*
Since shellac has a limited shelf life once mixed, could the shellac be preserved by pouring the mixed shellac out on a sheet of plastic and allow the alcohol to evaporate out? After it has hardened, it could be broken up into chunks and stored dry until it’s needed again and re-dissolved. Or is there some chemical degradation that occurs every time the dissolve/solidification process occurs that would affect the quality of the subsequent mixtures?
Thanks
-Kurt
Replies
*
Yes, but I would use a glass plate. YOu can also find some old 78RPM records, break them up, and dissolve them in alcohol.
Seriously, can't you just mix up less or throw the leftover out and mix fresh when needed?
*Usually, that's what I do, but in cases where I'm spraying the last thing I want is to run out of finish so I usually mix up more than I think I'll need just in case.I don't want to look cheap, but freshly mixed shellac is not an inexpensive finish. Shellac flakes range in price from $15-30/ lb. which translates into about $50-100/ gal. when mixed to a 3# cut. Certainly if you have scraps of a valuable wood from a project, you're inclined to hold on to them for future use, right? I just hate dumping expensive finishes out and if I can find a method to preserve them for another use, I will.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled