Which Shellac Is the Best? Shellac 101
A reader called the shop this week and asked the question we get more than any other: which shellac is the best? He did not want the lecture. Here is the answer he got, written down, with a door at the end of each section for anyone who wants to go one step further.
Which shellac is the best?
If you want a good result and you don't want a bunch of details, do this: buy a light-colored dewaxed flake, buy a can of denatured alcohol, and mix a 1-lb to 2-lb cut using the pound cut chart. Brush it or wipe it onto some wood. That is it.
The light dewaxed flakes are Platina, Super Blonde, and Blonde, in order from lightest to a little less light. They are all pale. Any of the three will seal, build, and shine on almost any wood, and because the wax is out, you can put a modern topcoat over them later if you decide to. Half a pound will see you through a first project with plenty left over.
Thanks for reading. You can stop here and be fine.
If you are still with me, the rest of this post is about the one thing that separates shellacs from each other, and why some of us never go back once we find it.
What about shellac with the wax in it?
Shellac comes off the tree with a little natural wax in it. Dewaxed shellac has had that wax taken out. Wax-in shellac, which is how shellac came for most of its history, still has it. That is the whole difference, and it matters in exactly one situation: when you plan to put an oil-based polyurethane or a water-based finish over the shellac. The wax can get between the two coats and interfere with the bond, so dewaxed is the right call there. Everywhere else, including shellac as the finish on its own, under more shellac, under wax, under an oil varnish, and in French polishing, wax-in shellac is not a compromise. It is the classic material. The full story is in Dewaxed vs. Waxy Shellac: When It Matters.
The wax-in flake is Lemon #1, a warm orange-amber and the most classic flake shellac there is; finishers have reached for this grade for as long as there has been flake shellac to buy. We also carry Handmade Lemon Yellow, the same idea made the old way by hand, and it reads a little warmer. Both are excellent. Mixed and brushed, a wax-in flake gives a slightly softer, warmer look than the dewaxed grades, and it rubs out beautifully.
If the idea of wax-in shellac appeals to you, though, flake is not where it gets interesting. Buttons are.
Button lac
Shellac comes in two forms: flakes and buttons. Flakes are thin and dissolve quickly. Buttons are small discs of shellac, made by hand in small workshops the way it has been done for generations, and they take a little longer to dissolve. That is the only practical drawback, and the workaround is to break them up and give them a day. What you get for the wait is a finish a lot of people describe the same way: deeper, warmer, more alive in the grain. It is the material French polishers have always used, and it is the reason a lot of folks who try button lac once never go back to flake for the work they care about.
If you are not putting another finish over the shellac on your project, you owe it to yourself to try it. Kusmi #1 is the general-purpose button lac. Use it anywhere you would use Lemon #1 or Blonde, which is to say anywhere. Like all of our button lac, it is pure shellac, with nothing added to stretch it, made the old way. From there the button shelf opens up into shades from pale gold to deep brown; Which Shellac Color Should I Use? will walk you through choosing.
The three things everyone gets wrong at first
Mixing too strong. A 2-lb cut is the all-purpose strength. Thinner coats, more of them, always look better than one thick one. How to Mix Shellac Flakes has the recipe; What Is a Cut of Shellac? explains the number.
The wrong alcohol. Denatured alcohol from the paint aisle, or 190-proof grain alcohol where you can get it. Not rubbing alcohol, which is nearly a third water. What Alcohol Do You Mix Shellac With? covers the options, including what to do in states that restrict denatured alcohol.
Mixing a gallon. Mix what you will use in a few months; mixed shellac has a working life. Dry flakes and buttons, kept sealed and cool, last for years. See How Long Does Mixed Shellac Last? and How to Store Shellac Flakes.
That is Shellac 101. Light dewaxed flake if you want it simple. Lemon #1 if you want the classic. Kusmi #1 buttons if the shellac is the finish and you want to find out what the fuss is about. If you have a project in front of you and are not sure which, write to orders@shellac.net and tell me what you are finishing. I will tell you which bag to open.