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I just bought some new blonde shellac flakes from woodcraft because they were on sale. After mixing with DA, it looks really muddy/milky looking. The shellac I used from Rockler looks nice and clear and amber colored after mixing with everclear. Is it the DA that gives this color, or is this WAXED shellac flakes? The salesperson told me is was de-waxed. I think he was full of crap. What do you think? Will I have to strain it?
Tracy

I also got some of "the finest grade available de-waxed shellac" recently, that when mixed with 99.98% ethanol looked just like the stuff you're talking about. Full of crap is about what I thought too.

I left mine to sit for a few days, all of the suspended stuff settled on the bottom, then I siphoned the clear stuff off the top. I didn't bother to strain it, all the stuff that would be filtered out by straining was already on the bottom.

Wow I never have had any inpure flakes like that and I have bought at several places. Since Frank Ford convinced me that Bulls Eye Sanding Sealer was as good as it is I have not mixed my own. I have French polished with it and it is my sealer under all my lacqure finishes. It is a bit more amber than a extra blonde. but I like that hue. I liked Zinsser's first release of Bulls Eye French polish mix. It was Blonder and did not have the Oil pre added. But I don't like now. Manly because of the oil.

[QUOTE=MichaelP] Since Frank Ford convinced me that Bulls Eye Sanding Sealer was as good as it is I have not mixed my own. I have French polished with it and it is my sealer under all my lacqure finishes.


Michael could you use the sanding sealer as a pore filler instead of z poxy?

[QUOTE=Robbie O'Brien] [QUOTE=MichaelP] Since Frank Ford convinced me that Bulls Eye Sanding Sealer was as good as it is I have not mixed my own. I have French polished with it and it is my sealer under all my lacqure finishes.


Michael could you use the sanding sealer as a pore filler instead of z poxy?[/QUOTE]

The problem is that shellac has a tendency to bridge the pore and not fill. this would lead to shrinking and pits later as the finish seasoned. for the first couple years I used the old pumice an shellac method but z-poxy is 5 times faster and I believe makes the grain on 3d woods like curly Koa and quilted maple or quilted mahogany really pop

I have used rosewood end grain saw dust and shellac to fill porse for years and it works great with just one coat. The drawback is I have to seal the purflings beforehand or they get stained by the dust and shellac. I then sand the wood and scrape the purflings clean. The positive side is that I can completely pore fill and have my guitar ready to spray in just a couple of hours as opposed to two or three days with the z poxy method.   

See there the fibers of the dust are doing the filling just as they do when you pumice fill. When you pumice fill the pumice is acting as an abrasive and pulling the fiber fibers it sands off into the pores and the shellac is only a glue holding them in place. So it is doing basically the same thing. It takes me about one hour to put a coat of Z-poxy on a body. Typicaly it takes two coats for me to get a good fill. I do wait 24 hours before sanding but I would do this even with pumice and shellac. It took as many as six or more body sessions with pumice to get a good fill on really porous wood.MichaelP38385.5279166667

Hi,
Michael, did you use the clear or the amber Bullseye shellac? I recently bought a fresh can of the Bullseye Sanding Sealer shellac (clear), and noticed it has a very milky appearance. Sort of like weak coffee with milk added. It will settle out into a clear top layer if left undisturbed for a few days. So it might NOT be dewaxed shellac, I dunno.
The only thing I've used it for is on my MDF radius dishes, and I may use it to seal the sitka top on my recent dreadnaught copy.
Back in the shop there' a new can of McFadden's vinyl sealer on the shelf. What would you pro's use on the sitka... the shellac or the McFadden's?
Thanks.

Zinsser's Bulls Eye Sanding Sealer and their FP is 100% de-waxed If you had that color. I would say the can had either gone bad from age or had been froze at some point. I have a can on my shelf that is 2 years old and still good and clear. Zinsser also makes a Bulls Eye finishing shellac that is not de-waxed be sure you got the De-waxed Sanding Sealer. Its ingredients are de-waxed shellac and a ethanol based solvent in a 2# cut. the standard finish shellac is not 100% de-waxed and I believe it is a 3# cut and has other ingredients in it.MichaelP38385.5421527778

[QUOTE=Mark Lee] What would you pro's use on the sitka... the shellac or the McFadden's?
Thanks.
[/QUOTE]
I am no Pro but I did stay at a Hollidy Inn Express last week No really I use Zinsser's Bulls Eye Sanding sealer as my sealer on every thing. It will very very slightly amber the Sitka but I find that appealing.MichaelP38385.56875

I think these flakes are really screwed up. It has been 3 days and they are still muddy looking. I even put the mixture in the freezer overnight hoping to coagulate the wax, but that didn't even work! I had read somewhere that you could put it in the freezer to harder the wax and then just pour off the excess after the wax hardens. But that didn't work for me, but maybe for Paul it will work. I'm taking this stuff back!
Tracy

If it is the de-waxed sanding sealer. I would pack the can up and send it back to Zinsser. I have use probably 10 cans over a 4 year period and have never had one like that. I am sure they will replace it for you. The Sanding Sealer should not have any wax or other impurities in it. Like I have said I have use it for 4 years and never had a bad lot.

Michael,
These were supposed to be dewaxed blonde shellac flakes sold in the flake form. Thanks for the information!
Tracy

sorry Tracy I got lost in the string. DAA

No problem Michael. To give an update, I brought the flakes back to woodcraft and they let me exchange it for something different flakes. Hopefully these will be better.