7 Questions about Shellac for Wood Finishing

Product Data Sheets, Shellac Flakes, Wood Finishing Tricks Comments Off

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1 – Q: Shellac is an old-fashioned, outdated finish.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

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

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)

Butcher Block Oil

Product Data Sheets Comments Off

Apr 182016

Howards Cutting Board Oil

Butcher Block & Salad Bowl Oil

An excellent Protective Maintenance Oil for
Wood Cutting Boards, Chopping Blocks & Salad Bowls

• Approved for contact with food
• Environmentally-friendly, non-toxic
• No dyes, perfumes or nut oils that could cause allergic reactions
• Penetrates into the wood
• Protects against drying, cracking and water damage

More Info: Care of cutting boards and natural wood bowls

Paint Strainers – now available

Shellac Flakes Comments Off

Sep 082012

Paint Strainers

Filter foreign matter or undissolved solid particles found in various stains or finish coatings (Shellac, varnish, lacquer, stains or paints).
Paper cone with a full flow mesh tip for faster performance and no wasted finish left in the strainer.

We like these paper cone strainers for filtering of Shellac solutions.
Shellac resin with more natural organic materials may clog these strainers if used for first filtering. The Seed, Button and Black shellacs benefit by filtering through layers of coarser Cheese Cloth first.

available: FC8 – Pack of 8 & FC20 – Pack of 20

• • • • •

Behlen Finishing Products – Label Text

Mohawk Finishing Materials, Product Data Sheets, Wood Finishing Tricks No Responses »

Mar 032012

Finishing Products Label Text

Label information from the product packages in a
Type Size You Can Read

If you wear reading glasses (I do) the type face on some small labels
is so tiny a magnifying glass becomes necessary.
Even worse, sometimes a stain drip or sticky fingerprint obscures
the application information, drying times, or other important label text
& some information is too extensive to fit on the product label.

These frustrations gave birth to our BEHLEN Label Text & Data Pages