Shellack

[Bartek]

Did some one of you use it by finishing the stock ? I want to finish my one with so called "ruby shellack". I will finish presently the stock for my next matchlock musket, made from Acer pseudoplatanus L. (Excuse me please, i dont know Englich name).
So i know shellack was popular by european gunmakers as stain as well as sealer. But every one of original muskets, i seen in collections have destroyed surface.
Have some one any experience with shellack ?

 

[MSW]

Bartek- i'm not yet well educated enough to recognise the latin name of the wood, but i suspect that the finished you see on antique weapons (assuming that the finish is original) has simply darkened with time, as the older shellacks did because of the impurities in their respective formulae. if you live to be 250 years old, and your rifle is looking a bit scruffy, i doubt anyone will give you too much trouble if you freshen the finish a bit. (if you don't live that long, you'll have much more important things to worry about).

as regards ruby shellack, i've never heard of it in riflebuilding, but i've heard of it in woodworking- you may want to check out any one of a number of cabinetmakers' sites on the web. i think you'll find ruby shellack is a particular type of 'cut,' which means that you mix flakes into a clear solution and thus obtain the desired color. cut is usually measured in weight (so many kg of flakes per l of solvent, or however it's measured in Europe- here in the states it's pounds per gallon).

shellack was a preferred finish in colonial rifles. if you have access to a copy of The Gunsmith of Grenvillle County by Peter Alexander, he goes on at some length about this issue. there are, of course, a myriad of other finishes.

hope this helps some.

the ruby shellack sounds like it would make a very attractive rifle... let us know how it turns out!

 

Hi Bartek, I believe you are talking about Sycamore Maple. I don't know of anyone using this for gunstocks in the states. Do you find it to be a dense and hard wood?

 

[George Holton]

You are right on the name bigleaf or sycamore maple,Probably like Acer Negund or box elder.Bob

 

[reddogge]

Shellac is used on lots of miltitary stock, SKS's, refurbished Mosin-Nagants, etc. It does not give the stock much protection from water and the elements as do other finishes like tung oil. It has a tendency to flake after time. The good news is you can apply new layer upon ole layers and the new layer will melt into the old layer so spot repairs are quick and easy.

It comes from bugs.[url] http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/topic/16581[/url]

Here's an interesting link on it.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I used a MinWax Provincial stain and Bullseye shellac to refinish one of my Mosin-Nagants as I was told the originals had that style finish. Mine was Early Cosmoline finish and La Brea Tar Pits stain when I received it. I hit it with kerosene and three times with chemical hardwood floor stripper to find the wood (something like beech, I belive). Came out beautifully in the end (I believe I used seven coats with #600 sandings in between).

 

[J.D.]

I can't speak for how well that species of wood will work for a rifle stock, however, it is my understanding that a seal coat of shelac was used under a finsih coat of an oil varnish.

Chambers oil varnish might be a good choice, or you might find a varnish used violin manufacture or repair that will work well as a final finish, on top of the shelac.

The ruby shelac will probably impart a red undertone to the completed finish. I suspect that it will look pretty good.
J.d.

 

[ricklandes]

The type of maple you are referring to is a softer wood than the curly type many flinters, et.al. are made from. You might not want to use shellac as a finish as it is not very durable, in comparison to others available, (even thou it was once used on the AK-47's built by Russia)the environments that a hunting arm will encounter.

I feel it looks great,(e.g. French Polish finish...) but weather exposure and sunlight break the finish down. It is a good wood sealer, under other finishes, but often unneccessary with more modern finishes.

 

[Old40Rod]

Maybe Stophel can chime in... IIRC, he has used/has good knowledge of these finishes.

 

[Bartek]

Thank You very much for all of your valuable tips ! :thumbsup:
So i have prepared shellac yesterday evening (there is 9:15 AM in Poland now) and i used it on the stock. It looks very nice :thumbsup: I’m very satisfied. I have only to polish (polish by Polish :rotf: ) the surface of the stock and finally will add the final coat of varnish. I think the dammar varnish (used by painters to finish oil pictures) will be suitable. Unfortunately shellac is not waterproof to much.

Hi Don :hatsoff: , yes - sycamore maple was because of some reason, and still is, one of most preferred woods (following walnut and cherry) by gun making in eastern and central Europe. I have really no idea why exactly sycamore maple”¦ I noted, that it was easy to work even for me, who is not experienced by gun building. I have never worked earlier with walnut or American maple, so i can't really make any compareing. In "The Gunsmith of Grenvillle County" (thanks again !) Mr. Alexander describes shellac as a good stain and a good sealer too. So I realized for XVII c. matchlock musket the marriage of sycamore maple and shellac can be a good choice. And it really is

reddogge ”“ thank you very much for the link, that was, what I needed :thumbsup:

 

I hope you will post some pix when you get the gun done. I would like to see it. :thumbsup: