I have used for some time now 100% de-waxed shellac for the first coat or two on most of the items I have built ( and even as finishing coats) BORG doesn't carry this anymore and even folks in these parts in "paint" stores give me a funny look when I ask for 100% de-waxed shellac!

The closest I can find any of this shellac is 140 miles away, or by mail order...ground shipping.

My question to you all: is the stuff you see on shelves called sanding sealer anything like de-waxed shellac and if not, is it any good? Your thoughts please.

Thanks,

Gary

Shellac flakes are available at Woodcraft, Rockler and Amazon. I've found  Zizzner sanding sealer works well.

Hey Gary, you can use anything for sanding sealer, in my opinion sanding sealer is one of the biggest marketing gimmicks since Tung Oil. Just use the finish you are using for the first coat, that will act as a sanding sealer.

I have used shellac for several years for the finish coat. I love the stuff. I use the sanding sealer, or thin down the regular shellac and use it. When I was using a lot of water based poly I just thinned it 50/50 and used it for sanding sealer. another wood worker I know doesn't use sanding sealer, he just wipes his project down with a damp cloth and lets it dry for an hour, then sands it with 350-400 grit then puts the finish on and his stuff you can see your face in it it is so smooth and shiny.

I like spray shellac in the cans because I can apply several coats in a day.  It is thinner than the brush shellac in the cans and doesn't run.

Herb

Wal-Mart, HD, ACE, and numerous online sources carry Zinsser "Sealcoat", a dewaxed shellac. But, as Morris said, if it's a sanding sealer you need, just use your planned finishing product.

The commercial "sanding sealers" are most certainly not shellac. Along the lines of what John said, they are just a snake oil approach. I'm not sure why it's becoming harder to find anymore, as I understand it DNA is not on the EPA list of VOC contaminants. But keep looking, as mentioned above it's available but you may have to search around. If you strike out, just a thin coat of whatever you are using for the top coats (again, John mentioned this) will do the same thing.

I have been unable to buy Zinsser Seal Cost at Lowes or HD where I live for some time now. I can buy it at Woodcraft and Klingspor. A while back when it was available at Lowes or HD I often found it to be too old (> 2yrs) to trust that using it. I once found a can at a local hardware store that was four years old. At Woodcraft and Klingspor, the cans I have seen are fresh (< 6 mos.). I typically use it as my shellac coating of choice since it has a blonde color and no wax in it. If I could find, I would make my own from dewaxed flakes.

I get mine from the Lowes and local Krogers supermarket paint section.

Here is another one of my secrets,before Stick has a chance to tell you, I use it to fill cracks with by mixing it with sawdust from the piece and sanding it into the crack. Used to use glue and sawdust but then the glue changes the color of the joint and shows through the finish. When I use shellac and and then coat it with shellac ,it doesn't show.

Herb

I've used de-waxed shellac for some time now, even as a finish coat. Thinned for a sealer then1 or 2 pound cut for finishing coats. Has a very nice tone to it. I've used it so much over the years that I'm afraid to NOT use it. Works well under polyovereverything as well. I'm now helping a guy build cabinets at our church...oak. Probably just go with a thinned urethane then a few more full coats of it.

Thanks for the replies!

Gary

 

 

 

Sanding sealer has always been a softer form of lacquer so it is easier to sand.

I have never used sanding sealer and see no need for it.

 

My fail proof recipe.

1. Sand wood to 320 and vacuum off the wood.

2. Apply distilled water or RO water to pre raise the grain.

3. Sand lightly with 320 or 400 to just remove the fuzz. vacuum

4. Apply dye.

5. Seal dye with 1 lb cut of dewaxed shellac. 

6. Apply stain (water or oil based).

7. Seal stain with 1 lb cut of dewaxed shellac.

8. Finish coat with 3 to 4 coats of 2lb shellac padded on or oil based poly or water based poly or pre cat lacquer. Sand to 400 between coats for poly only.  Shellac only if the coats get out of control, Lacquer melts into the previous coat like shellac does but is normally sprayed and do not need sanding except when dust nibs invade.

 

 

 

 

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 1:06 PM, Dadio said:

I use it to fill cracks with by mixing it with sawdust from the piece and sanding it into the crack.

  Good tip Herb, I'll have to try this. Thanks

14 minutes ago, DuckSoup said:

  Good tip Herb, I'll have to try this. Thanks

A great tip indeed! Thanks Herb!

Late to this party, but yes, "Seat Coat" is what you want.

 

Sanding sealers contain stearates that make it powder up when you sand.    I remember a job I did a number of years ago when the factory left the sanding sealer too thick.  Just sitting around the store's showroom, it got a bunch of dents that turned white (SS is also softer).   Had to sand them all the way down to nearly the wood, they reapply multiple coats of lacquer.   I could not convince the store to just let me strip the top and start over.   Less than a month later, a whole new set of white dents.   Fixed the same way and sold as soon as they could.   Consumer probably had same problems.

 

I don't see any reason to use a stearated sanding sealer unless you are a factory.

 

I use SealCoat regularly,both to add some chatoyance and if refinishing, to seal in silicone contamination.

That brings to mind the painters used shellac to seal over crayon marks and ballpoint pen and marker pen marks on walls before they repainted.

Herb

BIN is a shellac-based primer and is good for covering pine resins, smoke odors, urine odors (think bad cats), etc.   Unfortunately, now you have to read the label very carefully because there is the original BIN and a new BIN that contains "synthetic shellac."  Only difference is in the fine print

On 2/25/2017 at 2:36 PM, kmealy said:

there is the original BIN and a new BIN that contains "synthetic shellac." 

Must have cloned the lac bug to get synthetic shellac.

Herb

A few years ago, the price of shellac about doubled.   I think it was due to a "Crop Failure."  First time I bought it at the higher price, even the guy at the (commercial) paint store double checked to make sure the price was right.   

 

Some of the hardware and big-box stores are now doing a cost-free ship to store, e.g., Do-It-Best and Home Depot.   I've used both a fair amount to get products they sell, but don't stock in the store.  Might also be be a way to get a can that has not been sitting on the back of the shelf for 4 years.

I just bought two quart cans of Zinzer non wax shellac at a Habitat Restore for $2.00 a can! I am going to use it too!

1 hour ago, oldwoodie said:

I just bought two quart cans of Zinzer non wax shellac at a Habitat Restore for $2.00 a can! I am going to use it too!

Check the manufacture date, if it's too old it will never cure.  Esterification starts when it's dissolved in alcohol and deteriorates.

 

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/flexner-on-finishing-blog/user-unfriendly-zinsser-bulls-eye-shellac