# Name for clear shellac?



## JesseTutt (Aug 15, 2012)

I am looking for the correct name to use to refer to shellac that will *not* change the color of a piece of wood. I want the shellac finish but do not want to tint the wood. Some people call this Blond shellac, yet another distributor has "Super Blond" shellac. When I go to blahblah's web site what type of shellac should I order?


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I just picked up some "amber" shellac at HD for a project. At HD my only other choice was *"Clear."* Others will need to chime in on how this stuff works, as this is my first time use with shellac. Hope this helps.

click image for link


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## Arminius (Dec 27, 2007)

There really is no such thing, but it is a question of degree. Shellac is sold by what amounts to colour saturation, starting with Platina, then Super Blonde, Blonde, Neutral Blonde (the first with really visible colour), Amber, Ruby, Garnet. There are other rater varieties that fall outside that progression by having hints of yellow, purple, but you want come across those in any form but flakes from a specialist finishing supplier.

For your purposes, I would get Super Blonde if you can, but Blonde is probably going to work just fine for you. I am not aware of any premixed shellac products that are Platina, but the difference is so minor I would go with whatever is more convenient.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

The most clear shellac I've seen is the "Platina", sometimes called platinum. Here's some I put on a piece of maple to demonstrate it's tone. I photographed yjis in the sunlight to get a more true color, and the pic is unretouched. The area on the right side of the mark has the shellac.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Fred,You wouldn't happen to have an example of "amber" shellac on Maple to show would you?


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

Fred-
That looks pretty good. Even blonde shellac imparts a color. That sample looks essentially clear.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Remember that pre-mixed shellac and shellac flakes that you mix will create differences.
The big varieties are only available in flake form AFAIK.
Bill


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Mike, I don't have such an example, and I don't have any amber (if you refer to the Zinnser product) to do one. I do have some super blonde flakes, otherwise it's garnet, orange and Zinsser clear., the stuff in your earlier post. (I should mention that right now my slice of the country doesn't have any sunshine either…maybe later in the week.)

Pinto, this stuff is the most clear finish I've seen, maybe other than NC lacquer (which can yellow over time) and some waterbornes. I really like it, if I need a truly clear finish in the future, this will be my go-to.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

"Super blonde" is the least-ambering grade I am familiar with.

If you want the wood to just look like wood, go with wax
only. Of course most wood darken with exposure to
light so if you really want to preserve the color of freshly
planed stock, you need to keep the piece out of the 
light or bet on some finish with UV inhibitors.


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