Shellac. Origins and Manufacture

[Allen]

Micheal Connor sent this video to me this morning, and I though that many of you would like to see it.


youtu.be/

[Dominic]

There was a cool article in the latest (in November) Australian wood mag about this subject. Was very interesting to see, particularly the bit where to guy uses his teeth and feet to help stretch out a large sheet of shellac.
Thanks for posting Allen.
Dom

[matthew]

Wow.

That sheet shellac process is unbelievable. Well, I've seen it now, so I believe it.

Next time I spill a few flakes on the bench I'll be picking it ALL up again.

[Allen]

Makes the price that we pay for it seem pretty insignificant after watching how much work it is to just make a kilo of the suff.

[Kim]

Must agree Allen it does seem cheap but if you want good kusmi you do role the dice with your money every time you buy.

Kusmi is the highest priced of the shellac products. This is understandable as it is almost completely clear even in concentration, it is true 'super' blond shellac. The extra cost however means it moves much slower and with shellac, 'fresh' is everything. Unfortunately most kusmi I have encountered over the years has had issues, it will not dissolve properly and those grains that do will not dry or sand properly. Instead it will ball up and ruin the work surface and clog the abrasive even with slow stroke hand sanding. This is a sure sign that polymerization had already taken place within the shellac itself 'before' it is mixed. In other words the shellac is old and has spoiled from exposure to oxygen and light.

Unlike hide glue, the best advice with any shellac is to buy it in smaller quantities much more often from a specialist natural finish supplier.

JM2C

Kim

[charangohabsburg]

Thanks Allen, for letting us know of this pretty impressive video!

[Corky Long]

Great video. I have a newfound respect for the work that goes into this wonderful finish!

[Kim]

This video is great because it explains the harvesting and processing of shellac so well. The following link gives equal insight in to the 'properties' of shellac and is well worth a read.

http://antiquerestorers.com/Articles/jeff/shellac.htm

Cheers

Kim