What are you paying for dry flake shellac

Jeff,

It is way cheaper to buy 50 lb bag of shellac then one pound at a time.  I found Phil Lowe a supplier and if you are interested I can find the information again and pass it on.  The shellac comes from a pharmaceutical company and sell Seedlac, Garnet, Orange, and Blonde. 

Shellac now sells for about 35 and up.  Woodcraft sells shellac for 40 plus, which is ridiculous. 

Fred
 
Hi Fred
I would be interested, I was buying 50 lbs bags  from a food grade supplier and was notified they will no longer sell in small lots, they asked if I have a rail spur  and how many metric tons I need.
Randy
 
Jeff,

I hope you do not mind my asking, but how quickly do you use up 50 lbs. of shellac?  The thought of a rail car full is truly mind boggling.  That is a lot of bug juice.  PSP
 
I did use orange shellac but my customers complained that the finish was too "orange" looking so I switched to dewaxed dark garnett. I buy it from Olde Mill Cabinet Shoppe. $134 for a 5# bag. I use about two 5# bags a year. I wish I could find it cheaper even if I had to buy a larger quanity.

Dennis Bork
Antiquity Period Designs, Ltd.
 
I was going through 50 lbs in about a year, or a little longer. I have some friends I share with, and sell some at lectures I give. Not sure how long a rail car would last, I'm sure it would go bad before I hit the bottom. If I can't find a new supplier, looks like I will have to change my habits. I 'm also having trouble with alcohol [ not the drinking part, still doing OK there]. My painter friend that had a liquor license has gone out of business. I'm not sure what it takes to get a license, but I'm going to look in to it. I'm go to miss that 200 proof,[ no water worries].  I don't know of any place were I can get quantities locally in Minnesota.
Randy
 
Has anyone used/tried Shellacfinishes.com? They are listed on the SAPRM Home page under tools and supplies. How long does shellac last if kept in "air tight" jars?
Joe
 
Shellacshack.com has 5# of Garnet for $25.50 a pound or $127.50, 10# for $23.70 a pound or 20# for $22.55 per pound. I just store it in plastic bags. It keeps a long time in the dry state, years. Orange is $30.40 a pound. You might ask him about bulk purchases.
 
I never use orange shellac, but here in Australia, orange flakes currently retails for AU$32.45 per kilo (US$15.19 per pound). Auriga and Button shellac retails for AU$38.50 per kilo (US$18.00 per pound) and Super Blonde retails for AU$49.50 per kilo (US$24.88 per pound). These prices can be reduced by 10% if buying in bulk.

Shellac flakes will keep for years if stored in airtight containers in the fridge, so I buy when the prices are more favourable.
 
I would really love some 200 proof alcohol and need to find a supplier ASAP.  Last year alone I went through about 15 pounds of shellac.  I use seedlac, garnet, orange, lemon, and blonde.  This year I am certain I will probably double that.

Fred
 
What I find interesting is that you can buy a gallon of premixed shellac at Lowe's or Home-Depot for $35.  It is a 2 pound cut and it is ready to go.  So is worth buying that gallon of pre-mix and just tinting it to look like orange shellac with trans tints?  It is like everything today is hard to find, cost way to much, or just to thin.  Man it makes our jobs harder then already is. 

FR
 
Are you sure it is a 2# mix? I'm sure the can says 3#.  The problem with the pre-mixed cans is that it has wax in it. Several years ago I called the company and they told me there is indeed wax mixed in it.  The problem with a waxed solution is that it could cause top coat adhesion problems at some time.

Dennis Bork
 
From Zinsser Premixed shellac:

Woodworkers, contractors and floor finishers use sanding sealers to speed the progress and improve the appearance of their finishing projects. For many years professional woodworkers and cabinetmakers used refined (dewaxed) shellac to seal surfaces before applying finish coatings. Refined shellac has all of the excellent properties of ordinary shellac (easy to use, fast drying, etc.) but no wax, making it compatible with all clear finishes
SealCoat offers the timesaving versatility of refined shellac in a pre-mixed 2 lb. cut 100% wax-free formula. It?s the perfect sanding sealer because it penetrates the surface, dries quickly, gives a rich tone to wood surfaces and since it contains no waxes or stearates, SealCoat is guaranteed to be compatible with oil-base polyurethanes, acrylic finishes, lacquers, catalyzed finishes and varnishes.

SealCoat Universal Sanding Sealer
Seals all types of wood surfaces including oak, maple, chestnut, mahogany, walnut, birch, poplar, cherry, etc. Recommended for interior woodwork, including paneling, molding, trim, windows, doors, cabinets, furniture, and toys. SealCoat is great for wood floors ? most floor finishing jobs can be completed in just one day. It?s the perfect sealer for acrylic finishes because it brings out the natural beauty of wood but will not turn yellow with age


 
Zinnser's  sells an amber (orange) shellac that was 4# cut the last time I checked, they sell a clear shellac that is dewaxed and is probably a 4# cut as well. The sanding sealer is dewaxed. If it truly is a 4# cut it is a very good deal.

From their website:
Spray, Gallon, Quart, Half Pint, Pint, 5 Gallon, 1 Gallon - 4lb, cut, 5 Gallon - 4lb, cut
OVERVIEW:
Bulls Eye? Shellac is an alcohol-based solution of lac, a natural resin imported mainly from India, that is available in Clear and Amber tones. Clear shellac dries transparent with a faint, golden cast that is much lighter than oil-base varnishes, while amber shellac has a warm, orange cast that gives a rich, antique-look to woodwork. Bulls Eye Shellac has many advantages over other clear finishes: it?s easy to use, dries quickly, is non-toxic when dry and cleans up easily with ammonia and water.

 
The problem with premixed shellac is that it has a shelf life of only a year. Most can are dated and by the time you get it it is already quite old. Old shellac doesn't dry properly. Trouble in a can. I have a stamp of period shellac that still seems to be in good condition although I would never use it. It is worth more in it's original condition.
I like orange. What are your complaints over orange shellac. It sends new pieces well on their to looking like old ones.
 
Orange shellac imparts ... well... too much of an orange hue to antique furniture. The restorers here and in the UK who work on Victorian and Edwardian mahogany and walnut furniture use orange shellac exclusively, but it's completely the wrong colour for eighteenth-century English and Irish mahogany furniture.

Judging by the frequency orange shellac crops up on this, and other North American forums, I have the impression your antique furniture is generally 'orangier'. Eighteenth-century North American paintings that show mahogany and walnut furniture appear to support this.

Orange shellac would certainly give raw Black Walnut a better tone. Even so, I would prefer to colour the wood than apply a coloured finish.
 
Personally I love orange and lemon shellac for federal furniture.  Now for queen anne and chippendale I love garnet and seedlac.  Now for blonde shellac I only use it when I don't need any added color to the mix.

Fred
 
This posting has swerved off to another subject, finishing preferences. Year before last I paid $ 8.95 a pound last year $15.95 now $30. This is as bad as petrol. Dog on it!
George Washington's Mount Vernon is offering Alcohol which was offered in his day. With a historical provenance maybe something could be worked out with them for a supply for period cabinetmakers or maybe not. It does sound like a logistical (legalistic) nightmare. But it also sounds like a great historically educational resource (in my dreams)!
 
The concern is that most likely the price will continue to increase.    Supposedly the start of the this increase was due to cold weather and climate change.  Yet who really knows.

FR
 
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