Growing numbers of woodworkers have discovered the benefits of shellac. It seals in almost anything and, when dewaxed, is compatible with almost any subsequent finish. But shellac must be fresh, or it won’t dry properly. So a lot of finishers make their own, dissolving shellac flakes in denatured alcohol. One drawback: You must remember to dissolve the flakes a day or two before you use them.

A new company called Shellacfinishes claims to have solved the dissolve-time issue. It imports shellac flakes directly from India and says that its flakes are fresher than those offered elsewhere. Fresher flakes, they say, dissolve faster, and the finish dries faster.

In an informal test, we compared the dissolve time for garnet shellac flakes from  Shellacfinishes with the J.E. Moser brand sold by Woodworker’s Supply and Jeff Jewitt’s Homestead Finishing brand. We began at midday, and despite swirling each jar about once an hour, none of the samples had completely dissolved by 10 p.m., although the Homestead and the Shellacfinishes samples were close. Both dried hard equally fast when a drop was put on some glass, another sign of freshness.

Shellacfinishes sells five types of dewaxed shellac, plus a four-type sampler pack. Prices range from $12 to $21 per pound, lower than most other online sources (www.shellacfinishes.biz).

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