Fw: shellac sealer on plate yes yes yesYES

[bases-loaded@juno.com]

On Sun, 08 Jul 2001 09:34:35 -0500 jolly roger <baldyam@sk.sympatico.ca>
writes:
> Hi Mark,
>                Am I missing some thing?   I buy my Shellac in flakes 
> and mix it my self, then strain it through some old pantie hose.
> Never had any problems.   I though those flakes lasted ad 
> infinitum.
> Regards Roger
> 
> 

HI Roger -

You are certainly doing it correctly, in terms of making your shellac
from flakes, but from the moment it is dissolved in alcohol, it has a
window of opportunity for maximum results.  I would never dream of using
anything dissolved older than 6 months.  Not that you won't get away with
it, but certainly you are "rolling the dice", and you can certainly
expect a dimished capacity of the film to do its job.  It is ideal to use
the shellac in the first month or two, for maximum performance.  But yes,
the flakes themselves would seem to have an "ad infinitum" lifetime, as
you suggested.  

Zinnser shellac products, an example of a pre-dissolved shellac that you
would typically buy in paint stores, promises at least a "one year
guarantee" that their shellac will perform well, and perhaps they have
altered the chemistry to achieve this result, but I feel much more secure
when using fresh I have made myself from flakes. I have even noticed a
difference when using a higher grade of alcohol than denatured.  Better
sprayability, faster dry times, even perhaps slightly improved toughness.

Use it when it's fresh.

Mark Potter
bases-loaded@juno.com