Replies

1. 
   suzy | Dec 27, 2002 02:17am | #1

   i have had some experience with shellac.  first of all, have you checked the date on the can.  shellac definitely has a expiration date, and if it is too old, throw it away!!! it is more expensive, but i use only shellac flakes, which i dissolve in methanol. and i use only a fresh solution. 

   tis more

1. 
   Alan | Dec 27, 2002 02:14pm | #3

   Suzyt,

   I don't know where you get your shellac and alcohol, but for a pound of flakes and a gallon of alcohol I pay around twenty bucks:  that will make a gallon of one pound cut (about the thickest I ever use) or a half-gallon of two pound cut with a half gallon of alcohol left over to clean brushes.  Last I checked the price of pre-mixed shellac, mixing my own was about half-price!

   Alan

1. 
   suzy | Dec 27, 2002 04:31pm | #4

   alan, i'd love to know where you purchse your shellac flakes. the shipping charges, if you cannot purchase it locally, is about $10+.  the last time i purchased blond flakes, from constantine's in the bronx [and i went in person], i paid about $30-40 for a large package.  and i used it all in a few months.  i was finishing a bookcase, so there was a large surface area, and i did about 5 coats, and it went very fast. thanks

1. 
   Alan | Dec 27, 2002 07:18pm | #5

   Suzyt,

   Super-blonde shellac is rather more expensive than most--but you still got taken!

   There are lots of places that will sell you shellac for much more than they should.  For example, beware of large containers that hold less than a pound.  However, many manufacturers and retailers are still honest.  Homestead sells de-waxed "ultra pale" flakes for $19.95 Lb.; "pale," "extra pale" and "ultra pale" are $18.95 Lb.  Darker shellacs are a buck or two cheaper.  If you don't need de-waxed shellac, Homestead's orange, button and seedlac are all $11.99 Lb.; and their prices go down as you order greater amounts.

   I don't know what they get for shipping, but I doubt it would raise the price up to thirty or forty dollars a pound.  Of course the more you order the lower will be your shipping cost per unit.  If you live in the ultra-high sales tax world of NYC (I used to live up-state) you might just about break even on shipping versus sales tax.

   I usually don't mail order shellac.  The fellow at the local hardware store (not a chain outfit) orders whatever I want for me.  The brands and prices vary a bit, but I don't recall ever paying more than eighteen dollars for a pound of orange shellac.  Because I generally get the darker shades my "usual" cost is a few bucks cheaper.

   Alan

1. 
   suzy | Dec 29, 2002 06:48am | #8

   you are fortunate.  the local hardware stores near me don't know what shellac flakes are.  when i ask for the flakes, they show me the dissolved product. 

2. 
   Paul_Snyder | Dec 29, 2002 09:31am | #9

   Another good source for shellac is - http://www.woodfinishingsupplies.com/Shellac.htm

   I was wondering when you said you mix the flakes with methanol if you meant denatured alcohol? Methanol is pretty toxic - the fumes are very harmful - and methanol makes the shellac brittle and porous so that is it less water resistant.

   Paul

   F'burg, VA

3. 
   suzy | Dec 31, 2002 06:25am | #12

   hi, paul. yup, i checked my basement, and it definitely is denatured alcohol. i will check out the web site that you mention.  i am learning so much!!  thanks

4. 
   davamoore | Dec 31, 2002 07:13pm | #13

   To chime in, I find that a 3# cut of shellac is generally a very heavy mix, a little harder to work with.  I almost always mix a 1# or 2# cut.  Yes, it does require extra coats and you'll go through more cans of alcohol, but I'll trade that for better control.

   DavidLook, I made a hat -- Where there never was a hat!

2. 
   MarkH128 | Dec 29, 2002 12:18am | #6

   16.95 / lb here. Free shipping on over 5 lbs. (76.50)

   http://www.shellac.net/ShellacPricing.html

1. 
   suzy | Dec 29, 2002 06:44am | #7

   great!!   thanks.  which shellac would you recommend for mahogany??  for cypress?? thanks again

2. 
   MarkH128 | Dec 31, 2002 05:05am | #11

   I believe that link has a FAQ page where they suggest various types of shellac based on the wood and appearance desired. There is a lot of good info there.

2. 
   Marcello | Dec 27, 2002 03:07am | #2

   GP

   Make sure the bristles are not sticking to one another, creating one large bristle.  Did you clean the brush thoroughly after each use? or did you wrap it in plastic w/ rubber bands to seal the air?  In either case, you can reclaim the brush by soaking it in alcohol to get rid of any gumming up it may have.

   To flatten the finish you can sand it with stearated silicon-carbide 320 or 400 grit sand paper.  Change or clean paper as soon as you notice little balls of finish on the paper or suface.  This leveling will remove any streaks left by the previous coat.  Then rub it out with 0000 steel wool and reapply a top coat.  Remember that one coat application with a brush is approximately equal to 5 coats of a padded application.  Odds are that your shellac is still of the same consistency of your 1st and 2nd coats, if you have applied them recently.

   Marcello

3. 
   Paul_Snyder | Dec 29, 2002 09:35am | #10

   Here's a link to an article on brushing shellac - http://www.shellac.net/brushes.html

   There are a number of good tips in the article that should help you get better results - like thinning the shellac and using a brush that works well with the alcohol solvent.

   Paul

   F'burg, VA

4. 
   ChasStanford | Jan 01, 2003 02:30am | #14

   The best finishers that I know never use anything over a 1.5lb "cut".  This may not be your problem, but putting on a 3lb. cut of shellac is my idea of self-torture.  Make it easy on yourself.

1. 
   gpasewicz | Jan 03, 2003 08:07pm | #15

   After a little experimenting and a small amount of experience, I've concluded that climate is as important a factor as any other when it comes to shellac.   In the summer, when the weather is HHH and I'm working in our garage, the shellac dries too quickly: no matter what brush or technique I use, I end up with a poor finish.  In the winter, when I'm working in our basement (normally cold and drafty), the finish again dries too quickly to flow out, leaving bubbles, weeps and brush marks.

   I built some plexiglass storm windows to shut off the drafts:  when they're in place, the cellar heats up just a few degrees but it seems to be enough to make the difference.  Despite my efforts to do a poor finishing job by using an old, poor quality brush and slopping on too much shellac, going with, against, and across the grain, practially scrubbing it in, the shellac still flows out and smooths itself.  When the storm windows aren't in place, the cold, drafty winter air is as bad as the HHH air of summer. 

   Maybe I'm completely off my rocker, but air temp and humidity seem to be overlooked in applying finishes.  Maybe it's so fundamental that everyone (but me) doesn't need to consider it.   At any rate, I'm surprisingly impressed with the significance of climate.  Thank you.  Herein ends the testimonial.