What Is A Shellac Finish?
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In the early 1800’s shellac began to be used as a wood working finish. It is non toxic. It can be used to partially seal exposed end grain so that it does not absorb so much stain. It cleans up easily with rubbing alcohol.
Shellac is derived from the secretions of an inset in Southeast Asia. The secretions are collected, processed and shipped as amber or light orange flakes. The flakes are dissolved with alcohol into a liquid.
The most common shellac mixture is two pound. That means there are two pounds of shellac that has been mixed with one gallon of alcohol.
When you go to the big box home improvement center you will find either 2 pound or 3 pound shellac. If the shellac is too thick it can be thinned using alcohol. The can’s label will contain the thinning ratios.
Since shellac is thinned with alcohol, it tends to dry very quickly especially at warmer temperatures. Thus, hobbyist wood workers came to believe that it was too difficult to work with. It really isn’t you just have to follow a few simple rules that will make application a breeze.
Application
Covering a large flat area like the side of a cabinet use a pad it will go quicker and will result in a uniform coverage. Use a medium weight cotton muslin pad. Mineral oil can be used as a lubricant to help the pad slide across the wood’s surface. Apply a small amount to keep the pad gliding easily.
Shellac can be applied with a brush. Use a high quality brush. Brushing works best for small areas where you will be able to have a continual wet line.
Between coats sand the shellac smooth with 400 grit sand paper. Before applying the final coat use a Scotch-brite pad to smooth out the surface.
Clean up
Alcohol is the preferred method of cleaning the paint brush. Effectively what you are doing is thinning the shellac down until it is removed from the brush. Sign up for the wood finishing tips newsletter (upper left hand corner of this page) for a less wasteful technique for cleaning a brush.
Instead of using alcohol ammonia can be used as a solvent. Ammonia dissolves the shellac quickly.
Once the shellac has been removed from the brush, wash the brush with soapy water. Sign up for the wood finishing tips newsletter (upper left hand corner of this page) brush storage tips that will prevent the bristles from flaring out.
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