It amazes me how shellac can transform a box into a beautiful gem.
A simple pine box. All done with hand tools. I used a LV backsaw, chisels, moulding planes that I have made, and a smoothing plane. The hinge is a flush invisible hinge. Corners are dovetails.
I’ve found the shellac I like best is from Shellac.net They’re local (to me) in Napa, Ca, (but ship quickly), and have a good selection of clean shellac in great shades. The biggest issue for us out here, is we can’t get DA to dissolve the shellac in. Gotta get it from ‘somewhere’ where it’s legal. 🙄 That said, once one is able to procure said DA, shellac is one of my favorites. I use it as an undercoat and sealer somewhat often, and sometimes to get a little color on the wood before I use finish. Super versatile. Wouldn’t be without it…even here where we can’t have DA… 🙄 (again)…
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
Ryan...I don't use denatured alcohol. It's not healthy and toxic. I use 99% isopropyl alcohol. Any drug store has it but it must be 99%. I put in a glass jar and onto a magnetic stirrer. Works great.
It’s true that DA is a higher health hazard, but that’s mostly when it comes to consumption. DA, as I’m sure you know, is a primary alcohol and actually isn’t a hazard until it’s ‘denatured’ with toxins intentionally. That said there is no water at all in DA, and Iso always has at least a little water in it by nature (it’s a secondary alcohol as well). Drinking Iso is also hazardous, obviously.
The water in the Iso can cause issues with shellac, but many shellac users say they don’t notice a difference. Water can cause clarity issues in shellac, and discoloration, so you want to avoid any amount of water…in a perfect world.
DA does have the potential to be considered an inhalation hazard, but then so does Iso depending on which publication you use…and any solvent should be used in a well ventilated area, so I’m not sure how relevant that really is if you’re using it responsibly.
Lastly, DA is waaay cheaper than 99% Iso and can be gotten in much larger quantity without it being a hassle (except in California, of course).
That said, you do you. Both will dissolve shellac chip, and both are somewhat hazardous, so use what you like. That’s what freedom is about, right?!?
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
Ryan... I've been using 99% Alcohol for a long time now and have had nothing but great results. DA is hard for me to get and after researching found many have switched to using 99% Alcohol. I've even done French polishing with it resulting in fantastic results. The small amount of water in it is so insignificant that it doesn't seem to matter. I used to use DA and really can't see a difference.
To clarify what's the difference between 99 isopropyl alcohol and denatured alcohol?
Isopropyl alcohol is a secondary alcohol that has not been treated with additives (with the exception of water). Denatured alcohol is primary alcohol mixed with additives to make it unpalatable and, in some cases, even more toxic.
DA is/has been associated with Alopecia in a friend of mine. He thought he just had early onset Alopecia, quit using Shellac for a few months, and his hair started growing back in. He had trialed the use of Everclear instead of DA, and liked it, however it wasn't real cost efficient. He is a cheapskate, so ended up choosing to be bald, instead of broke.
At one time he had chronicled his journey through baldness on his old website, again being cheap he is on FB now, and "stopped paying those outrageous fees" I can't find it, but he is a details guy, and went at it like a science project, was interesting reading, and he is/was certainly bald.
Larry, you need to give Shellac a try, super easy to use. I love Garnet Shellac, especially on light woods like Pine, Ash, Poplar. Multiple coats fast drying, it probably should be in everyone's finishing arsenal. Anything can go over it, and it is/should be your first choice for a stain blocker. Almost magical stuff. You can get some Platinum, ultra clear Shellac that will wet the wood, but hardly yellow it like most finishes tend to do. A huge range of working "colors" and all of them have great properties.
Hey GeorgeWest....I love shellac. I've always just stayed with blonde or light yellow but have thought about trying Amber from LV What does Garnet look like?
I agree…garnet and ruby give some awesome color! It’s just such an easy product to use, and it works with almost everything…you can see why it’s stood the test of time!
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
Garnet is a ruby-ish looking reddish color. Kinda changes depending on what pound cut you make, heavier is slightly darker IMHO. I like heavier 2 to 3 pound cut, for Garnet, and lighter 1/2 pound, to 1 pound for the light colored stuff.
At 1/2 pound to 1 pound it works great as a sanding sealer. primer coat. I just do heavier on Garnet for the richness in the color. It does dry a bit slower than the lighter cuts.
Only percent IPA I've ever seen is 70 and 99. The 99 is what I've read to use and I've had great results with it. I'm not sure how 91 will do. I'd make a very small amount of 1 lb cut and try it first.
