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A good article on shellac. The author is a long time instructor at a finishing school. I smiled at his comment, do you really need poly on a jewelry box or clock? What he does not mention is that Bullseye (except for the aerosol version) is a waxed shellac; Seal Coat is dewaxed. This is important if you plan to put another finish like varnish or water-borne on top -- you want a dewaxed version. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/finishing/brushing-shellac-2/?utm_campaign=PWW - NL - Sunday Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=203011645&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8LBuwuA9TOYf3kNNTlzTPXPNFTJmfwXUX_eEwDO3ix4qRa0pqSJ8LQZVJmApD4gcLcGnPTKgLqTvrPYfTazFWMvF-pGS9QMYDfV1k8_RwPePqkjHM&utm_content=203009238&utm_source=hs_email#
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I have missed a few Throw Back Thursday's simply because I didn't have anything that I had picked up lately with enough information to share with you all. But today I have a little information to share with you about a product you may use and if you don't, you may want to consider it. Shellac. As I am sure most of you know Shellac has been around and used by ancient Chinese and Indian civilizations for a long time. They used the dye extracted from lac fro dyeing silk and leather and as a cosmetic rouge and a coloring for head ornaments. In the 13th century, following the historical journey of Marco Polo ot the Orient, Shellac and its by products began making its way into European commerce and industry. Dating back as far as 1534 there are accounts that describe the cultivation, harvesting, processing and use of lac in extraordinary detail. Shellac resin, shellac dye and shellac wax we used with increasing frequency by the mid 17th century by painters to provide a protective finish. It wasn't until the mid 19th century that shellac was commonly used as a clear finish. The rich reddish purple colorant was highly prized and much sought after by the textile trade in both Europe and America since is was an excellent substitute for Cochineal, a dye imported from Spanish Colonies in Mexico. Henry Perkins, an English Chemist, in 1856 succeeded in synthesizing a mauve-colored dye from an aniline derivative of coal tar. This discovery changed the future of the Shellac industry forever. Production plants began springing up throughout Europe and Germany. They soon developed a reputation for the finest shellac manufactured in the world. Efforts were also underway to produce a colorless shellac William Zinsser, a bleaching foreman in Germany, confident of his technological skills and convinced that a good market for bleached shellac either existed or could be created in the United States, moved his family to New York in 1849. He settled in Manhattan on West 59th Street and setup a workshop in a building next to his home and began to bleach small quantities of shellac and sold it to fellow immigrants. From this humble beginning arose the first Shellac Bleachery in the United States. The production grew from a few pounds per day to thousands of gallons by the turn of the century. At this point Zinsser shellac was sold to vendors who packaged the product under their own label and name. In 1908 one of Zinssers' sons took over the company and began packaging their shellac under the Bulls Eye label. By 1920 there were several other manufactures of shellac in the U.S. The next eighty years witnessed a veritable explosion in the commercial applications of shellac. It was used extensively as a binder in the manufacturing of gramophone records, shoe polish, felt sizing for men's hats, hair spray, floor wax, pharmaceutical, candy (shiny coating on M&M's), printing inks, adhesives, grinding wheels, paper and foil coatings and electrical insulators. From the mid 1960's to the early 1990's shellac seemed forgotten by everyone except those who manufactured it and the contractors, hobbyists, and knowledgeable devotees who used it. All of the makers of shellac were out of business or existed as subsidiaries of the one remaining manufacture: William Zinsser & Co. While out doing a little Patriot Picking, I found this gallon can of Bulls Eye "Z" Shellac that is full and unopened. This is a vintage Zinsser can as it was before UPC codes were put on products. The "Z Bulls Eye Brand" Trademark was first used in 1/1/1913. Zinseer filed and registered the trademark 3/23/1965 and it expired 6/23/1985. The first UPC marked item ever scanned at a retail checkout was at Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio at 8:01 a.m. on June 26, 1974 and was a 10-pack (50 sticks) of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum. The shopper was Clyde Dawson and the cashier Sharon Buckanan made the first UPC Scan. Patriot Picking on Throw Back Thursday!
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Today we look at another type of common finish – Shellac The Product Shellac comes from the secretion of the lac bug in SE Asia. These secretions coat branches of trees. The branches are exposed to heat (e.g., a fire) and melts and drips off. This is called seed-lac, the least refined form and may contain contaminates such as dirt, bug parts, bark, etc. Following this, it may be refined and bleached, yielding more and more types of shellac – garnet, orange (AKA amber), lemon, blonde (AKA clear), super blonde. You can buy the product as “buttons” or as flakes, or you can buy it pre-mixed in its solvent. Native shellac has some amount of wax in it. If you are using shellac as a finish alone, it’s not a problem, but if you are going to top coat with another finish, you may want a dewaxed shellac to improve adhesion of the top coat. You can see the wax settle out to the bottom of a container of shellac as cloudy. Waxed shellac has less water--resistance than dewaxed. The solvent for shellac is alcohol. Normally we use denatured alcohol – ethanol (grain alcohol) with a bit of methanol (wood alcohol) added to render it unfit for human consumption Shellac, like lacquer, cures by evaporation of the thinner and will re-dissolve in it. As a benefit, when you apply multiple applications of a shellac, it melts into the lower layers and becomes in essence, one layer. Compare this with a varnish where the layers remain separate. Shellac was a common finish used in production furniture and cabinetry for 100 years until the introduction of lacquer following WWI. By WWII, lacquer had mostly replaced shellac as production finish. The introduction of synthetic varnishes following WWII for the hobbyist further reduced the demand. Zinsser if the major importer of shellac products from Asia via Germany where most of the refinement is done. There are a few “boutique” suppliers of shellac products. Characteristics Shellac is a fast drying and hard finish. It is slightly acidic. Shellac is usually listed by “cut.” For example, a 2 pound cut is two pounds of flakes in 1 gallon of alcohol. You don’t need to mix a whole gallon though, just as much as you need. For example, if you need a bit of 2 lb cut, mix ½ lb in one quart, or ¼ lb in one pint, etc. Add the flakes to the alcohol, mix or shake periodically and allow to sit for a few hours to overnight. Prior to use, filter with a finish filter to remove any impurities and undissolved resin. Do not use metal cans for this as the shellac can react with the metal. I like to use jars that pickles or tomato sauce has some in because the lids have an acid-resistant liner. You can dewax your waxed shellac by letting the wax settle out, then decanting off the top. However, I prefer not to throw away half the product when I can just buy dewaxed flakes. SealCoat and Zinsser Aerosol Shellac come dewaxed; Bulls Eye (also from Zinsser) Amber and Clear are waxed shellacs. Bulls Eye are 3 lb cuts and shelf life about a year. SealCoat is a 2 lb cut and longer shelf life. Canned and flake shellac: (photo credit Popular Woodworking / Bob Flexner) The price of shellac has increased in the last few years because of “crop failure.” It is slowly inching back down after some better years. One drawback of shellac is shelf life. Once dissolved, it slowly degrades by a process called esterification. The result is the finish will never fully harden. Test home-mixed shellacs after six months and watch carefully after 12 months. Test by putting a puddle on some wood and check in few hours. If it’s not hardened by then, it probably won’t ever fully harden, throw it out. So if you are mixing your own, don’t do more than you will need in the short-term and label the mix date. Pre-mixed shellac, Zinsser Seal Coat (used to, no longer does) guarantee 3 year shelf life from point of manufacture, and I’ve used some 4 years old with good results. Unfortunately, they, from time to time will change their dating code and what you pick up at Home Depot may already be past its “use by” date. http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/flexner-on-finishing-blog/user-unfriendly-zinsser-bulls-eye-shellac. If I’m refinishing a piece and even suspect silicone oil contamination from Pledge furniture polish, I’ll apply a coat of shellac before moving on to my selected finish. Also if I’m working on a resinous wood like teak or aromatic cedar (that can affect and soften finishes), I’ll add shellac as a barrier. If the wood smells, either on its own or by external factors such as urine, Shellac will seal it in. Shellac will seal in the resins of pine knots that will otherwise bleed through the finish (especially obvious with paint). I do a lot of water-borne finishes. These can be sort of cool, almost blue, unlike the amber that we’re used to. They may also not bring out some of the grain depth and shimmer (chatoyance) that we love to see. A coat of two of shellac under the w/b finish will add good looks to your finish, especially if you are not using a stain. Pros Very fast drying, 30 minutes or less Very fast application when spraying Color from clear to darker, depending on degree of refinement Hardness facilitates rubbing out to a high gloss sheen (or any other sheen) Easy to repair Easy to strip Compatible with almost any top coat (when shellac is de-waxed) Excellent “barrier coat” sealer for knot resins, odors, wood extractives, silicone contamination, wax, Seals in smoke, pet urine, or musty odors inside vintage case goods. Adds beautiful chatoyance to woods, adding depth and “dancing figure.” Can be used (highly thinned) as a wash coat to control stains Can be used as a sanding sealer coat No lingering smell so perfect for insides of boxes and cabinets Does not darken or orange with age Available in different colors from garnet to super-blonde Cons Generally only available in gloss, though you can rub out to a lower sheen. Not as much resistance to water, alkalis, or alcohol Applied too thickly, it can become brittle. Limited shelf life once dissolved. Application Like most finishes, there are three ways to apply shellac. I find the first coat of shellac will raise the grain a little bit. So I sand after it’s dried and has stiffened the fibers up (“burying the grain.”) Spray Spray on coats overlapping half as you go. It is not necessary for each coat to fully dry before adding another coat. Air movement will help the evaporation of the solvents. Shellac is available in aerosol cans for small jobs. Brush You can brush on shellac easily with a natural bristle brush. Just don’t put it on too heavy on each coat or it can curtain or run. Get it on and don’t keep going back over it because It dries so fast. You don’t even need to clean the brush, just let it dry and put in a can of denatured alcohol. If you do want to clean the brush, rinse in denatured alcohol. You can also mix up some TSP in water and wash the brush. The alkali in TSP will break down the shellac (and turn it purple.) Most foam brushes will not work for shellac. Cloth You can pad on shellac. I’ve used this to restore an old finish after cleaning, abrading, or removing blush. Lightly dampened rag wiped quickly. There’s also an advanced method called “French Polishing” that combines shellac, a bit of abrasive such as pumice, and a bit of oil for lubrication. Continuous wiping with a rag where the finish dries in what is described as “comet tails.” Essentially thousands of applications of the finish built up to a high-gloss, high-end finish. Not one I’ve even tried, no less mastered. Fixing Goofs Drips and runs are easy to repair. Let them harden, sand or scrape level and apply another application which will dissolve and blend into one coat. Another common problem is blushing. This occurs in hot & humid conditions where the water vapor gets trapped in the finish while the solvents evaporate. Finishes that have been on for many years tend to blush (water mark) easier. Wipe with a rag dampened in alcohol and the blush will normally disappear before your eyes. If you wish, pad on a top coat to restore the luster. Summary: Try it, you’ll like it. Further reading: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/the_case_for_shellac http://www.woodshopnews.com/columns-blogs/finishing/502292-shellac-as-a-sealer-its-all-just-hype https://paulsellers.com/2011/04/how-to-apply-shellac-as-practical-wood-finish/ http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infpai/shellac2.html
