Orange Shellac, or muddy water?

[Fred Miller]

Hello folks -- this is my first post on this site, so please be gentle...

I have some Behlen orange shellac flakes that are roughly 6 years old, but appear to be in good shape in the original container. I mixed some fresh shellac last night, and as soon as the flakes began to dissolve the liquid began to appear very cloudy and dirty, just like muddy water. After straining several times the cloudiness was still there. Never had this happen before...

I don't use shellac very often, but in this case I need it to seal some open grain in tiger maple before continuing with several coats of hand-applied varnish. I'm afraid this shellac will interfere with my subsequent coats of varnish. Still, I don't want to waste the shellac if it's still usable.

Advice please! Any thoughts...ideas...experience with something like this?

[Jim Becker]

Sounds like waxy shellac and that look would be normal. If so, it will not be a problem with alkyd or phenolic varnish, but avoid anything with polyurethane in it or any water borne finishes unless you do a seal coat with de-waxed shellac.

[Fred Miller]

Thanks, and that makes sense. I checked the labels and the Behlen flakes don't mention the word "de-waxed". Also, the varnish I was planning to use is Minwax Wipe-On poly. Sounds like you saved me from disaster.

[Tim Sproul]

You can also 'convert' your shellac into dewaxed. After being sure the shellac is fully dissolved, let the container sit for a day. The waxy part of the shellac will settle.....it is best to dissolve the shellac in a clear container so you can see. Then, carefully open and decant the clear stuff into a new container. The clear stuff is pretty darn close to 'dewaxed.' You'll lose a decent amount of finish because you don't want to allow any of the 'cloudy' stuff into your dewaxed shellac.