Thread: best waxy white shellac supplier ?

I haven't come across waxy white shellac before, but our benevolent host would be the one to ask.

thanks woodwould.

You want to buy the powder or liquid?

If powder there is probably only one place in Australia to buy it as it needs to be kept at 4C constant to stop it from going off. Most resellers have no idea how to store it correctly or the ability store it correctly.

However you may not be able to get it in any smaller quantity than a 25 kg bag.

If you want to buy it in liquid form you are pretty limited as it isn't that commonly used here and because of that, may have been in the shelf for a long time. It has a shelf life of around 12mth and is best used in the first 6 mths. Using 100% alcohol can extend the life but apart from U-Beaut I don't know of anyone using more than 95% alcohol.

If buying in liquid form check for a useby date on bottle if there isn't one then best to give it a miss. If the colour when shaken is darker than a light cream then it is most likely old or light affected so avoid it.

On the other hand Dewaxed white is: Harder, brighter, and ours has a longer shelf life and best before date on it. It also allows for other finishes to be user over it as the wax portion isn't there and makes brilliant sanding sealer and lots more.

Not only that but you don't need to allow it to separate so you can take the "tops" off it to get the best finish and in the process degrade the shellac..

Back to the original question:

I'm looking towards a bulk buy of waxy white. Any suggestions ?

If you can't store it properly don't buy it, if you can then send me a pm and I'll tell you where to get it as that information isn't for general publication. You can also try The Wood Works Book & Tool Co. who sell from small amounts of 125gm up to 25kg bags of the powder but I'm not sure of their storage methods. Won't be hard to find out though because if you get some and it has a lot of gel in it after mixing then it wasn't well cared for.

We moved to a new factory recently and put in a 25ft Refrigerated shipping container to store our dewaxed white shellac which is very similar (in it's raw form) to the waxy white and needs the same conditions. Prior to this we would have it shipped overnight from the coolrooms in NSW and put it down to liquid the following day so it was never left to the elements to sit and deteriorate.

Probably wish you never asked, eh.

thanks Neil.

Do you think when the white shellac is dewaxed it leaves a noticeably clearer finish ?

Only ever used waxy white, and I liked the result. Haven't tried dewaxed yet. I can't imagine the result can get much better.

another question........

your dewaxed product. What sort of cut is it. Uno, want about 1 to 2 lb cut. Want to know if yours is more concentrated and if I need to dilute and ultimately work out how much I'm getting from the 500ml bottle.

Approx 3.2 lb cut in real gallons 2.6 lb cut in US gallons. Depends on how you intend to apply it as to whether it needs to be diluted and how much..

Originally Posted by ubeaut

Approx 3.2 lb cut in real gallons 2.6 lb cut in US gallons. Depends on how you intend to apply it as to whether it needs to be diluted and how much..

ta. sounds like if I'm after bout 1-2 lb cut I could get about 1litre out of a 500ml bottle. thanks