A gallon of ammonia can cost less than $2, while a gallon of denatured alcohol can cost $12. (The left-hand side is the mixture and the right-hand surface is the right-from-the-can shellac.) Do not mix them together, generally Shellac is used as a base coat and Tried & True over top for the finishing coat. Check your state and local codes before starting any project. Clean the mouth of the nail varnish bottle. cut de-waxed shellac applied by rag. In this case, you may need to thin out the poly a little bit, so it is easier to spray. This will avoid build up of product in the area and avoid its contents drying. It’s also cheaper than denatured alcohol. Shake the varnish whenever you use it or at intervals to avoid them drying. Denatured alcohol, which can also be used in many shellac based products. So to reduce the cost, which is largely the result of taxes, some methanol is often added to make the ethanol poisonous and therefore not taxed as liquor. But the standard stuff works for diluting premixed shellac, as it also has a blend of solvents. People working with wood often use shellac to give the finished product an exquisite finish. Just add some retarder. As a result, the wooden surface comes across as clean and crisp. If you are having problems finding it, Costco sells it in their drug area at a relatively fair price. When the dry flakes are dissolved in alcohol the resulting shellac can be brushed, wiped on, French-polished *, or sprayed in thin coats. Ensure that at the end of your manicure, the bottle is properly closed and no fresh air can get in. Ammonia and water is a great substitute because of the high alkalinity of ammonia. Information in this document has been furnished by the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) and associated contributors. You can use a ten percent additive of mineral spirits, but be sure that you are operating within the rules for safe usage for your local area. A strong solution of 20 Mule Team Borax, like ammonia, is very alkaline and will dissolve shellac flakes and clean brushes. It took 14 layers to get the build shown in the photo , way too much time spent and muscle depletion for me. Shellac can be applied in numerous thin coats. Water will slow the evaporation rate. Can I use Tried & True over shellac/polyurethane/wood fillers/wax-based finishes Shellacs – all Tried & True products are compatible with shellac. I always start with a sealer coat of 2 lb. An oil/varnish finish usually needs three or four coats for a nice build. Follow all safety precautions. A few states forbid people from adding any kind of solvent to polyurethane purchased in a sealed can at a store. This helps to enhance the beauty of the wood without causing any harm to the grain of the wood. You can also get larger quantities at any farmers Co-op as milk farmers us it in the milking parlours. A fifth issue is ridging. You can control blushing with products that thin with lacquer thinner. In fact, you can dissolve shellac flakes in alkaline water (hat makers varnish) and it will take forever to dry. Re: Thinning Shellac I use 99% isopropyl alcohol and it works very well. Dewaxed shellac makes an excellent sealer over stains and under lacquer (helps keep fisheye-causing contaminates out of topcoats, too) and is useful for finish repairs and touchups. (Notice the fancy words for … What should I use to thin shellac? The problem with using ethanol for dissolving and thinning shellac is that it’s quite expensive (think Everclear that you buy at the liquor store). Unless you thin shellac a good deal, it has a tendency to ridge at the edge of brush strokes and orange peel when sprayed. Using the ‘green’ version DNA gives much better results using flake shellac. 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