Shellac Mixing Question

[BillPappas]

Is it normal when you mix up a new batch of shellac that all the flakes do not dissolve and you end up with a thick clump at the bottom of the container?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[JimmyC]

I have found that fresh shellac flakes dissolve quickly, but the older they get, the longer it takes for the process to happen. Sometimes it could take a week or so. The temperature that your trying to do this in might also affect the process, such as it may take longer in a cold garage.

 

[gator]

Besides weather, one thing I found was the size of the flakes. I got a $10 coffee bean grinder from Walmart and run the flakes through it before adding the alcohol. It cuts the time for dissolving way down.

George

 

[Tarhead]

I use a coffee grinder to prepare my flakes but find that they dissolve better if I split the total amount into 4ths and add one every 4 hrs with stirring/shaking. I too have had to deal with a big glob iin the bottom of the jar when I dumped the whole amount of flakes. It will bust up with a wooden spoon handle and some vigorous shaking.
"you gotta shake it like a Polaroid."

 

[BillPappas]

Thanks for the advice and relating your experience...this was my first time mixing this stuff and given that I dumped in the big flakes into the alcohol all at once, gave the jar a shake and walked away ending up with the big clump sounds normal.

Now I need a grinder and a scale!

Regrds,

Bill

 

[dancam]

Bill,

Here's a good article from FWW that should help.

Dan C.

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=28833

 

[froglips]

As a new person to mixing my own, this helped me.

Stir the mixture every half hour or so. It keeps the clumps from forming during the initial mix.

Jim

 

[Jeff]

You can speed up the process by gently heating the mixture in a pan of warm (not boiling) water. Lightly cover the top of your shellac container with foil or saran wrap to minimize evaporation of the alcohol (or just crack the lid to prevent pressure build up).

DO NOT HEAT OVER AN OPEN FLAME! :kamahlitu

Good luck.

 

[Matt Furjanic]

Here's what I do...
About 3 or 4 ounces is about all I mix at one time. This actually goes a long way.
I mix this in a large size pill bottle (about a five or six ounce size) - the kind you get at the pharmacy - the alcohol will not melt these bottles. Your local pharmacist will probably give you a few if you don't take pills!
Measure (liquid measure) 4 ounces of denatured alcohol and put it in the bottle.
Use a postal scale and measure 1 ounce of shellac flakes.
mix this into the alcohol. This makes a two-pound cut - just perfect for French polishing. If you need a three-pound cut, use three ounces of alcohol.
Put the bottle in your pocket and leave it there for about an hour. Your body heat, and the mixing from your movements, will prevent the gum from forming on the bottom. Usually an hour is all it takes and you have enough shellac for a good sized project.
Just mix a small amount and toss it after a couple months - this way you always have fresh shellac - The shelf life of mixed shellac is only about six months.
Matt -
inlaybanding.com