Hi, Sue. Burnt shellac is usually made in quantity, which means that you have to start with at least a half pint of thinned shellac and a full pint is probably better. The alcohol won't get enough oxygen to burn off when the shellac is still in a regular can. You have to transfer the shellac to a wide shallow pan like a cake-pan to burn it off. You also need a tight cover for the pan so that you can estinguish the flame afterwards. Once the burnt shellac has cooled, it will be the consistency of thick molasses. It's best applied--and kept--by putting it in a plastic squeeze bottle such as carpenter's glue comes in. Make sure that you keep a top on it to keep it from getting too thick. When appling small amounts you can squeeze some out on to a flat surface like a metal jar lid and then transfer it to where you want it with a small brush. Try- ing to make thickened shellac by evaporation, in sufficient quantity, just doesn't seem practical. I will repeat, however, that the PVC-E glue makes a fine substitute for the more traditional burnt shellac. The burning off of the alcohol from thinned shellac is a dangerous operation. BTW, the only "dumb" question, especially on a super-friendly list like this, is the one that goes un-asked! Les Smith On Wed, 20 Aug 1997, Susan Kline wrote: > Hi, Les -- > > Just a question, disregard if dumb. If you wanted to remove the alcohol > without the risk of combustion, couldn't you put some shellac in an open > dish and just leave it for awhile, maybe stirring a little, till it was the > right consistency? > > By the way, if anyone needs to see your post about threaded damper wires, I > still have it and could send it to them. > > Regards, > > Susan > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > At 10:35 AM 8/20/97 -0400, Les wrote: > >Hi, Lance. > > > >Burnt shellac is just that, burnt shellac. You take regular, already > >mixed shellac, and burn off the excess alcohol. It's a somewhat tricky > >proceedure because alcohol burns with an almost clear, hard-to-see flame. > >Since you probably wouldn't want to risk burning down your shop, it's > >a job best done outdoors in a clear area, on a windless day. Fortunately, > >there is a modern alternative that works quite well--PVC-E glue. Just > >apply a small amount with a small artists brush to where the damper > >wire enters the flange, or damperhead and let dry. Carpenter's glue > >won't hold a wood to metal bond and will eventually let go; CA glue > >will wick so deep that you most likely won't be able to unscrew the > >wire from the flange again, without risking breaking something. PVC-E > >glue is probably the way to go. > > > >Les Smith > > > >On Wed, 20 Aug 1997, Lance Lafargue wrote: > > > >> Not long ago someone talked about securing damper heads to wires (those > >> that rock back and forth) with burnt shellac. Is that orange-brown stuff > >> that comes in flakes that horn repair people use? Where can I get that? > >> How is it prepared? Is that what Steinway and others used to finish > >> soundboards? I was thinking of putting a drop of superglue or carpenters > >> glue on them. What do you think? > >> Lance Lafargue, RPT > >> New Orleans Chapter > >> Covington, LA. > >> lafargue@iamerica.net > >> > ------------------------------------------------------------ > Susan Kline > P.O. Box 1651 > Philomath, OR 97370 > skline@proaxis.com > > "When all other means of communication fail, try words." > -- Ashleigh Brilliant > >
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