panofish Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 I love shellac... it's fast and beautiful as a finish. The best shellac formula was made by zinnser... bullseye french polish. Unfortunately, they no longer sell it, because one of it's key chemical components made it a bit pricey. ISOPARAFFIN "To make this premixed formula, Zinsser used dewaxed super-blond shellac flakes and added isoparaffin, a highly volatile oil, as the lubricant. The paraffin oil evaporates within an hour or two, negating the need for the clarifying step crucial to a traditional French polish." My question for all you woodworkers with a degree in chemistry (yes, Mr. Spagnuolo).... Where can I get isoparaffin so I can make my own shellac mix. The bullseye french polish REALLY was super nice and super easy and I miss it! panofish.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksuty Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 "Isoparaffin" is kind of a blanket term that gets thrown around sometimes. It's really not the same as what you'd think of in terms of "paraffin", such as paraffin wax or paraffin oil (mineral oil). Just poking around, it looks like (according to the Zinsser French Polish MSDS) what they refer to as "isoparaffin" a type of naphtha. The CAS# 64742-48-9 referenced matches up with what is known as heavy, or hydrotreated naphtha. I found one supplier that makes the heavy naphtha and sells it as an odorless paint thinner: Crown Odorless Paint Thinner Although the Zinsser French Polish MSDS lists ingredients, it doesn't list proportions. If you were to try to duplicate their formula, I would suggest starting with very little, then working your way up. Shellac can be a huge mess if you start dumping anything into it that isn't alcohol! Hopefully this helps. Good luck and always follow the 1st rule of chemistry...BE CAREFUL! P.S. Here is the Zinsser MSDS: Zinsser French Polish MSDS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim DaddyO Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 You don't need anything but shellac flakes and alcohol. I use Methyl Hydrate because the alcohol is hard to find in Canada and it is cheap. Once I get it mixed to a 1# cut, I use about 5 - 10 drops on my rubber with 1 drop of olive oil as a lubricant. No oil when spiriting off at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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