Shellac flakes + isoprophyl ?????

[denis tuomey]

I have heard that if you mix shellac flakes w/Isoprophyl instead of DNA (100% or combo, don't know) it will slow down the drying and would be better when spraying in hotter weather, especially with a rig that blows warm air like the Earlex. Has anyone ever tried this

[Dan Hintz]

They're both alcohol with a high volatility... it's going to evaporate pretty quickly either way. Pour a capful of both on the ground and watch how long it takes for them to evaporate, you'll see.

[Scott Holmes]

I have never tried it; my guess, I'm with Dan, it will be pretty much the same...

There is a product called shellac wet that is made to slow the drying of shellac; give it a bit more time to flow out... Check with Homestead finishing to read all about it.

[Howard Acheson]

Yes, isopropal alcohol is a somewhat slower evaporating alcohol. It will easily dissolve shellac flakes. You can also slow down the evaporation by adding a 1/2 ounce of turpentine to a gallon of mixed shellac.

[Jason Roehl]

Another trick for spraying in hot weather is to get an extra length of air hose for your (turbine-style) HVLP, and coil it up the excess in a cooler filled with ice water. I've not personally done this, but some of my local colleagues have with success. The other thing is to do whatever you can to go as quickly as you can to maintain a wet edge while you spray a given surface.

[John Coloccia]

IPA, as well as butanol, will act as a retarder. I would actually suggest using Behkol. It brushes and sprays well. It's mostly ethanol, with some other alcohols tossed in. I always assumed they were there to act as retarders. I think butanol is most effective, though I've no idea where to buy it. I use Behkol almost exclusively for shellac and have had great results.

[Curt Harms]

I have heard that if you mix shellac flakes w/Isoprophyl instead of DNA (100% or combo, don't know) it will slow down the drying and would be better when spraying in hotter weather, especially with a rig that blows warm air like the Earlex. Has anyone ever tried this

I haven't used any other turbine HVLP rig beside the Earlex 5000 but the air coming out of the gun doesn't seem all that warm. If I were in Phoenix or were running for an extended period of time I'd feel differently. I have the Earlex 5000, the 5500 is supposed to put out quite a bit more air so it may be warmer. The only shellac I've sprayed so far is SealCoat. Worked great but it was cool, maybe 50*.

[Howard Acheson]

Temperature is not the issue with evaporative finishes like shellac or lacquer. The weather factor that most affects evaporative finishes is relative humidity.

[Prashun Patel]

My experience is that ipa does have a slowing effect when wiping shellac. However that improvement over ethanol is minimal. Also dont use rubbing alcohol which is ipa plus water. Getting pure ipa might me more expensive for what it offers.

If your goal is to get smoother results, then I got more dramatic improvements at first by thinning the cut more with straight DNA. I would be leery of adding oils to shellac. It can lead to clouding.