Shellac

[Dr. Deb]

I am in the process of mixing up a new batch of ultra blond shellac. Using a brand new package of shellac flakes, never been opened and sealed in heat sealed plastic bag, even though I have had it for a year or so. The alcohol is a couple of year old but the seal has never been broken on the bottle (200 proof). I have never had any problems with this alcohol before. I have never bought from the shellac supplier before.

I am attempting to make a 2lb mixture. What is happening is the shellac has turned into a rubbery mass on the bottom of the bottle. It appears to be disolving some of the shellac (solution is turning blonder)but I will be pushing up daisies before it completes the process, at the rate this is going.

Deb

[Larry Jaques]

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 14:02:33 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, "Dr. Deb" quickly quoth:

Warm (not to boiling) some water in a pan and put the jar of shellac into it. Now stir. If you won't be using the shellac for awhile, put the lid on and shake it. Remember to crack the seal after shaking to keep a vacuum from forming. DAMHIKT.

You may need to rewarm the water if everything is really cold. Just be careful not to put a jar of alcohol anywhere near a lit burner. (We don't want to see Deb Flambé in the Obits, right?)

Anyway, the shellac melts quite nicely into the alcohol above body temperature. Thankfully, once dissolved, it stays dissolved.

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[Andy]

Last time I made up shellac I had access to the magnetic stirrer in the lab I work in, so I just set it to stir and left it. It did take a while, but eventually it all went into solution. Then I centrifuged it to get rid of the wax, the pieces of dead bugs, etc, and had some great-quality shellac. If you can't get to this equipment, I'd just suggest stirring and being patient - or gentle heating as described previously. Good luck, Andy