Larry Meyer
Wooden Canoes are in the Blood
I have a canoe with a shellac bottom and lately issues have cropped up that I think are due to having used Zinzer’s amber shellac that was not fresh enough. I understand that canned shellac has a shelf life of six months and I read that Zinzers has found a way “to extend the shelf life to 3 years, “ but I doubt that claim.
Every can of Zinser’s amber shellac I have been able to put my hand on has been devoid of a sell-by date. Hence using the can has been crap shoot.
So obviously the way to go is shellac flakes and mix my own.
A couple of questions then. When I look online for shellac I find so many types, I baulk. Is the “amber” in amber shellac just a color specification? Should I get waxed or dewaxed flakes? Where exactly do you get your shellac flakes from?
Every can of Zinser’s amber shellac I have been able to put my hand on has been devoid of a sell-by date. Hence using the can has been crap shoot.
So obviously the way to go is shellac flakes and mix my own.
A couple of questions then. When I look online for shellac I find so many types, I baulk. Is the “amber” in amber shellac just a color specification? Should I get waxed or dewaxed flakes? Where exactly do you get your shellac flakes from?