Anybody know where to find aerosol amber/blond shellac? Or brush on?

[soundpost]

Want to try the shellac approach to lightly tinting a neck and body; I've only been able to find the Zinnser clear, which goes on clear and apparently stays that way. Anybody know if there's an amber or "blond" shellac in aerosol by another maker? If not, can I get away with a brush on application and still get similar results? Thanks

[kec!]

You can use a Preval spray unit to shoot the shellac. They're available at Home Depot.

[Colt W. Knight]

If you can't find an aerosol zinnsers amber, youll have to order some shellac flakes, dissolve them in alcohol and spray them through your own setup like a gravity gun or a prevail unit.

Brushing on amber is tough, there is a trick to it.

[tonewoods]

Mix your own--making sure you use the purest (Everclear!) alcohol you can find--and French polish your neck and body...

It's easy, fun, and the results hang right in there with any finish out there...

[chrisgblues]

I tried to brush on some Zinnzer amber shellac with bad results. The headstock turned out perfect, the back of the neck okay but there were some streaks I couldn't get rid of. The fretboard however, turned out bad. The shellac gummed up around the frets and then kind of 'crept back' toward the middle of the fret about 1/8". So I ended up with these really dark patches on either side of the frets. I tried to blend it out with alcohol, but I must be doing something wrong because I can't seem to fix it.

I like the color of amber shellac (only about 2 coats, after that it becomes too orange) and I find the finish is quite durable. So I think amber shellac is a good choice but I would definately buy the spray bomb next time and apply a series of very thin coats to avoid any overspray and get a nice even coverage. The stuff dries in like 30 seconds...no lie.

Tonewoods mentioned the french polish method, and while I'm sure it gives stunning results, in my case the learning curve was not worth it. I tried on scrap and just couldn't master it...hence my little disaster that followed.

Good luck. By the way, I got the Zinnser amber shellac at Home Depot...they also had the spray bombs in stock in amber or clear.

[soundpost]

Thanks for the replies.

I have off and on results with my local box stores. Sometimes I find what folks in other areas have, no problem; other times not so much. I'll try Home Depot again; maybe it's something they will order in, if it's not in stock this time around.

If I can't find the aerosol amber shellac, I'll go with nitro lacquer overall, with some light fender amber. Didn't want to do a wipe on shellac finish, just a bit of layered tinting under a couple of coats of polyU.

[Colt W. Knight]

There is a trick to brushing on shellac. You have to wet the brush bristle, not dripping wet, just enough for a single stroke. Lay the brush down, pull the brush in one stroke. Lift the brush and move to the next section. You don't want to paint it on like latex paint or polyurethane. Shellca will burn through itself and pool up extremely easy, which gives less than satisfactory result.

Our local homedepot and lowes are no longer carrying amber spray shellac.

[Mike Simpson]

Zinser is inferior to fresh mixed flakes and alcohol... as noted above mix your own flakes and spray with a preval sprayer. I prefer to spray shellac over brushing or wiping to get an even coat.

[Colt W. Knight]

Originally Posted by Big Mike Simpson

Zinser is inferior to fresh mixed flakes and alcohol... as noted above mix your own flakes and spray with a preval sprayer. I prefer to spray shellac over brushing or wiping to get an even coat.

I concur. But you can drive to Lowes or HomeDepot to get it.

I spray all my shellac, It simply takes to long to french polish or brush it on properly.

[jimmynumber9]

As I'm new to finishes I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for. Thought I'd throw it in just in-case though.

PS - If I'm wrong please describe to me what is the difference.

[hockeygoon]

Zinsser doesn't make an amber in a spray can. I don't know of anyone else who makes commercially available pre-mixed shellac. The amber in the can is a 3lb cut, so you will have to thin it however you apply it

I use flakes with denatured alcohol. I don't have a sprayer, so I pad it on. Must admit I have never gotten a great result with a brush, maybe it is the brushes I've tried.

[edit] Never seen that Preval system before, that looks like a good option. Might have to swing by and try that out.