Paint / Shellac?

[c6craig]

Hi All,

For you painters out there...I had a problem with my POM when I tried to put uncut clear shellac over red acryllic paint. It made the paint run everywhere.

Can this be done? I have another project that I am starting that will have painted centerline text, then I just want to put a few coats of shellac over the whole thing. I like the look and thickness of the shellac, but can you use it over paint? :confused:

Maybe I have to use something over the paint first to seal it in, but I want to make sure I can put shellac over whatever that is...

Thanks,
Craig

[mtylerfl]

Hi All,

For you painters out there...I had a problem with my POM when I tried to put uncut clear shellac over red acryllic paint. It made the paint run everywhere.

Can this be done? I have another project that I am starting that will have painted centerline text, then I just want to put a few coats of shellac over the whole thing. I like the look and thickness of the shellac, but can you use it over paint? :confused:

Maybe I have to use something over the paint first to seal it in, but I want to make sure I can put shellac over whatever that is...

Thanks,
Craig

Hi Craig,

Shellac is a mixture of denatured alcohol, so it is likely that the alcohol is acting as a solvent when you apply it over acrylic paint (causing the paint to run).

When I use shellac on a project to be painted, it is an undercoat, then paint is applied. The final top clearcoat is usually something other than shellac (I typically use acrylic clear from a spray can).

However, I think if the paint has dried/cured for several days, you could apply shellac over it, but sprayed on as very light coats (from a can).

You might be able to very lightly and quickly apply the shellac with a brush, BUT if over-brushed, it could start to dissolve the paint, though. I would tend to avoid brushing shellac over acrylic paint as it could still be risky.

[want2b]

Have to agree , have found I can get away with light spray coats for covering acrylics where the sprayed product can quickly evaporate. Have found using the manufacturers recommendations of time between coats worth reading, like maybe they tested? Any rubbing by a brush or swab seems to open the acrylic and from there it becomes a mess. The one thing I force myself to remember is that with any finish , ' 3 light coats are better than 1 heavy one'. I just keep trying to get it done quickly and make a mess, patience is not one of my virtues..
Rick H

[c6craig]

Thanks for the answers guys.

So I guess my next questions are these...

Is there a paint other than acryllic that will work with shellac?

If I use an acryllic paint and then acryllic spray clear coat like the Krylon MT uses, can Shellac be put over that?

Thanks,
Craig

[Metalhead781]

I'm used to finishing things quickly. I usually used oil based paint. Reason being, once it had tacked up, shelac and other sealants wont make it run and it'll still cure.

Just my 50 cents... yes it went up from two cents cause of a fuel surcharge

MH

[c6craig]

Does anyone know if shellac will adhere to Krylon acryllic spray clear?

Looking to paint in centerline text, sand off slop, Krylon spray clear over lettering, sand off ovespray, then "hopefully" shellac entire project.

It all kind of hinges on the shellac adhering corectly to the Krylon spray clear though. I can spray the shellac if I have to, I have an Earlex Spray Station that I haven't tried yet.

Not sure if I am going to have the same problem of the shellac eating the clear coat as I did with the paint since they are both acryllic....looking for advice, figured this has to be pretty common problem with sign makers...

IF NOT, does anyone use any paticular brand of oil based paint that they recommend that I could shellac over?

Thanks,
Craig

[lawrence]

to be honest, I haven't found anything that shellac won't adhere to-- best way to be sure though is to do a test board. In case you haven't done this the method I've tried is to put your test base and shellac on a piece of the wood you will be using, let it dry, then use a x-acto knife or razor blade to create a half-dozen or so scores across a 4x4 inch area or so-- you then put a piece of masking tape over the area and pull it off very quickly- check the tape for residue from "pullout" and you'll have an idea if the finish adheres or not

hope this helps,
Lawrence

[c6craig]

Thanks Lawrence! I will give it a try. I was just figuring someone had tried it here before and Metalhead mentioned some oil based paints so I was looking to see what he was using too. When it comes to finishing I guess you can never have too many options :)

Craig