How to Mix Shellac - FineWoodworking A 2-lb cut of shellac is 2 lb of shellac resin dissolved in a gallon of alcohol A 5-lb cut would be 5 lb of resin dissolved in a gallon, etc When mixing shellac from flakes or buttons, you can scale down the ratio of cut to make a suitable amount For example, adding 2 oz of flakes to 8 oz of alcohol produces a half-pint of 2-lb -cut
Shellac’s Amazing Journey - FineWoodworking Shellac is derived from the resinous secretion of a tiny insect—tinier than the period at the end of this sentence—known as Laccifer lacca Twice a year, in India and Thailand, millions of red larvae about 1⁄64 in long hatch and settle on the tender, fresh twigs of certain trees
Shellac Solvent: Grain Alcohol vs. Denatured Alcohol Can the Can(ned) Shellac Creative director Mike Pekovich demonstrates how easy it is to make a batch of shellac from flakes In short, denatured alcohol is an unpredictable, dangerous, unhealthy, poor-quality solvent for shellac that will make your finish harder to use as well as shorten your life Don’t worry, though; I have a solution
Make Shellac Your Go-To Finish - FineWoodworking Fresh, dewaxed shellac is plenty durable Shellac gets a bad rap for durability, in part because of confusion between waxy and dewaxed versions Stick with dewaxed shellac; it dries to a hard, impermeable film that protects against heat and moisture and is compatible with all finishes True, shellac won’t hold up against spilled alcohol
Finishing a floor with shellac - FineWoodworking I would probably do at least 3 coats of 3 lb shellac on a floor 1 1 2 lb cut is pretty thin and would take alot of coats to build a durable finish I've only used shellac on floors twice and that was 50 years ago One was a colonial house in Society Hill in Philadelphia
Thinning Bullseye Shellac? - FineWoodworking 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
Tips on Making a Shellac Pad - FineWoodworking See how Peter Gedrys makes a pad, or rubber, for shellac in this sidebar to a video series on refinishing furniture Find links to the whole video series below In this segment, it only takes him a few seconds to shape cheesecloth wadding and wrap it in a fine-textured cloth The pad helps to apply a thin, even coat of shellac without lap marks
Seal Your Project with Dewaxed Shellac - FineWoodworking Nothing about shellac "seals" the wood any better than polyurethane -- but if you want to seal, glaze, then finish, shellac makes the process faster If you are just wanting to seal, sand the nibs and raised grain, then finish, you might as well just use whatever you are going to top coat it with, especially if you seal it as the last stage of
shellac and alcohol - FineWoodworking I think that shellac will dissolve easily in any alcohol — methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, and so on The only real difference is the drying time — short, for methyl, longer for denatured ethyl, and if you wanted to add isopropyl (rubbing alcohol), that would increase the drying time even more
Tinting shellac - FineWoodworking Can I get away with putting that much water in the shellac or should I just do the piece conventionally (wood conditioner then alcohol based analine and then superblonde shellac) I usually just use shellac without stain I get to be a bloody coward about experimenting with a piece I have a lot of time in Thanks, Frank