On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 02:41:04 GMT, "stoutman" .@. wrote:
The areas where it is clearly not suitable are applications where it
is exposed to extreme heat (above 150F), caustic chemicals -
particularly alkaline solutions (like say in a janitor's utility
closet), or harsh solvents like nail polish remover.
You forgot about the most abundant solvent on the planet, water. Not very
resistant to water. And my favorite solvent, ethanol.
Dewaxed shellac is more resistant to water than nitro lacquer. Your
favorite solvent is prolly applied to the surface in concentrations
that will not bother the shellacky. you should lay offa that ethanol,
BTW.
Do you still think shellac is the best solvent for a table top? Lets think
about how table tops are treated. Beverage spillage, water rings, heat
damage due to coffee/tea mugs with no coaster. There are other finishes
(varnish) that are more resistant to these conditions. Why not use them on
a table top which will be better able to stand up to these conditions?
Mostly because they are ugly as ****.
If you go back to the original post, Brian was concerned about protecting
the table from spillage from beverages. Do you think shellac is the finish
of choice for this job? The table he was finishing is going in a family
room which tend to be "high use" tables. Still wanna tell him shellac is
the best finish for this job?
Ever tried to tune up a damaged poly finish? Does the concept of
witnes lines have any resonance with you?
There is a fantasy in wood finishing that the toughest most durable
finish is the best solution, but the reality is that there is a
trade-off. All finishes can and will be scratched. Period.
They also have the same "fantasy" about finishes in the automobile industry.
Funny. All finishes can be scratched, true. But the key is, to what
extend and how easily? Which finish is most resistant to scratches? Is it
shellac? The OP was concerned about spillage and that it "needed to be
resistant to water". Still say shellac?
See Supra.
the overall pleasing result of various shellacs on architectural woodwork,
and its
ease (and therefore low cost/impact) of repair.
I thought this thread was about end tables.
I thought this thread was about the proper finish for end tables.
Paragraphs are reworded, whole sections excised, photographs deleted.
For the majority of writers, it's a gut-wrenching experience. For the
real scoop, the best solution is to go directly to the source.
Flexner specifically says that shellac IS NOT THE BEST FINISH FOR TABLE
TOPS. Do you think that was an editing error? Unless the editor through
that sentence in on his own accord, which I doubt.
Flexner also says that he is talking about the shellac that is most
readily available to people in Borgs. Dewaxed shellac (available from
places where wooddorkers buy stuff) has a totally different profile of
water and vapor resistance than the usuallly found shellac that
contains high wax content.
For the real scoop, the best solution is to go directly to the source.
And read carefully.
You know Bob and have correspondence with him?
Yeah, he did. Don't that just skortch yer jeans?
Let's just say that Bob has had a lot more to say about shellac and other
finishes than what we've read in his book.
Ok lets assume that. What if he had more bad things to say about it?
Oh, Lordy - this is why the debate club has closed auditions.
Well, American know-how and can-do'edness being what it is, a few companies
set out to make a faster/better/cheaper shellac replacement, not out of
concern for a better finish, but out of a desire to create/control an
industry by replacing a commodity with a chemically-synthesized product, and
then promoting the hell out of it.
How is it you know this? Is this a fact, a myth, your opinion? I thought
their goal was to make a better finish (improved marketability, eh?). It's
easier to push a better product over an inferior one, no?
Control of resources is a business standard and switching from a
volatile market of agriculturally based resources to that of a
predictable synthetic nature is logically - good practice.
Bring your A game next time, Stoutman.
Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker (ret)
Real Email is: tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet
Website:
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1