Replies

1. 
   Floss | Feb 10, 2004 08:19pm | #1

   You will be fine. I mix waxed and dewaxed all the time with no problems. And since the alcohol of the shellac melts each coat into the previous one there are really no adhesion problems at all.

   J.P.

1. 
   dillon | Feb 10, 2004 08:27pm | #2

   Thanks!

1. 
   jcousins | Feb 10, 2004 11:49pm | #3

   the only problem you might face is if you are wanting to put another finish on top that. something that may not be compatible with the wax - like a wb poly.

   jerry

2. 
   JohnWW | Feb 11, 2004 01:10am | #4

   Waxed and dewaxed shellac will mix together just fine.  If you want to use only dewaxed so that a finish coat in a different finish will adhere better, just let the shellac sit for a while in a glass jar and then pour off the clear shellac in the upper half leaving the cloudy wax containing portion in the jar.

   John W.

1. 
   VeniciaL | Feb 11, 2004 09:50am | #5

   John,

   Have you actually used that decanting technique with any success? I have never been able to make it work, although I've seen it described many times. I really wonder if anyone does it.

   I find that with anything over a 2# cut, the wax never settles much lower than 1/3 the way down the jar. Worse, any attempt to handle the jar results in the very tenuous wax "layer" simply swirling up into the clear shellac above.

   Thinner cuts settle better, but the wax still swirls up at the slightest movement of the jar.

   I have had much better results putting the waxy shellac in a capped plastic squeeze bottle and adding half an inch of mineral spirits. Shake well and invert the bottle. Let it sit for 48 hours. The shellac will be crystal clear at the bottom (the inverted top). The wax will be in the sharply demarcated mineral spirit layer above.

   Uncap the bottle and sqeeze to expel the shellac into another container. Stop just before the shellac/mineral spirits interface gets to the tip of the inverted bottle.

   I've collected the waxy layer and let the mineral spirits evaporate. It takes a few days and the wax gets to a consistency like soft butter. I have always wondered if it had any usefullness.

   PS. I don't use this technique much - I just wanted to assure myself I could dewax shellac once. I haven't bought any BUT dewaxed in a long time.

   VL

1. 
   Gretchen | Feb 11, 2004 03:40pm | #6

   How very cool!!  Does FW have a "tip" page like FC?  Send it in.  That is a winner.Gretchen

2. 
   JohnWW | Feb 11, 2004 07:05pm | #7

   Venicia,

   I second Gretchen's comment about that being a cool way to do what is, as you explained a difficult job.  I have done it the way I described, but it isn't a very effective process. 

   As for what to do with the wax, the only commercial use I know of for it is to make shoe polish, but I suspect it has multiple uses.  It seems like a good candidate for a furniture wax, I think I'll try it out sometime.

   Thanks for the tip, JohnW.

3. 
   jazzdogg | Feb 11, 2004 09:02pm | #8

   " I have always wondered if it had any usefullness. "

   VL,

   Thought I read or heard somewhere that this is used to make shoe polish. Maybe not - who knows.

   As to decanting, I find it helps to use a tall & skinny container, and to tilt it s-l-o-w-l-y, just as you do when decanting an old bottle of wine.

   When I decant, I pour through one of the medium paper cone filters I use with the spray gun. Works well if you're patient and take it slowly.

   A buddy of mine uses a large bore soda straw: he simply inserts it into the clear shellac, places his thumb over the top, withdraws the product to a clean container, and repeats as necessary. It's slow, but effective.

   In either case, the trick it to leave the waxy layer as undisturbed as possible. Maybe one of those measuring cups marketed to cooks for gravy separation would work.

   Paul

   Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

   Edited 2/11/2004 1:04:16 PM ET by jazzdogg

4. 
   bsutton12 | Feb 12, 2004 10:10pm | #9

   I use a cheap turkey baster.  You have to turn it upside down as quickly as possible be cause it leaks.  You mat also be able to use a gravy decanter that has a spout that goes to the bottom.  It might allow you to pour off the wax

1. 
   VeniciaL | Feb 13, 2004 12:04am | #10

   Re: separating the wax using mineral spirits, I first tried the method in a mason jar. I knew it would separate and I planned to suck off the top mineral spirits/wax with a turkeybaster.

   It was a partial success/partial failure. I was able to get some of the very top layer, but any suction at all from the baster pulled the lower shellac layer right up through the mineral spirits layer. In the end, I got a LOT of shellac that I didn't want, and couldn't adequately get all the wax off because the baster/tip/suction was so crude.

   Then I tried removing just the bottom, shellac layer. I inserted the baster down through the wax/mineral spirits layer and sucked up as much shellac as the baster would hold. It was a mess. Some wax got into the tip as it went down through the top layer, and the two layers got mixed from having to use the baster several times. It dripped as I withdrew it, spilling shellac into the top layer.

   I knew I had to let the shellac run out the bottom of the container. Visions of chemistry class went through my head as I pictured those glass vessels with stop cocks at the bottom. Then I realized I could use the inverted squeeze bottle method. It works to either squeeze the bottom layer out, or to poke a pin hole in the inverted bottom to allow the contents to run out without squeezing. You can hold a finger over the hole long enough to mix a new batch for separating.

   VL