Button shellac

[rocket]

I came across a stash of shellac buttons,dark brown in colour.
Can anyone tell me what if any are the advantages over the flakes? And what is the mix ratio.
Also came across a heap of carnauba wax flakes how are these used?
Also some old packets of glue pearls, 5 shillings and eleven pence a packet, I'm guessing this stuff is hhg?
Thanks

Rod.

[kiwigeo]

Have you bought a Tardis Rod??

[kiwigeo]

I came across a stash of shellac buttons,dark brown in colour.
Can anyone tell me what if any are the advantages over the flakes? And what is the mix ratio.

I believe button shellac gets made up same way you'd make up the flakes. It has more wax content than the dewaxed blonde shellac so tends to be more flexible and moisture resistant. The downsides? It's alot darker than most of the flakes so might only suit darker woods.

[Bob Connor]

I used Davis pearl glue in the 80's . It was all you could get back then. Seemed to work ok.


Regards

[Allen]

I smash up Button Lac with a hammer and toss it in a spice grinder to beak it up so it will dissolve much quicker. If not it's going to take days to dissolve. It will also have lots of wax in it. You can use it that way, or let it settle out and pour the cleaner shellac off, or filter it out.

That darker color would be used over some blonde shellac to tone the workpiece a richer red. Works a treat on mahogany. Just on it's own would be a bit too much for my taste, and if the timber has pores can make for a really wierd look.

The wax flakes were used to blend your own wax mix. Old school stuff thats a bit too much work for most people now.

[blackalex1952]

Carnuba wax is one of the hardest waxes there is. It is often mixed with other waxes to increase hardness. I had to repair an accordion recently. I melted a little carnuba and beeswax with olive oil. This is used to seat the reed beds into the wooden frames that they live in. Wax shrinks on drying, so accordion reed wax is made with oil to prevent it from shrinking so that the metal reed beds will stick to the wooden frames which hold them. Wax in a pot which has been melted and allowed to harden again pulls away from the sides of the pot because it shrinks. Wax with oil in it doesn't pull away - same effect on the reed beds.
For those interested - http://rosewood-music.net/tag/accordion/
I have used carnuba in other mixes, eg a lindseed oil, turpentine and wax finish along with parrafin or beeswax (plus a little terebine as a hardner for some applications). As it is so hard compared to other waxes it might even be good for polishing a fretboard of ebony or gidgee. However, with porous wood like rosewood the wax will fill the pores and look rather obvious so not suitable in that regard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnauba_wax
-Ross