; -- or [1/4 lb. Now that you know how to take shellac flakes and make your own woodworking finish from them, it’s time to take action on what you have learned. total in which 2 lb. Your shellac should be a translucent liquid when finished, and it should almost look like colored water. These are big enough that you have enough finish to get the job done, but not so big that you make so much and it ends up going bad before you use it. Since mixing up a gallon of shellac is quite a large amount, the chart reduces everything down to a smaller volume while maintaining the same ratios. The end-user then crushes it into a fine powder and mixes it with ethyl alcohol prior to use, to dissolve the flakes and make liquid shellac. Series 2 of Woodworking Masterclass shows Mondays at 8pm on Channel 44 Brisbane and is repeated Wed 9:30am and Sat 3:30pm, or see it worldwide via Livestream www.31.com.au. Nov 14, 2019 #1. jtoomb TDPRI Member. Go to shellac.net. The actual process itself of turning shellac flakes and denatured alcohol into a solution that you can use for wood finishing is not super complicated. The first time I dissolved shellac flakes, I simply combined them with the alcohol and left the jar overnight. Shake the jar frequently to … The flakes will be marked de-waxed or not. Anyone done this and found it truly works well. (See chart.) The thinner is the vehicle which you will use to apply your finish. This allows more of the flake's surface area to come into contact with the alcohol at once and dissolve quicker. Next time you are ready to finish, it will be ready for you. Shellac comes in two forms: in a can, mixed and ready to go, or as hard flakes. Shake the solution every 30 minutes to prevent a large mass of partially dissolved shellac from forming at the bottom. While flakes have an indefinite shelf life, in liquid form, shellac will last only about 6 months, although it will last up to 3 years in an unopened container. This is the perfect job for glass canning jars that you can get from the grocery store. It covers the method of determining how much shellac to add to your alcohol for any given amount of mixed shellac. I heard you can do it by adding red food coloring to get the hue closer to red. of shellac flakes per one gallon of high quality Denatured Alcohol solvent. Enjoy. They sell a good grade of alcohol too. To make your own you buy flakes and mix them with denatured alcohol. I followed an article online to get the mix of flakes to meths. If you have never worked with shellac before it is recommended that you start with a light consistency, preferably about a 1 lb. Shellac is a really fun woodworking finish that you can mix yourself. Dry shellac is mixed with denatured alcohol in a particular ratio called a cut, which refers to the amount of shellac in pounds dissolved in a gallon of alcohol. See our chart for quick reference. Go to shellac.net. cut would be 5 lb. It is recommended to filter the diluted shellac … Adjust the quantities to the volume you require. Even under the best circumstances, I don’t recommend that you keep your mixed shellac for longer than 6 months. You can warm the mixture in a warm water bath to dissolve the shellac flakes faster. I mix my own, so I’m not familiar with the different brands. Do not heat the mixture directly. Finally, filter the liquid to remove any sediment or residue. The mixture will last a bit longer than that, but it’s best not to take chances and just make a new batch. cut would be 3 lbs. If You Like My Posts, You'll Love My Books . Answers to these questions and more in Steve Hay's video below! The filtering process is very important, because you don’t want any of the little dirt, debris, and bug parts to end up on your finish. There are also a lot of colors in between, and in particular the amber variety is very popular among the woodworkers that like to create a traditional look to their pieces. Common shellac recipes. But if you do a little research you can find good grade of alcohol. There are several advantages to mixing your own shellac flakes into a woodworking finish: Here are a few more tips and these have to do with the actual mixing process itself: See Also: 9 Unbelievable Wood Finishing Myths for Beginners. of shellac in 1 gal. Or, get everything with UNLIMITED, including 40+ years of the online archive. It’s very easy to take a second and make a filter, and that’s all you need to do for a gunk free finish. Some finishing purists insist on using 200-proof ethanol, which dissolves the flakes a bit faster. So a 1-gal. Shellac has a definite shelf life. Shellac flakes can be ground up to speed dissolving. To darken the clear shellac, mix the amber shellac to it. Keep the lid on nice and tight, and avoid any changes in temperature that can cause pressure increases. One of them is already mixed, and you buy it in a can. of alcohol produces a half-pint of 2-lb.-cut shellac. Swirl the jar often when you mix your shellac and alcohol, that way the flakes dissolve into the alcohol faster. I am refinishing two outdoor benches made of European larch that I built six years ago. Essentially, it’s just a matter of combining the two of them together and letting them mix. I have quite a lot of shellac flakes in plastic self seal bags, airtight I assumed. This is were lots of woodworkers struggle with their shellac, because it’s easy to assume that it’s a difficult process. Thanks! of shellac resin dissolved in a gallon of alcohol. Mixing the shellac flakes is simply a matter of dissolving them and … Jars are the best place to store your finish, and canning jars are inexpensive and last a long time. The article suggested it would all dissolve in 24 hours. If you have any questions about turning shellac flakes into a liquid shellac finish, please post a question in the forum and I’ll be glad to answer it. If you have shellac remaining after finishing your project, store it in a container with an airtight lid. I mix up shellac in a “one-pound cut” or even a little weaker. Soak the flake shellac in about 1/2 of the total alcohol to be used for 24 hours or longer (cool room temperatures will slow the process; pulverize the button shellac to speed dissolving) stir occasionally and when dissolved add the balance of the alcohol. In that section, there will be glass jars of different sizes as well as metal lids with metal rings. Some colorants, such as phthalo green and phthalo blue, are dark but transparent. When I add to methylated spirits, it will not dissolve. To speed things up, pulverize the flakes in a food processor, and put the jar in a spot where you can shake it up a couple times a day. 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Realize what I like how Mike thins his mixture Here, as do.
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