On 6 Dec 2004 at 16:53, Jonathan Peck wrote:

>
> I've purchased my first two pounds of shellac for which I'm told is
> probably a lifetime supply. I got 1lb. blond, 1lb. orange and two
> quarts of denatured alcohol. I didn't get any garnet, but this can be
> easily remedied with another trip down to TFWW. I'm hoping that
> shellac will be relatively odorless and I won't have any problems in
> my unventilated basement shop. Swmbo is ultrasensitive to chemical
> smells and doesn't want to see me get anymore dainbramaged than
> already am I is either.

(a little chortling) Lifetime supply? I've used more than two pounds of
shellac and the fact that I can see my breath in the shop these December
evenings strongly suggests that I am still alive. Just think of it as a
good start. Good choice of colors, I think. I have every color of
dewaxed shellac made, and blonde or superblonde plus orange covers most
bases. You will eventually want to get some garnet just to see what it
does and find out how it looks on various woods. I use it sometimes, but
less than the others.

Shellac is odorless in the sense that it smells like whatever you
dissolve it
in. In other words, your shop will smell a whole lot like denatured
    alcohol, which some of us find quite pleasant. Your wife might not.

>
> So's assuming I finish a project, what are some tips to get me started
> with shellac and how do I know which types go best with the
> color/species of wood I'm finishing? I could also use a little help
> with application and storage.

Start here, probably:

http://shellac.net/information.html

Lots of posts in the archive, but any good finishing book should tell
you what you need to know, and free to ask us when you have a question.
I like Jeff Jewitt's books, myself. It's not hard to use, and you can
fix your mistakes since the solvent (alcohol) can remove the finish even
after it has dried. One of shellac's most endearing characteristics.

As with all finishes, you tell what looks good by putting some on the
species of interest. Orange shellac over curly maple is quite nice, but
it's all subjective. Try it, but remember that it builds color a bit -
the more coats, the more color. If you're going to apply an oil
"undercoat" to enhance the grain, don't forget to do that when color
testing as well. It has a significant impact.

The best thing to tell you about storage is that you shouldn't mix up
more than you are going to need. It doesn't take long before you figure
out how much that
io. Keep it in flake form as much as you can, and I store the flakes in
    the freezer. They essentially last forever that way. Once you mix
    them up with the solvent, they will start to deteriorate. Not fast,
    but don't expect to store the stuff for six months in dissolved form
    and pick up where you left off. It'll certainly last long enough to
    finish an entire project when dissolved.

In the summer, I can just cover the flakes with alcohol in a jar and
stick it outside, especially on a 100 degree day. A bit harder this time
of year, but someone suggested buying an inexpensive coffee grinder and
grinding the flakes first. I think this is just brilliant, although it
occurs to me that the mixing ratios may change by quite a bit since you
eliminate the air space between flakes when you grind it. It's all
pretty approximate anyway. My first cut is visually 2:1 - an inch of
flakes goes in the jar, and add alcohol until you've got two inches of
it. Let this dissolve. I cut this 2:1 for brushing on initial coats
where I want a fast buildup. I cut that mixture 2:1 again for padding on
the last coats. This has worked for me for years.

There's a good deal of work on "finishing the finish" after this
part, but get the finishing books and follow what they say. Should
work out fine.

-Ken

Ken Greenberg (ken@c...) 667 Brush Creek Rd., Santa Rosa, CA 95404
http://www.calast.com/personal/ken/wood.htm Visit the oldtools book list
at http://www.calast.com/personal/ken/booklist.htm