Fast reply, Thanks Charles. Its still a bit cold here in Fl so as soon as I get the chance I will be back out in the shop working on the night stands finishing them panels. In the mean time I'm doing some over haul work on my equipment. New bearing on the Disc/belt sander and getting ready to order a spiral cutter head for my Grizzly Planer and Joiner, I do a lot of planing. A REAL lot
@bobswoodshop the flakes will last indefinately but the mixed stuuf about 6 months at best.. always test it if itsbeen sitting for a while, put some on a hard surface if its not getting pretty dry in 30 min.. or so , might consider mixing a new batch
Why make such a fuss about the amount of shellac you want to put in a certain amount of alcohol. The only way to do it is by experience/trying. It is nice to have a guideline, but if you open your can of #2 cut even for a short period of time alcohol will evaporate and the solution will become thicker. And when you want to go back to a number #2 cut how do you know how much alcohol to add? You just need to get a feeling for shellac. Just experiment with shellac.
Why not just say that the "cut" means the number of pounds that would be mixed into a gallon of alcohol? A 2# cut means 2 lbs of shellac in one gallon - if you need less you have to ratio it down - 1 lb to 1/2 gallon (2 qts), etc...
hi charles, i love your vids, they're very insightful and i appreciate you sharing what you've learned over the years.
when do you use the shellac cut with the wax? or is that for the last coating? also, do you use a thicker cut for the finishing coats?
i'm interested in french polishing and this in kind of what i'm getting at as i understand they're's meant to be a fair few coats done and 24 hour intervals.
point of clarification- when you put the 1/2 pound of dry shellac in the empty quart jar and then fill it with alcohol to the quart mark, the shellac accounts for a certain volume in the jar so it really is not possible to add a full quart of alcohol to make the ratio for a 2 lb cut. Hence the cut you end up with in that scenario is heavier than a 2 lb cut.
If you want a ratio for 2lb cut that will produce a quart of material, use 6 weight oz of shellac to 24oz of alcohol.
A great and useful video, I buy mine ready made as too lazy to make it.
Fantastic! Keep up the good work.
SensaiMan 4 months ago
Schicke Mütze!! ;-)
micheloderso 6 months ago
Fast reply, Thanks Charles. Its still a bit cold here in Fl so as soon as I get the chance I will be back out in the shop working on the night stands finishing them panels. In the mean time I'm doing some over haul work on my equipment. New bearing on the Disc/belt sander and getting ready to order a spiral cutter head for my Grizzly Planer and Joiner, I do a lot of planing. A REAL lot
bobswoodshop 1 year ago
Well done Shellac 101 video. Does the flakes have a shelf life.
bobswoodshop 1 year ago
@bobswoodshop the flakes will last indefinately but the mixed stuuf about 6 months at best.. always test it if itsbeen sitting for a while, put some on a hard surface if its not getting pretty dry in 30 min.. or so , might consider mixing a new batch
InTheWorkshop 1 year ago
Well done Shellac 101 video.
bobswoodshop 1 year ago
Why make such a fuss about the amount of shellac you want to put in a certain amount of alcohol. The only way to do it is by experience/trying. It is nice to have a guideline, but if you open your can of #2 cut even for a short period of time alcohol will evaporate and the solution will become thicker. And when you want to go back to a number #2 cut how do you know how much alcohol to add? You just need to get a feeling for shellac. Just experiment with shellac.
jsteegh 1 year ago
Why not just say that the "cut" means the number of pounds that would be mixed into a gallon of alcohol? A 2# cut means 2 lbs of shellac in one gallon - if you need less you have to ratio it down - 1 lb to 1/2 gallon (2 qts), etc...
Love your videos, keep them coming!
spilperson 1 year ago
yes shellac works well over any finish just let the oil dry
InTheWorkshop 2 years ago
Can you shellac over an oiled finish?
Goodspittin 2 years ago
Easy way to mix shellac:
16 ounces in a pound.
16 cups in a gallon.
Therefore, 1 oz. shellac into 1 cup of alcohol is a #1 cut.
2 oz. shellac into 1 cup of alcohol is a #2 cut.
Increase both accordingly to adjust amount of shellac made, or cut desired.
themrfreeze07 2 years ago 2
hi charles, i love your vids, they're very insightful and i appreciate you sharing what you've learned over the years.
when do you use the shellac cut with the wax? or is that for the last coating? also, do you use a thicker cut for the finishing coats?
i'm interested in french polishing and this in kind of what i'm getting at as i understand they're's meant to be a fair few coats done and 24 hour intervals.
thanks for your time!
pad
intbn 3 years ago
point of clarification- when you put the 1/2 pound of dry shellac in the empty quart jar and then fill it with alcohol to the quart mark, the shellac accounts for a certain volume in the jar so it really is not possible to add a full quart of alcohol to make the ratio for a 2 lb cut. Hence the cut you end up with in that scenario is heavier than a 2 lb cut.
If you want a ratio for 2lb cut that will produce a quart of material, use 6 weight oz of shellac to 24oz of alcohol.
woodfinishpro 3 years ago
good stuff again!
bbawy 4 years ago