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Thread: Longevity of shellac in a closed jar

  1. #16
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    I didn't miss the part where you mentioned it. So I take it that whatever you say we are to take a gospel.
    here is what is said about the Kalashnikov;
    The AK-47 and its variants are made in dozens of countries, with
    Nowhere did I ask anyone to take what I said as gospel.
    Neither did I copy and paste someone's description of the AK47's production heritage.

    What I said above is that the Soviets - - not the Bulgarians, the Egyptians, the Serbians or any of the other communist block countries that manufactured the AK47 - - the Soviets -catch that? The Soviets...used red stain and shellac on their AK's.


    Feel perfectly free not to take my word for it either.
    Matter of fact I invite you to search for - Soviet shellac AK - and peruse the thousands of hits that returns.
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Engelhardt View Post
    Nowhere did I ask anyone to take what I said as gospel.
    Neither did I copy and paste someone's description of the AK47's production heritage.

    What I said above is that the Soviets - - not the Bulgarians, the Egyptians, the Serbians or any of the other communist block countries that manufactured the AK47 - - the Soviets -catch that? The Soviets...used red stain and shellac on their AK's.


    Feel perfectly free not to take my word for it either.
    Matter of fact I invite you to search for - Soviet shellac AK - and peruse the thousands of hits that returns.
    there is nothing there to substantiate whether it is a good finish or not. it was just a quick and cheap finish ti put on them to make them look presentable
    ron

  3. #18
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    Fine - you win....
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  4. #19
    The Mosin Nagant rifles were finished in shellac. They seemed to do fine through WWI, the Russian civil war, WWII....probably the Spanish civil war, and I'm sure innumerable other conflicts. Yeah, sometimes the shellac finish is found to be wearing off a bit on some examples, but after 100 years and several wars, I think that's understandable.

    Anyhow, it wouldn't be my first choice on a gunstock regardless. I'd use TruOil. It's a wonderful feeling finish, it looks great and it's easy to apply. I use it on guitar necks all the time because of the feel.
    Last edited by John Coloccia; 10-07-2014 at 7:44 AM.

  5. #20
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    I wimped out and just made a fresh 2# cut of shellac. Decided that I've gone through too much to find out after that the old Shellac was too old. However, just for kicks and giggles, I made up a test board with both sides sanded and stained Walnut, like the gun stock. On one side I'll put the fresh Shellac. On the other side, I'll put the old Shellac. Yes, I'll make sure to label which side is which. Just to be on the safe side...I ordered a pint of General Finishes, High Performance Poly from my local WoodCraft as they were out of the pint size. For a small .22LR rifle gun stock I definitely don't need to pay for more than a pint. Thus it will be a couple weeks before it is in, plenty of time for the Shellac to dry. Then, we'll really see if the old Shellac is too old or not. Another consideration, the gun is a target rifle, not a Varmit hunting rifle, so IMHO the stock wasn't going to get really "rough" treatment or be in the "exterior" enough to consider it required "Exterior" treatment. I've done a couple projects with wipe-on poly over a base coat of Shellac and been very pleased, so I'm going with what's been successful in the past. I'm still curious whether the Shellac stored in the jar is still good. I certainly will report on that. Thanks to all for the interesting, informative and lively repartee. That's what makes the Creek such a great place.
    Real American Heros don't wear Capes, they wear Dogtags.

  6. #21
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    Both the first coats of stored Shellac and of course the fresh Shellac were dry to touch in minutes. No obvious difference in appearance. I'll wait a day and put a second coat on.
    Real American Heros don't wear Capes, they wear Dogtags.

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Engelhardt View Post
    Fine - you win....
    it is not about winning or losing. it is about understanding the use of shellac. yes they may have used it on gun stocks over there; but that doesn't mean that it is good. they had trouble feeding their population over there during those years. iodine for stain and they more than likely used their cheap vodka for the thinners. I doubt the Viet Cong worried about the finish on the AK's that they were getting from the Russians
    I started painting with my old man when i was 12 in 1957 and we used quite a bit of shellac then. I have been in the furniture repair business since 75 and I still use shellac for a few things
    I can remember using it to seal the pitch on new fir rain gutters. it was always sealed in after with an oil base paint. it worked pretty good but would break down after a while
    ron

  8. #23
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    >>>> To test: I assume then you would apply a couple coats of Shellac to a piece of hardwood, wait a couple days then put some poly on it and see what the results are?

    It's lot simpler than that. Open the can and apply a coat of shellac to a sanded wood board. If the shellac becomes tack-free in 45 minutes its good to use.
    Howie.........

  9. #24
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    Then the old Shellac passed the test. It sure was tack free after several minutes, well before 45 minutes. I now have plenty of Shellac for several projects. Oh, well.....
    Real American Heros don't wear Capes, they wear Dogtags.

  10. #25
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    I now have plenty of Shellac for several projects. Oh, well.....
    Then again....
    (no pun intended - but - )
    Shellac is the flakiest stuff in the world. That old stuff you tested that dried fine today, may be non-drying goo next week at this time.
    I've seen that happen far to many times.
    Make sure you retest it right before you use it.
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Engelhardt View Post
    Make sure you retest it right before you use it.

    Ditto. Not worth the effort for me - if it has been around for a while, I pitch it and mix new.

    BUT - I mix from flakes, so I never have very much left over.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  12. #27
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    I guess that's why I wimped out and made the new batch. Regardless of how the test board looks, I'm going to use the newly made shellac. It goes on tomorrow. Today I did "Pickets Charge" at Gettysburg with Ed Bearss, the Famous Civil War Historian. Walked the entire 1/2 mile that the Confederate soldiers would have had to make, if they lived through it...2 out of 3 didn't. Saw some of the Civil War rifles, and the wood had lost all their finish. I wonder how long mine will last. Again, thanks to all for the input. I learn so much from the Creek.
    Real American Heros don't wear Capes, they wear Dogtags.

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Don Morris View Post
    ...... Today I did "Pickets Charge" at Gettysburg..........Walked the entire 1/2 mile that the Confederate soldiers would have had to make, if they lived through it...2 out of 3 didn't.
    Hallowed ground. I have walked those fields and hills a half-dozen times since my first visit in 1962.

    Bobby Lee's worst performance. Blame it on JEB Stuart, if you like, but still......... Little Round Top was undefended on the first day, and would have given the CSA a commanding position on Union left flank. By day 2, it was too late - Jeff Daniels had taken command of Little Round Top [great flick].

    Having failed that, he could have disengaged, swung around the Union Army, and won the footrace to Fredrick, and DC beyond that. Now we got a different ballgame. But.........

    Instead - he stayed, and sent those troops up that hill with Longstreet, Pickett, et. al. directly into the massed fire of entrenched troops. Fortunately, Meade was the opposing General, and he did not [as usual] mount an aggressive pursuit, allowing the Army of No Va to escape.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  14. #29
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    Test it...you'll know in 30 minutes if it dries..
    Jerry

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