Replies

1. 
   Joe Sullivan | Jan 25, 2009 03:12am | #1

   Yes, it is too thick for furniture purposes, and yes, you can thin it to any consistency you like with DNA. I recommend cutting it by AT LEAST a third, and maybe more, depending.

   Joe

2. 
   frenchy | Jan 25, 2009 03:14am | #2

   Yes you can. I use 2 gallons of denatured alcohol to one gallon of bullseye.. That makes a quick drying 15 minutes first coat)  and thin coating.. extremely difficult to screw up.    simply add as many coats as you want

      you can easily add less if you are a talented painter..

3. 
   xmike | Jan 25, 2009 03:23am | #3

   Yes, you should cut it by about 1/3.

   Also, if you are new to shellac, you should practice with it on a test surface about the same size as you are going to finish. Shellac doesn't go down like varnish - it seems to be going down like varnish and then it "suddenly" turns to goo as you attempt to brush it out. Luckily, it's easy to repair.

   Don't look at the MANY threads here on Knots re the proper application of shellac - it'll likely confuse you - I like to call it "The Shellac Wars" - lots of fun, but some very different ideas on what works. :).

   Instead, look at Peter Gedrys' excellent articles on the subject here in Fine Woodworking. Pete will set you straight. Good luck, shellac is wonderful stuff once you've got it mastered.

   Mike D

4. 
   Quickstep | Jan 25, 2009 03:59am | #4

   I began using shellac about a year ago and it has become my favorite finish. Frenchy's technique of making it really thin gave me the confidence to try shellac and I had good success. Since then, I just thin until it "feels" right. Sometimes that varies according to the finish I want to get. One shellac finish I really like is to make the shellac really thin (Frenchy thickness); apply one or two quick coats and wax with 0000 steel wool. Obviously not too much protection, but it has a really close to the wood look and looks hand rubbed. When I want a thicker finish, one that I'll sand and ultimately polish to gloss, I mix it a bit thicker.  Again, you get a feel for it.

   In other words experiment - it's half the fun. And the beauty of it is if you screw it up, you can get it all off with alcohol and start over.

   Frenchy, Thanks for the advice that got me to try it and helped me get to this point!

    

   Oh, one more thing. Good brushes help. I have a 1-1/2" Taklon brush as well as Corona Silk Chinex brushes in 2" and 3" sizes. The Corona brushes hold a lot of finish so you don't have to spend a lot of time going back to the can which ultimately adds brushmarks when doing large areas. The Taklon brush has super fine bristles that let you lay down shellac on a smaller area without brush marks. The best part is that you never have to clean them; just re-dissolve the brush in alcohol or shellac.

1. 
   Joe Sullivan | Jan 25, 2009 05:19am | #5

   Golly, Frenchy, I thought you were dead. No shellac posts in months. Thought maybe you confused your ultra-thin shellac with sippin liquor or something...

1. 
   xmike | Jan 25, 2009 05:37am | #6

   Commander! I think I detect shellac missiles in the air! Shall I go to DefCon III?
   AHOOOOGA, AHOOOGA! DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!
   ("What's that smell?" "It's pure alcohol, mate. It's good for you.")

1. 
   Rich14 | Jan 25, 2009 05:45am | #7

   Oh, No!!!!!!

2. 
   user7596380 | Feb 08, 2022 06:21pm | #17

   LOL! xMike, I used to say something similar when walking in to one of the local watering holes in the neighbor hood: "Dive - Dive - Dive! This is a Dive - Dive - Dive!", usually followed by appreciative chuckles from the customers and forced tolerance by the owners.

5. 
   HowardAcheson | Jan 25, 2009 09:15pm | #8

   That shellac is a 3# cut out of the can. For best brushing, you should cut it to 2# - 1 1/2#. To do this mix the shellac 50/50 with denatured alcohol. That will get you close enough.

   Howie.........
1. 
   lostcreek | Jan 25, 2009 09:35pm | #9

   Thanks for the input to all. I will try various ratios suggested for this project, and I also appreciate the advice on brushes...lostcreek

6. 
   Derek h | Nov 03, 2016 09:56pm | #10

   I saw your question and used the answers below and the results were fabulous! Was my first time using shellac at all I have been a lot of woodworking but always use urethane or lacquer finishes recently got into using oil instead of stain and I used the French polishing method (a wad of cheese cloth wrapped tightly in a peicee of old tee-shirt) and I cut it half denatured alcohol half Bullseye shellac out of the can. 50/50  it went on areally easy dries very fast and allowed me to put on several thin coats. In short time! pretty much foolproof and looked absolutely perfect. This was done on curly maple having used Watco Danish oil

7. 
   [email protected] | Feb 07, 2022 04:27pm | #11

   What if there is only DNA that is fuel what is the second choice for thinning shellac

1. 
   john_c2 | Feb 07, 2022 06:36pm | #12

   The only thinner for shellac is alcohol. Denatured alcohol as fuel is the same as that for shellac -- at least the fuel that I've seen is.

   You can use pure grain alcohol from a liquor store. It should be 190 or 195 proof. The brand is Everclear. It's not sold in some states at that proof though.

1. 
   user7596380 | Feb 08, 2022 06:10pm | #15

   My understanding is that "Everclear" is Southern for "Sippin' Whiskey".

8. 
   gulfstar | Feb 07, 2022 07:38pm | #13

   Methyl Hydrate will work, also known as methanol.

1. 
   thebardowl | Feb 08, 2022 11:06am | #14

   Important note: methanol is highly toxic, and readily absorbed through the skin. It’s also important to note that the commonly used and widely available thin, disposable nitrile gloves provide only modest protection against absorption of methanol; methanol will penetrate these thin nitrile gloves in less than a minute.

   I do not use high-concentration methanol for anything in the shop or elsewhere at home. Denatured alcohol containing methanol (a not-rare-enough adulterant of the base ethanol) is generally a second-choice form of DNA for me, for the same reasons.

1. 
   user7596380 | Feb 08, 2022 06:14pm | #16

   Thanks for posting the warnings. Too many people don't even know about, much less look for or understand, the MSDS [Material Safety Data Sheet] that come with, or are available on demand, for chemicals.

9. 
   EdWeber | Feb 08, 2022 06:34pm | #18

   The better quality solvent, the better the shellac will perform.
   Mohawk Shellac Reducer is just one example
   https://www.shellac.net/solvents_thinners_reducers.html