I'm trying to use Shellac flakes for the second time and am having some trouble. The first time I used it they dissovled after about three days without much fuss, but this go-round I've got a big blob of gelatin at the bottom of my bottle that I can't get to dissolve. Here are the facts of the case:
- Bought blonde dewaxed shellac from Woodcraft on Thursday
- About an hour later, I smashed it to smithereens with a hammer and added it to brand new alcohol (in a well sealed plastic bottle, also from Woodcraft) in a 2# cut
- I tried adding it to the alcohol slowly and letting it dissolve, but it just sat at the bottom and stared at me desipte repeated stirrings, so I dumped it all in.
- The bottle is a very well sealed glass jar with a rubber grommet and a metal latch - no chance of moisture getting in that I can see.
- I put the bottle in a bath of warm water to speed the reaction
- Come back four days later, and there's goopy shellac gelatin on the bottom, maybe about a quarter of the original volume, undissolved. I've spent the last couple hours breaking it up, warming it, shaking it, and repeating, and it's still just gelatin--the undissolved portion hasn't changed much.
Is this shellac no good? Should I return it? Did I blow it in step 3 by being impatient? I still have another bottle of flakes in the fride and I don't want to screw up another batch.
Thanks, George