A question re Shellac

[daninjt]

I notice that after I mix a batch of shellac (flakes and alcohol) and leave it stand for a while it separates. There is a white residue at the bottom and dark brown liquid on top of that.

I have been stirring to mix it up before using it but wonder if there are any advantages/disadvantages to skimming off the dark brown liquid and just using that.

Can anyone tell me what the white stuff is that settles to the bottom?

Cheers,

Dan

[robbo266317]

I use Feast Watson and it says to strain after dissolving to remove any residue.

[Groggy]

It is just wax. Here is a link to explain it. I tried to find Paddy O'Deen's Shellac FAQ but it seems it has fallen off the internet.

[Horsecroft88]

Can't say I have ever experienced this problem with the shellacs I use, and I have been using this stuff to finish off my antiques, antique joinery etc for the past 18 years. I think the latest shellac flakes I am using is Feast Watson bought from Mitre10 and the Metho is a generic brand. I have used various different brand of orange shellac flakes over the years from various paint supplier outlets.

Temperature does seem to be issue in the application of shellac; that is when the atmospheric temperature is cold in your shed or workroom, the finish can go a little chalky.

[Woodwould]

When I had my shop, I used to buy a lot of shellac flakes/buttons of different varieties from an importer/distributor and it was esential to decant and filter the stuff. It contained bits of hessian sack, bug legs, wax and all sorts of rubbish. It was the best shellac I've used, but just not terribly well refined.

The stuff that's available from the likes of M10 is fairly idiot proof because they don't want people bringing it back, but it's not always the best shellac. I recently bought a small bottle of U-Beaut's dewaxed shellac and it's as clear as water.

[daninjt]

Thanks for all your responses gents. As always very useful.

I will now proceed to decant my shellac as I would a fine wine, but I wont use the crystal decanter - that could cause problems on the domestic front.

Cheers,

Dan

[Groggy]

Get a big syringe, that way you don't stir it up..

[Woodwould]

Get a big syringe...

... or a length of PVC tube and a wooden bead on the end of a piece of string.

[Afro Boy]

... or a length of PVC tube and a wooden bead on the end of a piece of string.

Ha? I can't picture how that would work.

[Woodwould]

Tie a knot on one end of the string and feed the loose end of the string through the bead and through the PVC tube. Dip the end of the tube with the bead into the shellac and then pull on the string.

If the bead is a reasonable fit in the tube, it will pull right through the tube, sucking the shellac along with it which you then catch in a suitable container. It's just one way of syphoning off the shellac without getting a mouthful of it.

[Afro Boy]

Ha. I get it now. Neat idea!

[Horsecroft88]

Can't say that I have ever had any need to filter my shellac mixture, nor experienced any problems with the finishes I achieve. Just my 2c worth

[daninjt]

I haven't perceived any problems before either but I will see if there is any improvement in the appearance of the finish after trying out the filtered stuff.

Logically the filtered finish should be more transparent than the non filtered finish containing all the translucent wax. But the difference may be too slight to notice. We will see.

Cheers,

Dan