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 their 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.