should probably get hold of some wax free super blond cause that orange stuff can be a bit dicey on white woods like spruce and it is not dewaxed so it can play hell with your finish.

Cheers

Kim
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[vandenboom]

Yep - you're right. Just checked and it's dissolved. Bloody horrible colour though!! I'm just going to strain it through some stocking.
Frank

[vandenboom]

Thanks Kim - only just saw your reply. I was about to use it on spruce before routing rosette channel - glad I read your reply first. I will just route without as I don't have any clear/dewaxed mixture.

Frank

[Kim]

Frank,

If you have a bit of meat to sand off the top the orange stuff should be OK to seal before you cut the rose. If you use nothing you may well get a bit of lift when you rout so even a thinned lacquer is OK to use.

If you do use the orange stuff, thin it down and make sure you give the wood a wipe with naptha/shellite 'after' you sand it off and dry wipe when done. Also and keep the shellac out of any small dings that may be in the spruce and only put it where it needs to be and you should be fine. It really is worth your while getting some dewaxed super blond when you can.

Cheers

Kim
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[kiwigeo]

Frank....I use Rustons made up sanding sealer for routing and protecting spruce tops. I think I got it from Carbatec.

When mixing up shellac I leave the stuff overnight and then strain through a painters filter funnel.
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[Clancy]

Last night I mixed up the same stuff, same brand, from bunnings.
First time mixing shellac.
Had the same problem dissolving the flakes. Added more & waited.
Finally got that lovely horrible orange spread all over the radius dishes.
Won't be putting this stuff near an instrument!

[jb2060]

To add to the other comments - I only use blonde shellac as it saves time at the end of the day. It is also invisible under other finishes. It is relatively cheap if you buy in bulk.

I also use a coffee grinder (blade type) to grind the flakes beforehand. It really accelerates the dissolution but you still have to filter through a stocking.

cheers, Jason
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Jason Brouwers
Sydney

[rocket]

Frank, i have some blonde shellac if you need some, but at the speed you're working i'd say i'm probably too late to help hey!!! Cheers Rod
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