Replies

1. 
   oldusty | May 13, 2009 01:39am | #1

   Depending on the use the drawer will see , many a drawers have been left unfinished and are none the worse for wear and tear .

            But why not just use the same finish on the Maple , I would .

                 regards   dusty , boxmaker

2. 
   saschafer | May 13, 2009 01:53am | #2

   There's no need to finish it if you don't want to.

   If you do decide to finish the sides and/or other internal parts of the drawer, use shellac or wax. Oil-based finishes will cause the interior to smell like linseed oil for years.

   There is an article on this very topic in the latest Woodworking magazine (#14, Summer 2009).

   -Steve

    

3. 
   roc | May 13, 2009 03:16am | #3

   Krenov, in his book The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking p 53 and 54, recommends a thin cut of shellac that he and the guys from Sweden called "Polish". Helps keep the wood cleaner looking but does not show on the surface and doesn't change the color of the wood much.

   He says get can of ready mixed commercial shellac. Pour off about a third into a container. Add two parts by volume alcohol. Wait a day or so until separated into a clear solution with some residue. Poor off the clear. Add about one part alcohol. Should be very thin.

   He says to use bleached shellac for light wood. Orange for wood with tendency towards red.

   Uses soft cloth to apply always with the grain. The next I think is for surfaces other than drawers that you want to look natural but have some protection.

   Sand very lightly between coats, wipe away dust, four or five treatments.

   I like it for the drawer parts inside the cabinet.

   roc

   Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

1. 
   bones | May 13, 2009 05:26am | #4

   Thanks to all for the suggestions.  I have some scrap maple left, and I'm going to try somethings.  Its in a hutch (plans from FWW) and part of me says just finish the front, but I like the shellac Idea. 

   View ImageGovernment's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

   
1. 
   roc | May 13, 2009 06:54am | #6

   Here is a high quality supplier that has some clear, sharp, enlarge-able photos of shellac on maple and other wood.http://www.homesteadfinishingproducts.com/htdocs/shellac3.htmLooks to me like the very light colored stuff is available in dry. JK said he used to get almost colorless bleached in flakes and powder. You won't need to go through all the decanting of the sediment in any case. So much for ritual, mystique and magic elixirsSee also Tools For Working Wood at :http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=MS-GSHEL.XX&Category_Code=TFSTFWW site states:
   " The super blond ( flakes ) has been bleached and is the clearest of the shellacs."Bug spit ; great stuff.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

   Edited 5/12/2009 11:56 pm by roc

1. 
   polarsea1 | May 13, 2009 10:41am | #7

   I agree, shellac or nothing. If you use and oil based finish inside a cabinet or drawer you will be smelling it for many years to come. DAMHIKT.

2. 
   SteveSchoene | May 13, 2009 12:32pm | #8

   Probably the best non-technical source for information about the manufacturing processes involved in making shellac read "The Story of Shellac" which was first published by Zinsser in 1913 but has been revised a number of times.  http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/author/zinsser/shellac.html

   Super blonde shellac has been refined through charcoal filters to remove almost all of the dye, a process you might generically called bleached but which isn't an actual chemical bleaching process.  Super blonde is very light colored indeed.   

   But Clear shellac from Zinsser has been actually been chemically bleached.  First dissolved in an alkali solution, then it is bleached with a chlorine bleach.  Then it is precipitated from that solution.  But this form of solid shellac has a very short shelf life--too short to send through retail commerce.  It is almost immediately made into liquid shellac by mixing with alcohol.  The chemical processes leave it somewhat less water resistant and less durable than unbleached shellac.  As sold by Zinsser, the Clear shellac still contains its natural wax, whose content could be reduced for use by the decanting process mentioned by Krenov or by filtering.  I prefer super blonde. 

   Seal Coat is already dewaxed, and is a light colored shellac, though not as light as the superblonde varieties.  While Zinsser talks of it as a sanding sealer, it is just shellac--with no added ingredient to aid sanding, and works perfectly well as a final shellac finish.  I still prefer mixing shellac from flakes for assurance of freshness, though if you mix too much, the shelf life of the mixed yourself variety is much shorter than the canned variety (though I do treat the use by date with a certain degree of skepticism.)   

1. 
   roc | May 14, 2009 04:23am | #10

   >Super blonde vs Clear/bleached
   >Clear contains its natural wax vs Seal Coat is dewaxed but not as light as the superblondeFascinating thanks !I had an experience where the bottom of a Zinsser can started leaking ( allot ) and the contents reacted with the metal and turned black. We were just using it to seal the backs of tempered masonite after glueing on and gessoing canvas for oil painting surfaces. Recommended to help keep them from warping. Later when I got more into wood working I always just mix from flakes or buttons ect and put in jars so it can't "escape".rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

2. 
   SteveSchoene | May 14, 2009 08:00am | #11

   I have read other reports of Zinsser cans developing leaks, which was attributed to a run of cans with bad can lining material.  Shellac is acidic and can't be kept in metal cans, unless they are coated.  Keep that in mind when mixing up flakes, too. 

3. 
   bones | May 14, 2009 03:10pm | #12

   I use my wife's canning jars with lids and noticed that it ate that rubberish lining at the top.  Great stuff shellac.  I like the flakes so I can mix small amounts. I have a good scale and measure grams to grams ratio based on the small amount and lb cut I want.  So far its worked pretty good.  At least the results appear to be good.  I could be totally wrong because I've never bought a can of premixed. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

3. 
   bones | May 13, 2009 03:26pm | #9

   Thanks.  Jeffs place is where I get my shellac and bought my previous hvlp from.  I like the idea of shellac.  I prefer the flakes so I can mix just what I want. It is an easy forgiving finish for sure.  Looks like a super blonde would be a food fit.Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

2. 
   SteveSchoene | May 13, 2009 05:37am | #5

   What Krenov was doing by pouring off the cloudy "sediment" was creating dewaxed shellac.  You can now buy it that way--either as Seal Coat a moderately blonde shellac, or in flakes as Super Blonde, which is a bit lighter than Seal Coat I think. 

   You can use the Clear shellac--it does have wax that you can decant if you wish, though in such light cuts you won't see any difference.  Bleached shellac is less durable than the unbleached shellacs.  The bleached or "Clear" shellac (which used to be named White shellac) cannot be obtained as flakes.  In dry form it would last only a very short time, hours or days only.