shellac flakes

Ok here is one for all you shellac guru's out there (namely DB and Gav).
I'm going to experiment with using shellac flakes as a wood sealer under clear coat and as a way of separating in compatible finishes . My question is
1. is good old green shed Meth's Dentured alcohol
2. how do I determine a mix ratio
3. do I need to leave it over night before I strain it to a usable form.
I have no experience here with this stuff so any help would be most welcome.

remember it is only being used as a sealer/ separator so I only had one maybe two coats in mind of blonde.
Thanks

Great topic Jarrod. I'm going to be doing just this on my current builds. I have mixed my own shellac years ago back in college,but it's been a while so Im a bit rusty on the details. I think a refresher course is what I need.

OK.
1: Yep. I use Diggers brand meths to melt the Shellac.
2: A general rule of thumb ratio that I use is half fill a 250ml jar with said meths then add the DEWAXED Shellac flakes until they reach the 1/4 mark.
3: It is helpful to make the mix up in the morning so you can give it a shake every few hours. Leave it over night, then shake the bejesus out of it to make sure all of the Shellac is melted.
Let it settle for a few hours then strain and use :)

You can thin accordingly with meths if needed.

Forgot to mention that Blonde Shellac is generally available from Carbatec and most specialist wood workers Nirvanas :)

Brilliant, thanks DB

Yea, dont buy from anywhere else but Carbatech,.....agree 100% with what DB said...make enough to last you no more than a year! It starts to go off after that time.

Big thanks guy's

Cool, I have to make a trip to carbatec tomorrow for a router bit and some cabinet scrapers so I will grab some shellac flakes while I am there.
I was just going to use the Feast Watson flakes from the hardware. Why do you guys prefer the stuff from carbatec, and do you know what the brand is you use?

You need the Blonde Dewaxed flakes - I use the Liberon branded bug poop!

I had already ordered the blond dewaxed from ASL . Should be ok ?

Quote:

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from dingobass on June 3, 2014, 18:29
OK.
1: Yep. I use Diggers brand meths to melt the Shellac.
2: A general rule of thumb ratio that I use is half fill a 250ml jar with said meths then add the DEWAXED Shellac flakes until they reach the 1/4 mark.
3: It is helpful to make the mix up in the morning so you can give it a shake every few hours. Leave it over night, then shake the bejesus out of it to make sure all of the Shellac is melted.
Let it settle for a few hours then strain and use :)

You can thin accordingly with meths if needed.

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let me get that right half fill a 250ml jar so there is 125ml of meths and fill to the 1/4 mark ?
what back to 250ml . so the ratio is 50/50 or am I being an engineer all gone wrong

Fortunately I speak DB........

Pour meths into any jar of your choice, preferably a 250ml. Pour until you get half way, or in normal speak, add 125ml of meths. Then carefully add flakes until they reach the 1/4 mark (or in normal speak-the 62.5ml mark....effectively 2 parts metho and one part flakes! There are a number of variants of this formula to get a thinner or thicker application. For example, to get a thicker application "in DB speak" you might pour the FLAKES into the jar first and then pour just enough meths to cover the top layer of flakes...

One tip, plan ahead as it does take about a day for the flakes to dissolve in the meths. You can speed the process up using a lamp to warm the solution.

Just in case someone asks, the dewaxed shellac is for use as a sealant over a stain but under a lacquer. Waxed shellac is used when french polishing the whole guitar as it adds more moisture resistance and flexibility to the final finish.

Feast Watson Make a Pre-mix as well as Flakes.
Zinsser make a pre Mix Dewaxed Hard Shellac, as do U-Beaut
I've always used Diggers Meth AFAIC Meth is ethanol...or rubbibg alchahol..

The last Batch I made is still in the Feast Wats bottle. just give it a good shke before I use it.

PK

Cheers PK

Oh 1 more thing Application should be by a rubbing pad.
make two squares of 100% cotton about 180x180mm fold one square up into a ball then wrapp it with the other square to forma pad. I use plastic ties to tie off the bundle.
Application should always be bya swooping motion and always best to go along the grain. If you are doing a archtop, then good luck as it is very hard to get the layers even and smooth like you can on a flat piece of wood.

I have tried spraying shellac, with moderate success.

It can be used as a sealer, but I prefer Tung oil. :)

PK

Seeing as we are such a helpful lot

More tips!

Add a few drops of olive oil to the pad. You may want to use an eyedropper to keep from adding too much. The purpose of the oil is to keep the pad from drying out and sticking as you apply shellac. If the pad does start to stick, add another couple of drops of oil.

Apply the shellac to the wood surface in a gliding or sweeping motion as PK suggests, working one small area at a time. Gradually change to circular, then figure-8 motions. Each sweep will leave a thin layer of shellac, and your goal is to leave about 100 of these layers in one boding session! If you are french polishing with shellac, that is! Allow to dry properly before starting the process again to build layers. A furniture polish can be applied to make it sparkle and shine!

Wow thanks guys thats some great info there. And thanks for the DB conversion Gav it all makes sense now.

I thought I had written that in Irish.... 'Twas a long day and I had consumed a few bottles of Coopers that Woks so kindly left for me on Sunday....
Anyhoo, the guys have sorted you out.

Only thing I would be wary of is propriety brand pre mixes. Quite often they have strange ingredients.. Always best to make your own where you can 8-)

Bloody hell, I just got back from carbatec. They want $91 for 250g of the Liberon Dewaxed blonde flakes.

I'm sure that would last a while, but the price was a bit of a shock after I had just spent a couple of hundred on other goodies. Lucky I don't need it urgently.

I've used the Zinnser pre mix in a can before. While it's very handy to get a quick sealer coat on things. It will orange peel easily if conditions aren't perfect. I wouldn't recommend it for use on a high quality Finnish.

Quote:

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from dingobass on June 4, 2014, 08:18
I thought I had written that in Irish.... 'Twas a long day and I had consumed a few bottles of Coopers that Woks so kindly left for me on Sunday....
Anyhoo, the guys have sorted you out.

Only thing I would be wary of is propriety brand pre mixes. Quite often they have strange ingredients.. Always best to make your own where you can 8-)

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Yes an expensivs mistake i made as you well know DB

Quote:

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Gavin1393 on June 3, 2014, 23:46
You can speed the process up using a lamp to warm the solution.

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Or even a glue pot?

you can also fine wet sand between layers of shellac, it will come up like glass