First time shellac...

[JoeS]

Hello all,

I have had some shellac flakes sitting staring at me for some time and want to mix some of them tomorrow for a first attempt at a shellac finish on a cabinet.

Can anyone recommend what the correct weight in g to ml of methylated spirit is ? I can't seem to understand this 1/4lb cut and 1/2lb cut and all the mad american imperial measurements (sorry I was born in the early 90's).

Can anyone advise?

 

[johnnyb]

1/2 lb cut is 61g/litre

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

Allow at least 24 hours for the mix to complete
I did a 50 50% mix and after 12 hours it looked like my custard... lumpy
So I mixed it with a wood fork and left it
After 24 hours it was fully mixed...eg a liquid not lumps and flakes
Mine was a bit thick but like you it was my first attempt and it was good for the planned task.... filling end grain on bowl I used methylated sprits to mix with the flakes
If doing more than one coat wait until really dry and hard, light sand I used 400 grit then re coat
Repeat as meany times as needed, though item will go darker with each coat
Hope this helps

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

I found this site never used it so can’t say how good /bad
https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/finishing/mixing-shellac

 

[ColinDeVelen]

When I started, I avoided getting bogged down with cut and conversion of metric / imperial / metric. I picked an arbitrary container (in this case a cleaned jar of curry sauce), put about a cm of flakes in the bottom (marked the level with a permanent marker), then added alcohol to about 2/3 full, mixed it, put the lid on. On that first go, after 24hrs or so of regular mixing / shaking, I still had a few flakes left on the bottom. I added a bit more alcohol in, mixed, left, agitated etc. That worked out fine for me.

 

[johnnyb]

Shellac is a unique material. That slow dissolve gives it potential to be polished by a rubber. Cellulose lacquer is rapidly dissolved by thinners meaning it cant easily be contact applied coat on coat(the second coat ruins the first). A slow thinner called pullover solution was used to achieve a French polished appearance.
Just an aside but freshness is much more important than cut. Also its known the addition of oil when bodying up causes a soft film. Waxed shellac (ie button, French, ) have softer films than dewaxed(lemon and garnet)

 

[XTiffy]

When I started out in Antique furniture restoration in 1977, I did have a go at mixing my own french polish. I quickly realised that it was a waste of time!
I just bought good quality polish from a good supplier, in my case W.S.Jenkins in Totenham, N.London and never went back (to home brew!).

 

[RobNichols]

I grind my flakes in a cheap electric coffee grinder before mixing with meths. That seems to help the two mix.

I've also bought myself a small electric stirrer I'm looking forward to using on my next batch (as well as for mixing milk paint).

 

[Fergie 307]

Hello all,

I have had some shellac flakes sitting staring at me for some time and want to mix some of them tomorrow for a first attempt at a shellac finish on a cabinet.

Can anyone recommend what the correct weight in g to ml of methylated spirit is ? I can't seem to understand this 1/4lb cut and 1/2lb cut and all the mad american imperial measurements (sorry I was born in the early 90's).

Can anyone advise?

Never tried using meths, is the colour not an issue?

 

[RobNichols]

Meths works fine. No worries about there being a blue tinge. I've had no issues using it

 

[profchris]

Meths works fine. No worries about their being a blue tinge. I've had no issues using it

Agreed. This is shellac dissolved in meths - you can decide if it's too blue.

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

I found no problem with colour tint

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Hello all,

I have had some shellac flakes sitting staring at me for some time and want to mix some of them tomorrow for a first attempt at a shellac finish on a cabinet.

Can anyone recommend what the correct weight in g to ml of methylated spirit is ? I can't seem to understand this 1/4lb cut and 1/2lb cut and all the mad american imperial measurements (sorry I was born in the early 90's).

Can anyone advise?

Hi, I’ve been mixing shellac quite a bit lately, I love that I can get all the coats done in an afternoon.
100g per 1/2litre is approximately a 2lb cut. I use 99.9% denatured alcohol, but I’ve heard that meths is also fine.
If you find you’re mixing it a lot, a cheap coffee grinder and a magnetic stirrer speed the mixing up process quite a bit (a couple of hours compared to a couple of days).

 

[Dauph]

I hope I'm not adding confusion but, the method I use (from the interwebs) is that a 1 to 4 ratio is the same as a 2lb cut. So 25g shellac to 100g meths = 2lb cut, 12.5 shellac to 100g meths =1lb cut, 37.5 shellac to 100g meths =3lb cut. I get good results with this. I don't think it needs to be super accurate but I do get the withering "are you using my digital kitchen scales to measure out wood finish" look from the missis, which is fun! I use purple tinged meths, makes no difference I can see, even on light wood

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

Owww. Don’t upset MRS
Says he who used to strip m bike and car parts with dad in mums kitchen ....
boil in the bag carburettors for lunch anyone

 

[thetyreman]

I just get a jar, douwe egberts coffee jars are great because of the seal, usually put in around 1/4 shellac to the liquids worth of alcohol and that works out fine for most things, it might be a bit thin for some things but I'd rather have more thin layers and build it up, french polishing is much nicer than using a brush from my experience, you can 'pad' it on with some cheeze cloth with cotton inside.

 

[shavings&sawdust]

1/2 lb cut is 61g/li

Hello all,

I have had some shellac flakes sitting staring at me for some time and want to mix some of them tomorrow for a first attempt at a shellac finish on a cabinet.

Can anyone recommend what the correct weight in g to ml of methylated spirit is ? I can't seem to understand this 1/4lb cut and 1/2lb cut and all the mad american imperial measurements (sorry I was born in the early 90's).

Can anyone advise?

Hi Joe,
When dealing with customs Ireland to obtain a licence to buy pure ethanol for French polishing (in the 2000s), there was an obligation to mix the ethanol immediately after receiving it with shellac to prevent unlawful use. The requirement was to mix or cut the weight of shellac in a gallon of 'spirits'., i.e., ethanol to make an x lb cut.
There are some historic sources on varnish making and I will post if I can find more information on this question.
It will be easier to go metric and also to use this ratio (passed on form a German master piano polisher): 100g shellac in 1litre of ethanol.
The following is for shellac that has not been dewaxed:
If you don't use a lot of Polish make smaller batches as old shellac polish has very poor drying properties and can spoil your project.
Somes recipes suggest a warm sandbath to speed up the process. If you are not in a hurry, dissolve the shellac in cold ethanol while shaking the well closed container several times a day. In warmer ethanol the wax that you want to get out will be harder to separate out.
The result will be a syrupy liquid, leave it to stand in a cold place (in the fridge if you are allowed) as this speeds up the slow separation of the polish from the wax which will settle with other stuff at the bottom of the bottle (wax does not dissolve well in cold ethanol). Then, carefully decant the clear upper part, which should be diluted further if used for French polishing. BTW: Shellac dexawed this way produces a harder and shinier polish if that is what you are looking for.
I am certain there are differing opinions, it has worked for me this way.

 

[shavings&sawdust]

Never tried using meths, is the colour not an issue?

There is a clear colourless option: get biofuel for indoor 'imitation' fireplaces. It has 97% ethanol. My source is the orange clad DIY shop.