Zinsser Bulls Eye

[Prashun Patel]

I'm thinking to use this as a wash coat between stain and oil varnish on poplar.

Can't find any reference to Bulls Eye being dewaxed. Does anyone know if this is safe?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Shawn....On the front of the can....Zinsser's Bullseye SEALCOAT...inside the red ring "100% wax-free".........

I love the stuff. My favorite finish......

[glenn bradley]

As Ken said; Zinsser's Seal Coat is dewaxed shellac. I hit it 1:1 with DNA as a washcoat. Other strengths for other purposes. Easy to work and very consistent results.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Shawn....on a lot of my turnings I'll use BLO to pop the grain......then Zinnzzers Sealcoat. If the project isn't going to get a lot of handling...a couple of applications of Sealcoat is all it gets. If I think it'll get a lot of handling or say on bottlestoppers where alchohol is going to be around the b/s...I then add some Deft brushing lacquer as the final finish coat. The Sealcoat.....easy to work with......I like it.

[Prashun Patel]

Unfortunately, that's what I thought. The store near me had no Seal Coat, but it had Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac (Traditional Finish and Sealer). I fear this product IS waxed since it doesn't specify that it's NOT.

[Ellen Benkin]

It is sometimes hard to find the Seal Coat. I can often get it at Rockler and some paint stores have a small supply. Call ahead to find out.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

If you'll pour the shellac into a clear container like a glass fruit jar and let it set you can see that the wax will settle out. this may take a couple days. Then you can carefully pour off the 'non-cloudy' top portion, which has no wax.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Shawn....I buy Zinsser's Sealcoat at a local Ace Hardware. They stock Sealcoat. If I need something they often will order it for me and have it in a couple of days. Mini-wax Antique Oil is one product they don't stock but order for me.

[Brian W Evans]

Shawn,

The Orange Borg has it where I live. I just bought some there for $23/gallon. My local ACE doesn't carry it, although I'm sure they'd get it for me.

[Jim Becker]

Unfortunately, that's what I thought. The store near me had no Seal Coat, but it had Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac (Traditional Finish and Sealer). I fear this product IS waxed since it doesn't specify that it's NOT.

Yes, that is waxy shellac. You can use it under a an oil based alkyd or phenolic varnish with no problems, but not under anything with polyurethane in it or under any water borne finish. It's really designed to be "the finish".

In my area, HD does not carry Seal Coat, but Lowes does. I buy it by the gallon...

[Howard Acheson]

>> Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac (Traditional Finish and Sealer). I fear this product IS waxed since it doesn't specify that it's NOT.

As Jim has said, what you bought is not dewaxed. The only ready mixed dewaxed shellac you can buy is Zinsser's Seal Coat or Zinsser Shellac in the spray can.

Let me also say, the the Zinsser standard shellac is no easily dewaxed by letting it set for a few days. Zinsser has a process to make their shellac have a longer shelf life. This process sort of homogenizes the shellac keeping the wax in solution. So it doesn't settle out except over a very long time.

[Art Mulder]

Unfortunately, that's what I thought. The store near me had no Seal Coat, but it had Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac (Traditional Finish and Sealer). I fear this product IS waxed since it doesn't specify that it's NOT.

Yes, that is waxy shellac. You can use it under a an oil based alkyd or phenolic varnish with no problems, but not under anything with polyurethane in it or under any water borne finish. It's really designed to be "the finish".

Jim is correct. The giveaway is on the instructions where it clearly states NOT to be used under Polyurethane. I only just discovered this myself a couple weeks ago -- after buying and testing the stuff of course on so, so I can't return it.

So....

If you'll pour the shellac into a clear container like a glass fruit jar and let it set you can see that the wax will settle out. this may take a couple days. Then you can carefully pour off the 'non-cloudy' top portion, which has no wax.

... this is what I'm trying. I read this very trick either in a Dresdner or Flexner book on finishing (both are sitting here, and I forget which it was!)

I do find it odd that the local HD carries both the clear and amber Zinnser Shellac, but NOT the Zinnser sealcoat. (grumble)

[Prashun Patel]

Yes, that is waxy shellac. You can use it under a an oil based alkyd or phenolic varnish with no problems

AHA! I am using an alkyd varnish as the top coat. Hurray! Don't need to return it.

I got this stuff @ the local Ace which only stocked gallons of the Sealcoat. Like any weekend warrior, I didn't want to wait for them to order it.

I saw the warning about poly, but figured that was due to an incompatibility with the solvent. This puzzled me, because I had some old amber shellac (also waxed) that I practiced with and it seemed to take a topcoat of alkyd varnish no problem. I only asked the question bkz I thought maybe it'd fail over time.

I've noticed that shellac acts like a primer. I'm finishing pieces for a closet wardrobe, which includes a good amount of cab-grade plywood (birch). Without shellac, some spots have taken a lot of coats of (wiping) varnish to obtain a build. But on my test piece, it started building an even sheen after a single coat. Stands to reason, bkz I know shellac-based painting primer does the same thing for painting raw wood w/ knots. Am I crazy or is this everyone else's experience too?

BTW, anyone else love the warm tone of Amber shellac as much as I do?!