Mixing And Testing Shellac - Episode 208

Working on another project and I want a finish that isn't wax or oil. Shellac seems the obvious choice but does take a lot of work.
I mix my own Shellac, which this video shows how I do this. I then use some test wood that is the same as the wood used in my project to test how Shellac goes on and finishes off.
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[@MikeWaldt]

A very informative video Paul, with some very good tips as well. Cheers Mike

[@PaulLockwood]

Thank you Mike. Not everyone's cup of tea but some will like to use this either in woodturning or woodworking in general.

[@_Heinle]

1) great video, lots of good info. 2) I was listening to this video while cooking dinner, it felt like I was being taught by Albus Dumbledoor!!

[@PaulLockwood]

lol. I'm no expert but it's a great cheap way of doing it. Search for French Polishing and you will see how skilled a job it is to get that perfect finish.

[@Bramsshed1913]

Shellac is something I haven't tried yet but watching this has convinced me to give it a go Cheers, Bram

[@PaulLockwood]

Thank you Bram. It can be hard work, add some oil to the mix like Tung Oil or BLO and it then becomes what they call Shine Juice.

[@Hawthornefae]

Crush the shellac flakes first and they dissolve a lot faster!

[@PaulLockwood]

They would a little bit. I usually have them fairly small as I use a plastic bottle lid to fill my container. I was quite surprised on how quickly they dissolve.

[@alanmullock381]

Big old rabbit hole you felll in there Paul!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@PaulLockwood]

LOL, Thank you Alan. It really takes a lot of work compared to just applying a bit of wax. You will see this in next weeks videos where I spent hours using this.

[@martkt10]

Nice on Paul, nice finish, though i have been using wipe on poly, though i can't seem to find it here in the UK so i make my own 50% white spirit and 50% polyurethane varnish gloss or satin , drys quickly and gives a great finish

[@PaulLockwood]

Thank you Mart. That's really interesting as I think Alan from As Wood Turns uses something like that a lot of the time which I couldn't find anything similar too. Be interested to hear more details on what you use as I would like to try that too.

[@martkt10]

@@PaulLockwood i use polyurethane varnish gloss from screwfix and white spirit again from screwfix, if you try it, make sure you get the oil based varnish, don't make the mistake i made and get the water base, i quite like using it, drys quickly though not as fast as spray gloss lacquer , and use a lint free cloth, doesn't seem to work well with paper towels or not the ones i use, cheers Mart

[@PaulLockwood]

@@martkt10 Thank you. Which varnish though as they don't list any as polyurethane. Perhaps you can let me know the product numbers.

[@martkt10]

@@PaulLockwood its the trade yacht varnish 16 hours drying time, brushes clean with white spirit, I should say i used to use the ronseal gloss varnish, but that was too expensive , the screwfix varnish is cheap, i looked on my mixing bottle, its more like 70/30, not sure where i got the 50/50 from, the the ronseal was a lot thicker, when i use it, i don't use a sealer, as every time it went bubbly

[@martkt10]

@@PaulLockwood Ronseal Hardglaze Interior Ultra Tough Gloss Clear is the best, but it was quite expensive ,but much better than the screwfix brand

[@thomasgronek6469]

Thanks for the video. Is there some other retarder that one can use to slow the drying process ?

[@PaulLockwood]

Not that I know of. You dissolve the flakes into alcohol so that they become a liquid, it's that alcohol that evaporates quickly giving the hard finish. Oil is used to allow coats to be added over the top. Search for some French Polishing videos and you will see just how much a skill it is to use this properly.

[@thomasgronek6469]

Yes, French Polishing is an arduous task to say the least. I figured if Lacquer has things to retard the evaporation of its solvent (a bit of a necessity), and since it was applied and cures (More of less) the same way as shellac, that something could (or under certain conditions, should) Be added to the shellac to duplicate the curing process of lacquer to help with leveling, and for wood, allow deeper absorption into the wood. Well, I recon I'll review a variety of alcohols and check their evaporation rates test the solubility of shellac in those solvents which have a lower evaporation rate. Many thanks Paul, I enjoy your videos, and you picked up a new subscriber@@PaulLockwood

[@stevenjobbins2600]

Hi Paul, could you use this shellac as a sanding sealer ?

[@PaulLockwood]

Yes if you really wanted to. I have seen some use shellac before. It may need longer to harden and dry properly if too much is put on.

[@AndysCornishCreations]

Hi Paul.... great video....I was trying to find a finish that wasn't too expensive....the bullseye shellac is £60.00 plus per tin...too much for me...check out my video...Andy paramore luberon special pale French polish....its quick and easy....All the best.....Andy

[@PaulLockwood]

Thank you Andy. Commented and subscribed after watching your video.