# No more shellac at Rockler



## Purrmaster (Sep 1, 2012)

I stopped in at Rockler today. I picked up one of their 2 oz bags of shellac flakes (I want to try the "garnet" ones). And one of the employees showed me a memo they had gotten that Rockler stores were no longer going to sell shellac. Other than Zinsser in a can. The memo said that Rockler was having a really hard time getting shellac and that it was disappearing from the market.

Just thought I'd share the news. I hope this doesn't mean there's some kind of shellac shortage and that shellac will become hard to find and more expensive.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

I doubt shellac is disappearing from the market. Maybe rockler's market, but not in general.

A good source for shellac.


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## Arminius (Dec 27, 2007)

The past two years have seen very poor lac harvests, especially this past one. Should bounce back.


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## DaleM (Feb 18, 2009)

Yep, it's the lac harvests from what I understand too. I was picking up paint at the local lumber/hardware store here a couple weeks ago and the guy there said prices would probably be close to double within the year because of the shortage. He keeps himself fairly educated on all things having to do with painting and finishing from what I can tell, so I will assume he knows what he's talking about.


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## drake8595 (Jul 24, 2015)

There is no Shellac Shortage. The problem is that they can no longer get away with selling a 1/2 LB for $45.00. The best quality shellac with the best prices is at http://wellermart.com/ Check it out.


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## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

"Other than Zinsser in a can"

For myself and other newbies here, it would be great to hear more about how buying shellac as flakes, and different "qualities" of flakey shellac changes your finish on your project. Is it mostly about color? Or about "depth", or sheen or something else?

Awhile back I asked for suggestions on finishing maple to keep it really light in color and still bring out the grain. Several people suggested shellac. I was pleased with the results using "Zinsser in a can". Wondering what I can look forward to…

...once the lac fields of Tasmania recover from the recent drought.


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## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

My curiosity got the best of me. Looked it up on wikipedia…

"Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand."

huh, who knew?


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

> There is no Shellac Shortage. The problem is that they can no longer get away with selling a 1/2 LB for $45.00. The best quality shellac with the best prices is at http://wellermart.com/ Check it out.
> 
> - drake8595


Wow! I had never heard of them…a pound of Super Blonde for $6! Thanks….cheap shipping as well.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

For myself and other newbies here, it would be great to hear more about how buying shellac as flakes, and different "qualities" of flakey shellac changes your finish on your project. Is it mostly about color? Or about "depth", or sheen or something else?

The problem w/ shellac in the can is that Zinsser Seal Coat is the only shellac product that is de-waxed. The other Zinsser shellac products are not de-waxed. I believe Seal Coat is a one pound cut, so if you want shellac in another concentration and you want de-waxed shellac, you are going to have to mix it yourself. Also many more colors are available in flake form. Using de-waxed shellac is essential if you using it as an undercoat in conjunction w/ other finishes.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Seal Coat is actually a 2# cut. The other versions of Zinsser shellac are 3# cuts.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

> My curiosity got the best of me. Looked it up on wikipedia…
> 
> "Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand."
> 
> ...


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't know how fast that market/condition/supplies change but here's and tricycle form last year.

http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/custom-woodworking/wood-finishing/Shellac-is-Back-as-Wood-Finish-251295541.html


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

A brief but ery interesting video on making shellac


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

> There is no Shellac Shortage. The problem is that they can no longer get away with selling a 1/2 LB for $45.00. The best quality shellac with the best prices is at http://wellermart.com/ Check it out.
> 
> - drake8595
> 
> ...


When I look at that web site, I see $26, not $6 per pound. Just sayin'


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## Bigkahunaranch (Apr 9, 2014)

My source is Shellac Shack, no problem getting any from them.
Cheaper then Rockler anyway.

http://www.shellacshack.com/purchase-shellac-flakes.html

http://www.rockler.com/liberon-blonde-dewaxed-shellac-flakes-250g

Dave


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I think pre-mixed shellac is easier to use anyways. Kind of like boiling your own hide glue… you could, but why?


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## jtm (Dec 2, 2013)

This thread is almost 3 years old


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## JeffP (Aug 4, 2014)

I feel used and dirty now. It appears that "drake8595" dredged this up to get people to go to his mini-store to buy his flakes. I fell for it hook line and zinsser.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

> There is no Shellac Shortage. The problem is that they can no longer get away with selling a 1/2 LB for $45.00. The best quality shellac with the best prices is at http://wellermart.com/ Check it out.
> 
> - drake8595
> 
> ...


Well, not to quibble but here's an image of my order at $6# (ordered yesterday). They may have raised the price right after I ordered it.:
PS: Like JeffP, I also feel dirty and used and reviwing the history of this thread.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> This thread is almost 3 years old
> 
> - jtm


Not anymore.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

I suspect drake8595 is a shill for that web store he mentioned.

He has only posted on this thread and one other, each post saying the same thing.

-Paul


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## DBordello (Jan 16, 2015)

> For myself and other newbies here, it would be great to hear more about how buying shellac as flakes, and different "qualities" of flakey shellac changes your finish on your project. Is it mostly about color? Or about "depth", or sheen or something else?
> 
> The problem w/ shellac in the can is that Zinsser Seal Coat is the only shellac product that is de-waxed. The other Zinsser shellac products are not de-waxed. I believe Seal Coat is a one pound cut, so if you want shellac in another concentration and you want de-waxed shellac, you are going to have to mix it yourself. Also many more colors are available in flake form. Using de-waxed shellac is essential if you using it as an undercoat in conjunction w/ other finishes.
> 
> - bondogaposis


I realize this is an old thread, likely with a shill. But this is interesting.

I just put Zinsser Amber Shellac on BB ply wood. I put on 2 coats, then put on 3 coats of spray poly. Unwise?

It is an outfeed table, so not a big deal. Just curious if there were better ways to go about this.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Maybe, or not. There is a likelihood that you might have a problem with adhesion. Then again, things may go OK. The dewaxed part is only an issue with urethane finishes, urethanes inhibit adhesion (that's why you scuff sand between coats with polyurethane varnish). Put something that has problem s with adhesion like urethanes on top of something with wax in it, and you are gambling. For the record, waxy shellac can also (at times) be a problem with some waterborne finishes….but not nearly as bad as the urethanes. So a good rule of thumb is to always use dewaxed shellac under urethane and waterborne top coats.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I'm not trying to prolong this already outdated thread, but some of you questioned the dake8595 intentions. I can only say the 2# of shellac I ordered from that link came yesterday…her super blonde is the $6 bag, though I think the website had an error and they just honored the price….then quickly changed it to $27. Interesting, this stuff isn't actually flakes like most of it I've bought in the past; but seems to be ground up. In any case, I'm happy.


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