I’m in the middle of finishing a Grand farther clock that I made, and I need to remove all of the Shellac. There is a base of two coats of Minwax’s Antique oil. The clock is made from Mahogany.
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Replies
Denatured alcohol is the solvent for shellac. Use a lot of rags, good ventilation, (breathing alcohol fumes can get you inebriated - and will give you a BAD headache), and some elbow grease. Then sand or scrape everything if that doesn't do it.
Good luck, post some picts of your success.
Fred
What about a Scott bite pad? Can I get the Shellac wet enough to scrap off? With a card scraper or puddy knife? I am planing on putting on another coat of Antique oil on.
Edited 12/19/2008 1:52 pm ET by Wood1000
Shellac is usually pretty thin, unless you have many, many coats on. It should come off pretty cleanly when disolved with alcohol. (Unlike varnish each successive coat of shellac disolves when exposed to the alcohol in the next coat.)
If you are working with a porous wood, like white oak, you'll have trouble getting the shellac out of the pores. Then your only option is to sand, scrape or plane.
You can wet the scotch Brite pad with alcohol, or use sandpaper. Either will work. The alcohol is what disolves the shellac so flood ot on and proceed.
Try your chosen method on some scrap or a hidden location first. See what works. But applying enough alcohol is the key.
By the way, don't apply too much alcohol to the woodworker or nothing will get done...
Fred
What is fastest way to get Shellac off?
Is this boy shellac or girl shellac?
Look on the DA can for contents-much of today's "denatured alcohol" actually has other chemicals in it-ketones are in the two brands I have in the shop. If you are not using pure DA, you need to use gloves, respirator, fans. The MSDS sheets are available from the manufacturor, if you are concerned about safety.
I use white or beige shop rags (check for color fastness), saturated wet, turn frequently. Plastic putty knives in cracks. When these rags dry you will see how much shellac you took off.
edit: use brass bristle brushes or toothbrushes with lots of DA to scrub out pores, cracks
Pete
Edited 12/19/2008 4:51 pm ET by PCM
>> ketones are in the two brands I have in the shop.I'm not aware of anything called "pure denatured alcohol". Any number of chemicals are added to pure ethyl alcohol to make it impure and therfore, undrinkable. Ketones are one of those "denaturing agents". However, many other denaturing agents can, and are, used.Howie.........
It is VERY easy to remove with denatured alcohol. Should be a piece of cake. Please don't sand it off.
I use very fine steel wool dipped in the alcohol to pull the shellac off, changing the pad often until no more comes off. Then wipe well with a cloth or paper toweling until no more comes off.. Be sure to get into the corners to remove the "sludge" because it collects there, and looks AWFUL when you do the final finish. A dowel with a cloth on it is good to get into them.
Edited 12/19/2008 8:42 pm ET by Gretchen
In this case, I'd use denatured alcohol. It will go fast.
For situations other than fine furniture, ammonia kills shellac instantly and can be great for cleanup. Once again don't try this on furniture unless you want to roll the dice on disastrous color change or other side effects.
Pete
I'm curious as to why you want to completely remove it. Shellac will re-amalgamate pretty easily if all you need to do is correct wear from age or the like.
When the first coat of spray Shellac when wrong, and is took 3 coats for it to show up. I have no choice but to start all over again.
Edited 1/4/2009 3:44 pm ET by Wood1000
Now I'm confused. What is wrong about the first coat of shellac?Pete
Methylated spirits/denatured alcohol is the usual way and if you swab it on generously with a brush I find that a fast way to avoid a huge goo is to use handfuls of planer chippings to mop it up and rub it off. Then you just brush more meths on to those nooks and crannies to finish it off.
Why do you need to remove the shellac? I'm having a hard time visualizing a situation where shellac needs to be removed. It's almost the perfect finish for a mahogany Tall Clock I would think>
What if the sheallac was stale and only dries tacky and soft? Is there something to do besides remove it then?
That is the case to remove shellac--I presume you only have one coat of shellac on the clock and therefore removing it with DNA will be fairly straight foreward. Plenty of liquid, something like a fairly fine steel wool substitute to help it along.
I had three coats on the clock. Finally got it off, Tomorrow I am going to lightly sand with 220 sandpaper re tung oil. And when I get back to college I will re spray the clock with garnet shellac. My question is this what if I do not get all the shellac off. How badly will it look? Also have some black spots starting to show up on the piece. what to do.
What shellac you could have left would just melt into the new shellac and should be unnoticable. How exactly did you end up removing the shellac.
Why sanding? Tung oil?--you said you had used Minwax Antique Oil initially before the shellac. No tung oil there, or in most tung oil Finish products. And you don't want pure tung oil anyway. Oil finishes, meaning oil/varnish mixes such as the Antique Oil would be in the wood without having any film on the surface. If it was OK before, it is OK now. Sanding is more likely to make the porosity of the wood LESS even than more even.
But "black spots" is a very disconcerting thing. Describe these more specifically. How large, how "black", where located?
What happens when you wipe the surface with naphtha?
Edited 1/5/2009 1:38 am ET by SteveSchoene
Edited 1/5/2009 1:39 am ET by SteveSchoene
Small spots all over the surface. When I said tung oli I mean Minwax Antique Oil. I currently do not have naphtha on hand so I have not tired it.
Do the black spots relate to the location of pores? Do they have any texture? I'm just stumbling here because I haven't seen anything like what you are describing. You didn't use actual steel wool did you?
Yes the spots relate to the location of pores. No texture.
Have a party with all of your best drinking budies. Turn the clock on its side to use as a coffee table and pour lots of strong drinks. In the morning, it will be free of finish.
Sorry, couldn't help myself ;)
Verne
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