What do you mix shallac in?

[Raif Harik]

Hi, I'm getting frustrated mixing my dang shellac. I've use pickle jars and they seem to maintain the seal for one or two batches then they are worthless. Tried a couple of plastic bottles, but you can't really see in em to see if it's dissolved yet. I'm thinking of ordering some mason jars but a) there are two kinds, two part lids and one part lids and b) I don't want to order them and find they don't work either.
So here I am, asking what y'all use. I usually dont make a whole lot, just 4-8 oz
Thanks
Raif

 

[JeffSmith]

I used recycled jars from the kitchen and have found the same problem. I started keeping a roll of Saran Wrap (or whatever type that’s handy. It helps keep a seal on the jar when it doesn’t get used very often. I just cut a small square and put it under the lid when it goes on. Seems to work.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

I mix in a plastic Rockler kit jar and have hd the same one for maybe 20 years. As to storage after I use either 4 oz medicine bottles (occupational connections) or jars like a pickle jar or jelly jar with one piece top and built in plastic seal. If it gets gunked up , easy to replace from my collection. Yes I save a few extras. Never had good luck with the two piece lids. If a lid sticks I just poor on a little DNA while turning the jar upside down and let it sit a few minutes. I have some in the shop now and noticed this week it was mixed in 2023 and may be a little slow curing but still works.

 

[Richard Coers]

We eat enough pickles around here, that jars are no problems. Maybe you should switch to smaller jars of pickles to get a better supply. It seems wasteful to buy containers for mixing shellac.

 

[Jon Rista]

Hi, I'm getting frustrated mixing my dang shellac. I've use pickle jars and they seem to maintain the seal for one or two batches then they are worthless. Tried a couple of plastic bottles, but you can't really see in em to see if it's dissolved yet. I'm thinking of ordering some mason jars but a) there are two kinds, two part lids and one part lids and b) I don't want to order them and find they don't work either.
So here I am, asking what y'all use. I usually dont make a whole lot, just 4-8 oz
Thanks
Raif

I've had a lot of problems with shellac and various shellac-based finishes not lasting very long at all. Couple of months, tops. I used to mix a fair amount of O.B. Shine Juice at a time, but in the long run, I found it only worked really well the first few times I used it, then it simply wouldn't shine. Didn't matter what I did.

So I started making micro batches. Enough for one thing at a time, basically, and stored these in very tiny bottles:

Amazon.com

I still have a bunch of these left, but sadly this particular form is no longer sold on Amazon. Hoping I can find them elsewhere, as I prefer the yorker style bottles over the other styles that are available. In any case, I like these, as I can fill them to the brim, and put on the caps, which initially are non-punctured, meaning there is only a TINY big of oxygen in there. I've used these to store oils, including danish oil (a drying oil finish), and they have kept for a very long time doing that. Shellac can last for a while, but, the general idea with anything shellac based, is to just mix up what you need on demand, and never store it. If you DO have some left over, with these little bottles, its easy to squeeze out any excess air and seal them, and it will usually last longer that way, if necessary.

I generally try to avoid mixing much more than 2-3 of these at a time, which will usually work for a single project (unless its a rather large item, which is sometimes the case with platters, in which case I'll mix a 4oz or larger bottle as necessary with the knowledge I'm going to use it all right away.)