Shellac development

Roy G

Roy
Senior User
Ran into a situation the other day that really surprised me. I was in my barn/shop and noticed a stain on the floor under the shelf where I keep my stains and such. I looked at the bottom shelf and saw the source of the floor stain inasmuch as the can of shellac was glued to the shelf. After I pried the can off the shelf I inspected it and found indications of it leaking out of the vertical seam about 1" above the bottom of the can. We haven't had any really cold weather this year and does shellac freeze, anyway? I use the shellac to finish off the inside of drawers and cabinets so it is probably a couple of years old. But now I need to get a new can and figure how to store it.

Roy G
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Roy I had quart can of shellac do that to me a couple years ago. The can was defective or the alcohol was more than the can could take. Mine was a temperature controlled space. Reckon that how it goes sometimes.
 

llucas

luke
Senior User
Yep, I have 2 cans of Zinsser SealCoat do that in the past 2 years...made quite a mess. It was stored in a temp. controlled environment. I do believe there was another thread that addressed this same problem not long ago.
 

Pop Golden

New User
Pop
Roy, Since I have gone to 2 basic finishes I store those in a new (last year) product Woodcraft carries. Note: don't know if Klingspore has these. I really like this gadget it seals tight, non-drip pores, & allows you to mix (from bottom) without opening the can. It's a little expensive, but it should last several years.
162528.2.jpg


Pop :cool:
 

llucas

luke
Senior User
I just called Zinsser customer service, thinking this may be a problem reported to them...they denied knowing anything about it.
The rep told me to send a copy of the receipt, a picture of the can and lot # and pic of the mess. Of course I had none of these.

Roy if your can was a Zinsser product you may want to call them at (877) 385-8155 and let them know...maybe you can get a replacement if you have some documentation...in any case maybe another report will stimulate a review of packaging on their part.
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Had that happen with West Epoxy last year.
 

llucas

luke
Senior User
Maybe this problem is something any woodworker with any experience would be aware of...maybe. If that is the case, I will use this as yet another educational event. But just to close the loop with Zinsser, I sent them the following "report" for their evaluation and comment.

Have had 2 cans of Zinsser SealCoat in past 2 years leak out the bottom of the can. Nearly the entire contents leaked out on cabinet shelving.
I called today and spoke to a rep who said this has not previously been reported to Zinsser.
I have reason to doubt the veracity of that statement.
This problem has come up before on a discussion forum I use.
In addition a very cursory on-line search reveals MULTIPLE reports of this issue. Here is one example that points to the chronic nature of this problem and the apparent lack of attention Zinsser has given to the problem.
Has anyone else had this happen? [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community
I would have appreciated a more honest and complete response to my complaint earlier today. I do not have files of project.
What say ye?


Waiting for the gears to turn.
 

McRabbet

Rob
Corporate Member
Pre-mixed shellac is certainly convenient, but like almost any finish, it will deteriorate in 12-15 months. A better option is to mix DNA with dry shellac flakes in glass Mason jars (I recommend www.shellac.net) in the strength, quantity and color you need for a project and discard small leftovers.
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
I've had that problem w/ several cans of Zinsser over the years. Now when I buy shellac by the gallon I immediately transfer it into quart jars for storage. No more problems.
 

Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
What Bill Said ....... If I am going to keep Shellac or some other types of coatings in storage for a protracted amount of time, I always transfer them to a different vessel . I have been using the Thermo-plastic type. These are the plastics that do not break, like the plastic gas cans are made from.
The issue with the metal cans is the seams rarely get a complete coating, not sure if this is caused because the crimping process or solder process leave raw metal (what I suspect) or if they stretch the metal too thin.

Either way, the solvents in the material react over time and the can fails. We have a lot of problems with the Bygol coating, they are really corrosive to the cans and only last maybe 6 months,
 

Roy G

Roy
Senior User
Looks like misery loves company. It was interesting that all the other cans on the shelf had the shellac totally under the cans, but the shellac can only had the shellac around the circumference. The next time I will definitely put the shellac in a glass or other suitable non-rusting container. Thanks for the responses.

Roy G
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
Pre-mixed shellac is certainly convenient, but like almost any finish, it will deteriorate in 12-15 months. A better option is to mix DNA with dry shellac flakes in glass Mason jars (I recommend www.shellac.net) in the strength, quantity and color you need for a project and discard small leftovers.
A little something I have switched to doing over the past couple of years, I like it.
 

ScottM

Scott
Staff member
Corporate Member
Another victim of a leaking shellac can in the temperature controlled shop. It was on a metal grid wire type shelf and no real damage to items below. Just messy and time consuming to clean up. To be fair the can was at least 4-5 years old and 3/4 empty. Like many things in the shop shellac does have a "shelf life" especially after open. No pun intended. Some times it costs less to throw out "stuff" then to keep it until it is used up.
 

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