shellac question -- very slow to fully harden

neilc · 2007-01-19T17:53:28+00:00

Hi,I've started working with shellac recently and am still learning abouthow it works. The only problem I have at this point is that my shellacfinishes are staying a little bit soft for a long time -- several weeksup to a couple of months depending on the thickness of the shellac. Itdries quickly and gets somewhat hard, but sitting an object on it orpressing with a fingernail will result in an indentation. Amoderately heavy object left sitting for a week or so will push its waydown to bare wood.I started with the zinsser shellac (and the exp date was ok) but afterdoing some reading here I switched to shellac flakes purchased online.Both types of shellac are giving me exactly the same problem. I havebeen using denatured alcohol in a blue and red gallon can from homedepot, and have had the same problem with several different containtersof that, so I have ruled out the possiblity of a 'bad batch' ofalcohol. Also I have used the shellac on several projects and at avariety of temperatures and have had the same problem consistently.So my conclusion is that it has to be either a tecnhique issue or thedenatured alcohol I am using is not good enough. Or maybe it's anotherproblem that I haven't considered. What should I do differently?Thank you in advance for any advice.-Neil Covington

Jan 19, 2007 23 Replies

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Lew Hodgett 19 years ago

Thanks for the info.

Lew

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Andy Dingley 19 years ago

Harder to describe than it is to do. It needs pictures.

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Ron Hock 19 years ago

As in "that which rubs". In fact the term "rubber" for the stuff made from latex-sap comes from it's earliest applications as an eraser as it rubbed off pencil marks. Honest.

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Andy Dingley 19 years ago

"Earliest" ? I know we Brits still think that it's the 19th century, but "rubber" is the common term in use today.

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