Shellac flakes

Jeff

New User
Jeff
I have some shellac flakes that I bought from shellacfinishes.com a couple of years ago and I wasn't sure that they were still good or whether to buy new flakes. One package said "check dissolution after Feb 2019" and the other said " check dissolution after Oct 2019".

Made a 2 lb cut (4 ounces in 16 fluid ounces of ethanol). The solutions were really dark and not transparent but all of the flakes seemed to dissolve.

Vijay Velji said
If the following is true, then it's NOT good to go.
1) small gelatinous masses floating in the solution.
2) All the flakes have not completely dissolved.
I didn't have gelatinous and he said

You are good to go. The flakes are still good.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
I'm just saying what Mr. Veljay told me.

I did test it on sample boards. It dried fine and wasn't sticky so the tests confirmed that it was still good to use.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
My friend the violin maker in Alabama told me in 1980 that as long as you keep the flakes cool and dry they will last forever.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
For the most part if stored correctly then they have an indefinite shelf life, that said bleached or super blonde once mixed has a shorter shelf life once mixed.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
My flakes were double bagged in zip locks and kept in the house. I bought them in August 2017 so they're 3 years old.
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
My flakes were double bagged in zip locks and kept in the house. I bought them in August 2017 so they're 3 years old.
And again they should be good to go, I’ve done the same as far containing my products and for the better part of two to three years and I haven’t seen or had any issues.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
Apply it to a sample and if it dries and gives you the desired effect, I would say it is still good.

I've heard that before. Bad shellac doesn't dry right and remains a bit tacky when it should be dry to the touch. My freshly mixed batch from 3 year old flakes did dry fine.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
Yeah, I keep mine if the frig - never know how long it will be before they get used. I buy cheap and store...

There is no need to store them in the refrigerator and I've never heard that recommendation from several shellac flake suppliers. Keep them dry and at room temperature in ziplock bags and they'll be fine.
 

Brian Patterson

New User
Bstrom
There is no need to store them in the refrigerator and I've never heard that recommendation from several shellac flake suppliers. Keep them dry and at room temperature in ziplock bags and they'll be fine.
May not be 'recommended' by the makers, but with the summer humidity building, a ziplock bag isn't a perfect container for anything but stuff like hardware. I'll keep 'em refrigerated - might be another year before I use them!
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
May not be 'recommended' by the makers, but with the summer humidity building, a ziplock bag isn't a perfect container for anything but stuff like hardware. I'll keep 'em refrigerated - might be another year before I use them!

That's fine. There's nothing wrong with ziplock bags in summer humidity. What do you store your flakes in?
 

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