Another shellac question

boxer

Thanks, Jerry. I bought the Zinnser 3# cut of clear shellac. I used denatured alchohol to cut it to 1#. The boxes I make are from a lot of exotic woods. I could never bring myself to flock the inside of a zebrawood box. As I stated before, I will go back to practicing with shellac. I just have to keep production rolling for now. I appreciate the photo diary of how you fold a rubber. I've been using cut-up pieces of t-shirt wrapped up in a square of t-shirt. Maybe that's something I need to tweak as well.
Thanks again,
Kevin

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bobi

Can I put Helmsman spar urethane over a shellac finish

Bob N

You betcha.... just be sure the shellc is the dewaxed type.

__________________
a/k/a "Grumpa"

Timeman

lac bug wings !! shellac Is an old story, we in the modern day want to know what these compounds are.. If one wants to play with timber finishing and make it last

Meaning:

Once it was commonly believed that shellac was a resin obtained from the wings of an insect (order Hemiptera) found in India. In actuality, shellac is obtained from the secretion of the female insect, harvested from the bark of the trees where she deposits it to provide a sticky hold on the trunk. There is a risk that the harvesting process can scoop the insect up along with the secretion, leading to its death. The natural coloration of lac residue is greatly influenced by the sap consumed by the lac insect and the season of the harvest. Generally in the trade of seedlac there are two distinct colors: the orange Bysacki and the blonde Kushmi.

When purified, the chemical takes the form of golden yellow/ golden brown flakes, this possibly providing the basis for the "Wing Source Story." Shellac is a natural polymer and is chemically similar to synthetic polymers, thus it is considered a natural plastic. It can be turned into a moulding compound when mixed with woodflour and moulded under heat and pressure methods, so it is classified as thermoplastic. But old mouldings tend to become thermoset; that is, they suffer chemical reactions over time and are no longer fusible.

I do not use other sealers Shellac is by far the best sealer and preserver for indoors and outdoors if its waxed well.. Clean cotton sheets linen and meths and a lot of time if you want lust from your work

Is spar urethane like Polyurethane ?

Polyurethane is for boats I find on good timber and works we have done it clouds over time I mean 10 years but it just never really holds its look..

There are my tips in no way are they the right way I just put it this way after 10 years or more of playing with Exotics and common timbers.

Cheers!

jerrymayfield

As I have said many times,if shellac were first used today it would be hailed as a WONDER finish.

Regards

Jerry

Micawber

Gidday, Just found this site. liked Jerry's suggestio0n for the rubbers. As a complete newbie I was wondering if the water marks on a table can be helped with the reactivation with meths.. If you have time Jerry maybe you can let me know.. Micawber

jerryc

Sorry folks I've been out of action for the last two months. Couple of long stays in hospital. However I'm back and so can answer questions although I know jerrymayfield does an equally good trumpeting for SHELLAC-- THE WONDER FINISH.

To answer you question Micawber, Water marks on shellac can be removed. One problem with shellac however is that as it ages it gets tougher to reactivate. Not impossible, just tougher. By all means try reactivation by rubbing with meth, it will work, but be prepared to find it hard work. Since shellac is so easy to patch and repair it might even be possible to use a very light sandpaper as a last resort. I can go into that if necessay

It would be a help if you can either describe or better still post a picture of these marks. I am assuming they are white rings but more info would be useful.

Jerryc

Micawber

Thanks Jerry, hope all is well with you now........... The marks came out easily with the reactivation of the surface. Must be newer than I thought at first.. Regards, Micawber

curiousgeorge

For those interested. Here is a link to a very informative video on shellac. Charles Neil is a master woodworker but he loves to finish. He says he only builds so he has something to finish. Its the one called "Shellac: Woodworkers Best Friend"....

http://charlesneilwoodworking.com/ca...p?type=1&cat=3

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George
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GBM

I highly recommend the book... which many consider the Bible of Wood Finishing... by Bob Flexner ... " Understanding Wood Finishing, How to Select and Apply the Right Finish" by ' American Woodworker' - Reader's Digest.

It is really a spectacular book and he too loves Shellac....

He says " Shellac is the most underrated of all finishes"...