Gum sandarac

[SteveS]

Does anyone use gum sandarac in their shellac finish?

 

Some say to add a small quantity to the shellac, others say to do the final polish coat with dissolved gum sandarac.

 

Instead of using gum sandarac, how about using shellac that hasn't been dewaxed?

Edited June 29, 2023 by SteveS

[Seán Ó Fearghail]

9 hours ago, SteveS said:

Does anyone use gum sandarac in their shellac finish?

 

Some say to add a small quantity to the shellac, others say to do the final polish coat with dissolved gum sandarac.

 

Instead of using gum sandarac, how about using shellac that hasn't been dewaxed?

Yes Sandarac goes nicely in spirit varnishes but it makes the varnish a little softer. They often add it to fiddle varnish. It depends on the end result you want. 

[SteveS]

2 hours ago, Seán Ó Fearghail said:

Yes Sandarac goes nicely in spirit varnishes but it makes the varnish a little softer. They often add it to fiddle varnish. It depends on the end result you want. 

I'd read that gum sandarac will make the shellac a little harder - add too much and it becomes brittle.

 

Right now I'm not using any additive in my polish - the combination of shellac (and natural wax) and 99.9 degree ethyl alcohol seems to be producing a good finish.

[Seán Ó Fearghail]

27 minutes ago, SteveS said:

I'd read that gum sandarac will make the shellac a little harder - add too much and it becomes brittle.

 

Right now I'm not using any additive in my polish - the combination of shellac (and natural wax) and 99.9 degree ethyl alcohol seems to be producing a good finish.

Yes I’ve seen people say both things. Maybe it’s worth a test on some scrap wood to see. 
I stick with plain shellac when it comes to concertinas as well. 

[mChavez]

Late reply, but I've tried sandarac in the past and saw absolutely no benefit from it whatsoever, so I wouldn't bother.

[It does smell very nice though!]

 

Just use plain shellac and work on your technique instead of additives to get the best results.

[Lars]

I do a lot of French polishing (East Indian instruments) and have tried a number of additives. In India they use a resin called 'Chandras' which is fossilized resin from a certain tree, I forget the name. But similar to sandarac, etc. and they also will mix it without shellac in an alcohol base as a final polish. And it's a shine that's unbelievable however it dulls over time and is even worse in heat than shellac. But enough to "get it out the door"....Some will add it to shellac as well, I've also tried this but it's just messier and doesn't dry well. If you want to try a resin finish or a shellac mix with resin then the key is to do it heavy with one or two passes. Otherwise it becomes a mess.

From scratch I'll used button lac with wax and a lot of time, then I'll finish off with a blonde dewaxed shellac. But in the end it's mostly about technique and time. I have found also that using a bit of linseed oil or mineral oil helps a lot but takes more time to finish.