7 Questions about Shellac for Wood Finishing

 Product Data Sheets, Shellac Flakes, Wood Finishing Tricks  Comments Off on 7 Questions about Shellac for Wood Finishing
Dec 212018
 

1 – Q: Shellac is an old-fashioned, outdated finish.

A: No, Shellac is all natural, organic, child safe. Shellac has more modern features
and ‘green’ benefits than any other wood finish in the world.

2 – Q: Shellac turns ugly and dark as it ages.

A: Shellac is naturally UV-resistant and does not yellow or darken with age.
The dark shellac seen in older homes is a less-refined version that was naturally dark,
or was tinted by finishers when dark wood colors were popular in the early 20th century.

3 – Q: Is shellac made from bugs or bug droppings?

A: No, Shellac is a resin secreted from the tree sap by the lac insect to form a cocoon,
much like a silk worm. It takes about 100,000 lac bugs to make 1 lb. of shellac resin.

4 – Q: Does a shellac finish turn white when water touches it?

A: A properly applied shellac finish is remarkably water-resistant and, in most cases, will stay clear after hours of exposure to water, making it a great finish for most interior surfaces, including woodwork, trim, doors, cabinets, paneling, furniture, and for floors, Button Shellac (yes, floors!)

5 – Q: Is Shellac brittle or easily scratched?

A: Shellac is a tough, durable finish that is less brittle than lacquer and is not easily scratched. The process of making Button shellac yields a tougher resin. Unlike polyurethanes, a damaged shellac finish can be easily touched up or renewed
by brushing on another thin coat.

6 – Q: Is Shellac compatible with other finishes?

A: Shellac will adhere tenaciously when applied over almost any other type of clean,
wax free, and oil free finish.
(To assure a clean surface, especially on older grimy surfaces, use a wood cleaner like
Mohawk Wax Wash, to avoid possible stains or damage from water based cleaners.)

 To seal wood before applying polyurethane or other finishes,
Bulls Eye® SealCoat™ is a shellac-based universal sanding sealer that is 100% wax-free.

For refurbishing a worn finish, a SealCoat makes an excellent transitional coating or bonding coat between an unknown coating and a new topcoat.
Note: (Regular shellac may not be compatible as a sealer under certain polyurethanes, as they contain small amounts of natural wax.)

7 – Q: Can I make a Shellac SealCoat?

A: Yes a ‘SealCoat’ is a DEWAXED Shellac Resin dissolved in
Mohawk Shellac Reducer / Behkol or a 190 Proof Denatured Alcohol.
With a wide color variety of Dewaxed Shellac Flakes, you can make your own
universal sanding sealer in a range of light to deep tones to match your project.

 

Buffcote is Now SMOOTH COAT

 Mohawk Finishing Materials, Product Data Sheets, Wood Finishing Tricks  Comments Off on Buffcote is Now SMOOTH COAT
Nov 032018
 


Smooth Coat Lacquer

The New Name (says what it delivers) and with the same Great Features!
Buffcote Aerosol now called Smooth Coat Lacquer (aka Waxing Lacquer)
A Hand Rubbed Feel and Look straight from the can.

Smooth Coat Lacquer has 3 attributes that make it one
of the best, if not the best, aerosol for applying a Final Topcoat finish
on small to medium-sized projects.

1.     The solids content are over 15%, well above the average aerosol.
As a result, Smooth Coat builds surprisingly quickly for an aerosol.

2.     A Fan spray head creates a wide spray pattern and delivers the lacquer at a high rate.
The Special Spray head and high solids facilitate a fast build, easy-to-apply finish.

3.     Smooth Coat contains a special wax formulation sheered into the lacquer.
Smooth Coat’s formulation allows the lacquer to flow, and level exceptionally well.

No actual rubbing is needed,
just the look and feel of a hand-rubbed and waxed finish.

Using Smooth Coat™
Smooth Coat Aerosol Lacquer builds quickly and feels silky smooth.
The  additive dries as part of the finish resulting in a topcoat film, right out of the can,
that feels and looks like it has been hand-rubbed and wax polished.

Note: (Smooth Coat™ is intended as a Topcoat ONLY
Build the finish with a sealer coat and one or two applications of Gloss Lacquer
(for clarity and durability)

More  Info & Smooth Coat Finishing Schedule

To: Aerosols Listing

About Denatured Alcohols

 Mohawk Finishing Materials, Shellac Flakes, Wood Finishing Tricks  Comments Off on About Denatured Alcohols
Sep 292018
 

“Not all Denatured Alcohols are equal”

USE a GOOD Shellac Solvent for making your own shellac ‘Seal Coat’ finish.
A ‘denaturant’ is added to Ethanol Alcohol (a drinkable spirit) to make it unfit for consumption.
The original denaturant was Methanol Alcohol.
The term ‘methylated spirit’ is still sometimes used when referring to Denatured Alcohol. ——–

Unfortunately NOT all Denatured Alcohols are equal and there is no purity standard for ethanol content to be labeled  “Denatured Alcohol”. High test, 190 proof (5% denaturents), Denatured Alcohol is preferred as a Shellac flake solvent.

It is next to impossible to find a 190 proof alcohol at the ‘big box’ home improvement or hardware stores. Many brands have as little as 50-60% Ethanol – and the balance cheaper alcohols and denaturing solvents.
Recently I went in search of high test Denatured. Out of ten paint, hardware and home improvement stores – only the local Sherwin Williams paint store had 190 Proof. The Material Safety Data Sheet will list the ingredient percentages of the product (most cans do not).

A 190 Proof Denatured Alcohol is operator and earth, ‘Green’, friendly.
“Klean-Strip Green” is one retail brand of ‘190’ Proof Denatured Alcohol.
If you find a 190 proof Denatured Alcohol, buy locally and save on shipping.

We ship Alcohol in Quarts & Gallons

•• Shellac Reducer ‘Behkol Alcohol’ (Denatured Alcohol) is formulated by MOHAWK specifically to dissolve shellac flakes and dilute or ‘cut’ liquid Shellacs.  Shellac Reducer will make a shellac that has
a little more open and working time.

Shop Note: By using a known Denatured Alcohol proof or purity and settling on a brand you will have more predictable results by eliminating one finishing variable.

We adjust for weather and heat conditions by adding SHELLAC Retarder (not lacquer retarder).
When the shellac is drying too fast due to heat, low humidity, or excessive airflow, add just enough retarder to enable easy application.
When spraying, shellac retarder will help eliminate over-spray and orange-peel.
Avoid over-use of the retarder.  Keep in mind that use of the retarder will require longer drying times between coats of shellac.

To: ‘Pound Cut’ Mixing Ratio
for Shellac Flake in Denatured Alcohol
Printable vesion (pdf)

NEW Item! T-SHIRT Material 100% WHITE COTTON (washed)

 New Additions  Comments Off on NEW Item! T-SHIRT Material 100% WHITE COTTON (washed)
Aug 232018
 

NEW Item!  T-SHIRT Material 100% WHITE COTTON

• 100% White Cotton T-Shirt material.
• Approximately 18″ by 18″ pieces
• Washed • ABSORBENT
• NO Seams  • NO Stitching  • NO Labels
NEW SELECT T-Shirt Material mill ends,
washed 100% cotton (no blends).
The ideal cloth for fine finish stain & dye application, stain wiping operations. No Seams or Stitching make the cloth ideal for waxing and polishing.
Made from the same soft heavyweight cotton used in premium t-shirts. Extremely low lint, washed and ready to use right out of the bag.

Available in: 1/2 pound,  1 pound & 5 pound packaging

CLEAR WOOD GRAIN FILLER

 Product Data Sheets  Comments Off on CLEAR WOOD GRAIN FILLER
Mar 182017
 

NOW AVAILABLE

Aqua Coat logo

Aqua Coat CLEAR WOOD GRAIN
& Pore FILLER

AQUA COAT Clear Wood Grain Filler

Professionally-Proven, Environmentally-Friendly Water Based Filler
 •  Easy application and clean-up  •  Non-toxic
•  Non-flammable  •  Non-combustible
Click Here for More Information:

Aqua Coat Clear Grain Filler, the secret to smooth finish on open pore
and coarse grain woods!
Available Here:

 

BLACK Shellac

 Shellac Flakes  Comments Off on BLACK Shellac
May 142016
 

“BLACK Shellac” ••  Yes! Black

Black waxy shellac is obtained from the by-products of seedlac, waxy shellac production and rosin. The color is all natural from the raw materials. No additional pigment is added.

• The first coat on Light toned woods has a Cordovan
     (Blue Red) Mahogany tone.
•• A second coat is Deeper and Dark Cordovan toned Black.
••• The third coat yields the BLACK!
       with a shadowed hint of DEEP Blackish-Purple.

Note: To obtain a Deep Rich Black on blond or light toned woods,
use a Black DYE on the bare wood to obtain optimum richness and depth of tone.

Shellac  Description & Price List

 Older Entries  Newer Entries