Shellac 

ZINZER DECODED: The first letter “S” identifies the plant that packaged the product. The first number is the last digit in the year the shellac was packaged. The second number is the month. For October, November & December the first letter is used instead of a number: “O,” “N,” “D.” The third and forth numbers provide the date within that month.

Shellac has become my absolute favorite finish for exactly the reasons you mentioned. -- For glass smooth finishes, A shellac finish takes 3 hours, where my old oil or poly finishes took between 4 days, and 2 weeks! --I buy Zinsser and use the 3lb cut to build my finishes. For tabletops, I'll do a 320 grit scuff and cap it with 2 coats of oil poly so junk doesn't get stuck in the grain. -- When my zinsser cans are down to about half, I top them off with alcohol for a near 1lb cut and use that as my early coats for a finish. It's just super convenient. It doesn't have to be perfect either. -- I do have the "build can" where I mix my other partially empty cans into it, so the fluid never goes below 1/3. -- For finishes that ABSOLUTELY must be perfect, like brand new floors, or very chatoyant tabletops, or historic restorations, I'll use flakes or button shellac. -- Shellac has yielded some of the most beautiful finishes I've ever done. I installed a white oak floor, sanded to 220, 3 coats of 1lb garnet, 2 coats of 3lb amber, and 3 coats of water poly. The owner was okay with my $20/sq ft pricing too. "This is nicer than your demo pieces. I've never seen wood shine like cats eyes, much less the whole floor!"

One of my favorite finishes. Still mix my own from flakes. And I LOVE those little bottles you are using. I use them for everything from Shellac to Glue, to Alcohol. very convenient and cheap as heck. One of the best things HF sells.

Sir, your wood shop, is STUNNING. Gosh all that wood against the nice wooden tools. So earthy and beautiful

Best video I've seen on shellac so far. Thank you, helped a lot!

Great info. Thanks for sharing all your woodworking wisdom with us..

Great information I've been producing poor finishes just because I didn't have anyone to explain its qualities to me, so thanks for the help Keith from Tasmania

I like how you just got straight to the point out the gate!

Great vids your the real deal been doing this for years love your honest energy n confidence

Great video. Thanks for demystifying shellac.

Good afternoon Sean: Thank you for what you do! One additional bit about shellac,,,,shellac is the dissolved shell of the lac beetle,,,,,the wax is the naturally occurring wax cuticle which protects the beetles' shell from environmental exposure and from actually freezing to death even in a warm climate also from fungi, molds and bacteria intrusions. Thank you again for what you bring to the trade. David Murray.

Essential to have on hand. For wood turners, it’s great to stiffen up the fibers of wood that is prone to tear out. I would like to experiment using it as a grain filler. I’d also like to try using it as a toner with alcohol soluble aniline dyes. Good video.

Really appreciate the thorough explanation. Cheers

Really great explanation of what shellac is and how it works. Learned alot. Thanks!

Great information to know. When I was a kid my dad used shellac on some doors and they stayed finished for a very long time, no touching up needed. I always wanted to use it but didn't know much about it. Now I do.

Frickin sweet video! Awesome info! Thanks!

Really good presentation…. Thanks

I've been using the Zinnser bullseye seal coat for years as a sanding sealer under water based clears and two part poly (auto finish) for drum sets, and some art/ turned pieces! Sprays well also, just like to brush or wipe on the first coat to work it into the pores real well. Once it's on, dont go back and mess with it till its dry, you can end up with a bit of "dragging" effect. Thanks for the info neighbor!

From now on I’m going to hit the thumbs up and then watch your videos. Always great work!

Thanks for sharing your wisdom

The great part of making your own shellac at home, is that whether you use denatured alcohol, or moonshine, or Everclear, after the shellac dries and cures, it's food safe, unlike the stuff found on the shelf at your favorite store.

This is incredible. Much appreciated

Thanks, Shawn. I like using shellac, even as a food safe finish.

Thank you. I will use for my workbench. Great video. I want the amber finish

Again a most help full video. Keep it up

Great demo Shawn, thanks.

Someone else has probably commented but what you are making as your applicator is an old style "rubber" which French polishers used to polish furniture.

Great video. Lots of useful information.

Thank you for your explanatory video. I've helped me a lot.

Sam Kinison Lives!!!!!! Great video, BTW.

I have used shellac almost exclusively for the past 20 years. While not 'perfect' for EVERY application, it's a great finish.

Great stuff. Thanks for the info!

Hey Shawn, they just filter shellac to remove the wax. You can dewax your own by allowing the wax to settle to the bottom of the container and decanting off the clear wax-free portion. I think the solids that had settled in your bottle of 3 lb cut were wax that you re-suspended when you shook it.

When I first started learning wood repair the "old timers" would say "shellac will stick to anything, and anything will stick to shellac" :) What I do for a good finish is make a wash coat I'll mix 50% shellac 50% alcohol, and then (after sanding) spray 3-4 coats of pre-cat laquear

Very helpful. Glad I subscribed!

I really love working with shellac. As you said its easy to use, great sealer & it makes my whole shop smell like a distillery. (I said that, not you). A friend made a turned bowl/art work & coated it with about 30 coats of de-waxed shellac. It buffed out beautifully. By the way, I miss your longer videos with your Dad. Cheers, Jim

Will watch this with great attention tomorrow(it's late here in France,) because you're still mind reading. Like Mr. Davis, below, I am just trying to find a simple finish to stick with and here in France I having the darnest time translating shellac and then finding the product. It's got to exist here somewhere...More tomorrow...Spot on AGAIN Shawn...cheers...rr

Shellac doesn’t actually ‘layer’, that’s one of its cool qualities. As you add shellac, it liquefies the previously added shellac - so no matter how much you add, it becomes part of the SINGLE layer of shellac. This is why French polishing gives you a deep, flawless result, because you have one perfect layer of finish. (Wellermart has a great selection of quality flakes to mix your own FRESH batch in whatever color or consistency you like) I don’t think M&M uses shellac anymore, but many candies still do. I’ve been inside a plant where they spray the shellac on the candies and I can tell you it ain’t pretty. It’d make you think twice about that handful of Reese’s Pieces, for certain. Thank you for your excretion, Lac beetle🪲 !

Very informative thank you!

Great video, Thanks for the tips :-)

Very useful information, thanks

This is a great video. Thanks man!

For my purposes, I prefer multiple coats of 1 pound. I mix flakes (amber or blonde or platina), finely ground with a cheap spice grinder with Everclear in pint jars. I store the pints in my pantry with appropriate labels. Thanks for the video!

Wow the world of Shellac all makes sense now! I see my mistakes in using Shellac. Thank You so much 😊

Shellac also lasts well. We have some 18th century pieces that some time got shellac & what hasn't seen water or alcohol is still pristine, mirror like finish & quite beautiful. I once heard a talk by a coffin maker who said his job had been to French polish the coffin so smooth that if a fly landed on it, it would slip & break its neck. By contrast more modern pieces we have with a spray lacquer finish, show many places where the lacquer has failed & needs replacing & often the surface isn't as smooth as shellac. Personally I like to buy the grains & mix with meths (in uk dyed purple, but this doesn't show in end product) making only small amounts as needed. Sometimes adding a tiny bit of linseed oil to improve the motion across wood if it becomes a little frictional. Normally I never tie off the cloth, just wrapping it around cotton waste or cotton wool & recharging the centre. The outside cloth eventually wears but the centre cotton goes on indefinitely, going hard, but quickly re-softening with new shellac or just alcohol. I keep this rubber as usually called in the uk, (could be problem name in US!) in a tight lidded jar that often stops alcohol evaporation. For longer term protection where water or alcohol might be encountered I put food/toy safe acrylic on top, otherwise just beeswax. My favourite finish as I like the colour is natural shellac & also because it dries so fast. Following Paul Sellers I sometimes apply with an hake brush, but I like the rubber best. Thanks for sharing!

My biggest issue of woodworking has been understanding which finishes work with which stains and where do the polys fit into all this. Thanx "teach"!!!!!! I look forward to your vids.

thank you, you made that look fun

Loved the video, I am now a new subscriber.

Thanks. Shellac is prety much all I use.

Parabéns por essa explicação.

many years ago when I was in hardware, the sales reps really pushed for filling the shelves with poly. Shellac was so "old timey". I wish I had spent more time learning how to use it and incorporate shellac with other finishes years ago. Thanks for the vid.

Really enjoyed that Man U jamming some info into that one!

Bug poo, my favorite candy. Yummy!!

Thanks I'm just getting into wood working and looking for a good finish for a guitar speaker cabinet. Been thinking about tru oil then wax

New fan learned a lot thanks

I use Shellac for all my finishing projects it has a nice mellow finish and is durable and dries fast now i'm going to purchase a can of sealer after watching your video. Most of my projects I use Cypress wood siding then cut off the tongue and grove then stain the average cost for a Cypress board at the home centers is about $ 9 and it comes 97 inches long the after staining or clear coat the wide grain looks wonderful and is so much cheaper that Popular etc. Thanks for sharing

Hi there, many thanks for all of your good advise, during this video you used a 4 disc sanding disc holder, what a great product. Can you tell me who makes that product please, I’m in uk and would love to purchase one, thanks again, Yours Ricky

Thank you.

I find shellac to be a superior finish because of speed. I can do 5 coats in an afternoon, yielding an excellent film finish that looks beautiful, I would need to do 3 coats of poly to yield the same protection and that takes 3 days.

Just now watched a video by 'SHELLAC FINISHES' it seems as though my knowledge was not as complete as I thought it to be! Would recommend that others do so as well.

I love this presentation about shellac especially that you've identified that there is indeed a monopoly as zinsser is owned by rustoleum. I think it's ridiculous that there is one company selling a product with so much usage both historical and current in this country. I would even say it's downright un-American. As usual this is the kind of information that is useful to the majority of us, straight talk no BS.

I don't use nothing but automotive 2k clear coat I've used a lot of finishes but once I started using the catalyzed clear I can't go back to wood clears and my wood projects come out as smooth and has the look of glass with class.

I fully concur with your concept of picking two finishes and sticking with them. I disagree with using anything shellac as one of them. I used to, but I've changed my mind. Most of the things that I make are small and are usually handled. Shellac doesn't like the moisture from my skin, even if I let it cure for weeks. IMHO.

thank you

Shellac is actually the cocoon material excreted by the lac bug, very much like the silk cocoon of the silkworm.

Great info bro

I'm refinishing mid-century modern walnut veneer furniture. I want a natural, clear, matte finish that you mention. Would this shellac finish protect the wood for a durable finish for dressers? You mention applying oil or wax as a final step. Is that necessary? Does that then need to be repeated for maintenance?

Wait, what?? I thought Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner was the finishing bible. What I like about him is that he digs into what is really in the finishes available, he does his own chemical analyses since so many finishes are deceptively named (tung oil for example) and none list ingredients. He was the one who revealed that wiping varnish is simply regular varnish thinned 50%, and Danish oil is simply an oil-varnish blend, along with lots of other info. I learned finishing from a professional finisher here in southern California, Brian Miller. He has finally written down his techniques, and I highly recommend his book The Art of Coloring Wood.

About the manufacture date lot code on the lid, here's how to decipher it: For example: S39225 S: The letter is the plant where it was made, which is irrelevant here. 3: The first number represent the year. In our example, it would have been made in 2023 (or 2013, 2003...) 9: The second number is the month, here September (9th month) 22: 3rd and 4th number is date, 22nd here. 5: The last number is daily batch #. You might catch a lot code with 3rd digit (month) being one of those 3 letters, O, N, D. Those are October, November and December, otherwise the code would need an extra digit for 10, 11 or 12th month.

Basic mixes, Shellac + Methyl Hydra and just about any dye will work great if mixed well. Slow brush on sponge 5 to 30 thin coats. Let cure 30-45 days, 400 wet, 600 wet, 800 wet, 1000 wet, 1500 wet, 2000 wet, 3000 wet, then steal one of the wife's fingernail use the buff side lightly wet then polishing compound and Buff wheel. fair amount of work but i have guitars that make me drool vs using nitro cell. Thank you Buggs

Thanks for sharing so much information with us. I ordered the book from amazon, although the link you provided didn't work -- check on that, so you can get a little bonus for your recommendation!

Great video. Much appreciated. Can I cover the clear, non-waxed Zinsser Shellac with Minwax Polyacrylic Clear? Again, thanks for the very informative video. This is for the inside of cabinets I am building. (non-kitchen.....basement storage, but still kitchen style wall and base cabinets). I can use de-waxed shellac as a sealer under polyurethane or polyacrylic. Correct?

Great explanation!!! Ehat the difference between shellac and wood hardener??? Do you have any video about wood hardener?

you are professional

I French polished my son's guitar neck He built his guitar from a kit, and didn't want a heavy finish on the neck Stretching the finish on the headstock had a bit of a learning curve, but the shellack is very forgiving

Anyway of tinting it, so I can try matching on a repair? Refinishing a hope chest top and wanting to match the sides. Its Eastern Red Cedar!

Good stuff

Thanks for the info. I have never used Shellac, but I;m interested. Does the shellac penetrate below the surface or does the alcohol go into the wood leaving the shellac on the surface? How water or humidity resistant is shellac?

Where did you get those squeeze bottles and how did you transfer the shellac into them from the can?

You mentioned using wax instead of layering shellac to avoid the plastic look... Paste wax on top of a seal coat of shellac?

Zinsser de-coding: The first letter identifies the plant that packaged the product. The first number is the last digit in the year the shellac was packaged. The second number is the month. For October, November and December the first letter is used instead of a number: “O,” “N,” or “D.” The third and forth numbers provide the date within that month. The fifth number or letter indicates the “run” on that date.

In the video you said you have to use the bottle fairly quickly, if I recall correctly alcohol bottles are generally green and blue because the alcohol reacts to certain spectrums of light. Have you experimented with keeping it in small green or brown bottles?

Wipe on poly water-based works pretty well also low maintenance

I would love to see your favorite turning finishes and techniques. Also where do you buy your shellac flakes.

Shellac without the precipitation, it was de waxed. From sellers available both types of shellac: with wax and de waxed.

Great content! I'm using shellac to refinish old Globe-Wernicke sectional bannister bookcases that have been badly stained by someone . Unfortunately, I bought the 3 pound cut kind of shellac and am wondering if adding denaturated alcohol will thin it and make it less waxy/thinner? It is also pretty tacky, so may have gotten an old batch. Appreciate any tips. Thank you

Thanks for the info what size and where do you get your squeeze bottles?

Nice poor man's mouse. Thought you might French polish that coaster😜

I will only mix up my own shellac from dewaxed flakes and everclear or vodka after learning this because I don't want poison or toxins in it. Flakes last many years stored in airtight containers in a cool dry dark place. Using mechanical mixing is recommended if mixing old flakes.

I have lots to learn about finishes. As new to turning I would like to find out what is a good "food safe" finish? I will be trying to find Flexner on finishing and see what he has to say as well. Thank for the great videos.

this was very informative. Fantastic video! I was wondering, could I mix shallac in flakes with 75% grain alchol( the one used to make some liquors) or no? thank you.

Having a hard time finding the Seal-Coat (2#) version. Can I just mix 1 part of the 3# version with 2 parts denatured alcohol to make a 1# version?

First off I would like to say that it wasn't long ago that I found your channel and I have enjoyed and found use full or interesting information in every video I've watched. I even watch your videos on topics that I'm really not interested in just to see what I can learn, so I want to thank you for that. The question I have is that you said that you can put a coat of shellac on as a sealer coat before an oil finish to save on oil. I have heard arguments that this process doesn't allow the oil to soak in deep enough to get the "depth" or the "pop" of the grain as opposed to using straight oil.Evidently you don't believe this or this is not look you want but I was just wondering if you would share your thoughts on this controversy?

What do you recommend for wooden spoons and spatulas that will be in contact with boiling water/hot food?

Awesome information and video. Yeah say that three times fast once is hard enough. I always like referring to Bob I know he’ll have the answer.

thanks for the tips. i finish a guitar kit with acrylic lacquer and came out badly. i just bought some shellac and will give it a try. any tip on how to get a glass like finish? is it possible to wet sand shellac ? shall i also sand between coats or just in the end? thanks

WE NEED A FAST WAY TO BRING BACK OUR OLD 1959 RANCH HOME WOOD FLOORS, GRAND KIDS COMING , WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF CONSTRUCTION A CLOSET,

Well I have to say I've been looking all over the Internet for a question that you answered and nowhere else I can find till I found this video (Is the clear zinsser shellac waxed or dewaxed ?)I could not find that information anywhere(on line nor calling hardware stores) nobody locally knew enough or anyting about shellac and the zinsser brands two explaine my question and I bought the regular shellac not the sealer nor could I get an answer at the hardware store when I was buying it because my friend that works in the paint Department who's about the only actual experienced and well knowledgeable paint dep. He admitted he knew nothing about shellac nor did anywhere else I went, so thank you.. . . perhaps I should have just ordered the flakes but I needed it right then or so I thought until I found out this antique sewing machine I'm working on also needs some veneer work so I have not applied the waxed shellac to the bare wood thank goodness I will go and buy the bullseye Sealcoat and then layer it like unwaxed and use the natural (beeswax caribana wax) finishing wax compound with it at the end.. I'm bringing an antique early treadle singer sewing machine restore back to original factory condition. (On a budget) .. new to shellac & loving this lost art..

Very thorough except for a a very important main subject, I heard that shellac is safe for finishing little kids toys, Non toxic, I was looking for that answer and it was not mentioned, I am going to start making kids toys,

I started a finishing using wipe on poly , but is building really slow, can i put shellac on top, then come back and put one last coat of wipe on poly, or do i need to remove the wipe on poly first?