ignoring the several different concoctions for the ingredients----

 

all the iterations call for "clear" shellac

so clear shellac supposedly has the wax removed

so:

what gives us the "shine"?

Friction alone shouldn't raise a shine--it might burnish the wood a bit--but?

wouldn't it make more sense to use original shellac (shellac with wax)

What makes original shellac incompatible with the other ingredients?

Would it matter if  amber shellac or dark shellac was used? 

I would presume that it would give some color to the mix.

 

Still "thinking" through this.  

 

Thks

smitty

@kmealy

I've never tried it.  I think the shellac is responsible for the shine.  Captain Eddie always applied it wet and let it dry.  Don't remember him burnishing it.

Yes it is as Dan said the shellac that makes the shine. You should use dewaxed as it is my understanding the waxed for one thing would not work as a sealer for other finishes. The wax does not add any shine. This is repeated so much I never have waxed in the shop and use flakes anyway.

From looking around on the "tube"----

clear shellac DOES have wax in it (probably a small amount)

 

Sealer shellac (seal coat) does NOT have wax.

 

Probably time to do some experimentation.

And probably look at some MSDS(?) sheets. 

 

Another rabbit hole to explore!!  Where is Alice when I need her?

16 hours ago, smitty10101 said:

Where is Alice when I need her?

I think she ran afoul of the Red Queen.