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Shellac Mixing for French Polishing

Shellac Mixing for French Polishing

Shellac mixing made easy!

ORANGE SHELLAC

  • Take an empty jar with a lid and fill halfway with orange shellac flakes.
  • Pour in methylated spirits until the receptacle is three-quarters full.
  • Alcohol will have flowed between the flakes and displaced most of the air.
  • Gently swirl the jar to get rid of any trapped air bubbles.
  • Top up to the ¾ level again with alcohol.
  • Cap and shake 4 or 5 times. Leave to stand, but continue to agitate the mixture every 5 minutes over half an hour.
  • Shake the mixture vigorously for 2 minutes to produce a smooth shellac varnish.
  • This will give you a roughly 2-pound cut mixture of orange shellac.
  • There will be some impurities and sediment which are best left to settle before use.

BLONDE SHELLAC

  • Take an empty jar with a lid and fill only one-third way with blonde shellac flakes.
  • Pour in methylated spirits until the receptacle is three-quarters full.
  • Alcohol will have flowed between the flakes and displaced most of the air.
  • Gently swirl the jar to get rid of any trapped air bubbles.
  • Top up to the ¾ level again with alcohol.
  • Cap and shake 4 or 5 times. Leave to stand, but continue to agitate the mixture every 5 minutes over 3 hours or a bit more until the flakes have all dissolved.
  • Shake the mixture vigorously for 3 minutes to produce a smooth shellac varnish.
  • This will give you a roughly 2-pound cut mixture of blonde shellac.
  • There will be some impurities and sediment which are best left to settle before use.

NOTES ON SHELLAC

  • Blonde shellac flakes are coarser than orange, and require more alcohol per volume to make the same viscosity of liquid shellac as the other.
  • As a result, blonde shellac flakes take longer to dissolve.
  • IMPORTANT. If you skimp on agitation, shellac tends to form a layer on the bottom of the jar which will NOT dissolve. You have one crack at it.
  • The shelf life of shellac flakes is indefinite.
  • The shelf life of mixed (or liquid) shellac is about 1 year if stored out of direct light in a cool spot, and we recommend you keep it in the house rather than in a garage which can get very hot.
  • As with all chemicals, store shellac mixtures in an animal and child-proof store.
  • Mixed shellac which has reached expiry will not dry fully and remain ‘cheesy,’ but can still be used as a first coater in safety. Another coat of shellac or other sealer will dry over this.
  • These recipes are for basic shellac mixes and should be diluted more for French Polishing.
  • Blonde shellac may be diluted with clear methylated spirits at this stage to avoid over-colouring with purple.
  • Old stock Blonde shellac does not readily dissolve and should be crushed a bit finer with a pestle and mortar or suitable grinder before mixing.


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