Silvan wrote:
How big is a standard mason jar? A quart? Are these things available year
round from places like Wally World, or only during canning season?

I've got a bag of weird orange fluffy stuff that I want to turn into wood
finish one of these days. I already asked what to do with the unused
portion, and it was suggested that I divvy it up into baggies. What I was
thinking instead, though, was why not divvy it up into jars? Just buy a
box of jars, then add alcohol as the occasion arises.

I have a bunch of jars already, but they're odd sizes from this and that
that the previous homeowner washed out and stored. I can use those if
needs be, but I was thinking just buying a new box might be easier and more
certain. Plus I get a handy dandy box to store them in.

Approximately how much shellac flake/powder do I have to add to a jar to get
what cut? I guess a quart is 1/4 gallon, so a 1-pound cut would be 4 oz.
of flakes? Am I missing something?

Should I start with a big cut and subdivide it? The only shellac I've used
so far was the Bullseye stuff, which was a 3# or 4# cut out of the can. I
mixed it about 50/50 for my working batch, and then used the brush cleaner
jar as a thin wash coat later on, once it got some shellac dissolved in it.

I haven't even built a project yet, and I'm way off from finishing, but I'm
kind of eager to play with this. I might mix up a little bitty batch just
to waste some. I want to see how the real stuff compares to the canned. I
hope I'll be pleased.


Seriously, first, why would you need a Mason jar? All sorts of stuff
comes in jars that are thrown away so why not use that type of jar?

Second, the stuff goes bad rather quickly and dissolving it, so why
not mix the amount you need instead of a pint, a quart, a half gallon,
etc. A variety of jar sizes allows you to select a size close to
your estimate of the amount you need for a project. Before you use
the jars, measure how much liquid they hold and mark it on them.
BTW, lots of jars can use standard canning lids.