Zinzzer Amber Shellac

[WoodworkerTom]

I am remodelling my basement and around the pool table I am planning on African Mahogany wainscoting. I have 1/4 A grade plywood and the lumber.

I was thinking of just using 2 to 3 coats of Amber shellac to give a little color but keep in mostly natural. I have an Apollo HVLP set up to apply.

Anyone ever spray the Zinnser Amber with good results? It appears to contain wax. I was not planning on any other top coat.

It's cold in Chicago but I have a garage heater that I would turn off when spraying. Does it do ok with cold if I open garage door to ventilate for a few minutes after spraying?

[Rob Young]

I've sprayed the Zinser Amber several times. Works very will if you tune up the gun settings and N/N set.

Lowest temp I've sprayed (more or less) is maybe 55F.  Highest was probably over 90F. More trouble at higher temps. I used turpentine as a retarder for the higher temps. No change for lower but it may take a bit longer to dry sufficiently for de-nibbing. Don't have my notes here but it is likely I diluted it just a bit to come down from the 3# cut in the can to something more like 2#. More light coats works better for me than one or two heavy coats.

[bhh]

I regularly spray SealCoat (Zinsser's wax-free shellac).   I don't want to contaminate my HVLP gun, so I use one of the cheap Harbor Freight sprayers off a compressor.  I think I would recommend this instead of the waxed Bullseye.   If you ever decide to top coat with something else, you could have problemes with the Bullseye.

From Bullseye product data sheet:

Application Conditions Warmer temperatures will accelerate and colder temperatures will prolong the dry time of this product. Do not apply when RH is greater than 85% or when temperature is within 10º of the dew point. Bulls Eye Shellac is not recommended for use in areas where surface heat exceeds 160ºF (71ºC). (Note – If in doubt, always test apply shellac on scrap wood before using).

From Seal Coat product data sheet:
APPLICATION Apply only when air, material, and surface temperatures are between 50-90ºF (10-32ºC) and the relative humidity is below 85%.

[Bill Wilson]

I spray shellac fairly often.  I've sprayed outside when the temp was about 32.  Took a little longer to dry, but otherwise no problems.  Humidity is the real concern.  Conditions need to be dry.

Be sure to check the color on a piece of scrap.  Amber shellac, straight out of the can, may be darker than you intended.  If you just want a subtle amber tint, then go with the clear shellac.

[Cooler]

I pre-painted my wainscotting and only needed to fill the nail holes after installation.  I pre-cut to height the pieces of plywood.  There were a few trim cuts and a small amount of touch up but much easier than painting in place.

[WoodworkerTom]

I think I am going to go with the clear seal coat. The Amber was to orange after 3 coats on my sample.

It's going to cold next weekend when I spray but garage will be toasty.

I will post pics when it's all done.

[Bill Wilson]

I think I am going to go with the clear seal coat.  The Amber was to orange after 3 coats on my sample.

It's going to cold next weekend when I spray but garage will be toasty.

I will post pics when it's all done.

I've mixed the Amber and the Clear together a few times, to get an in-between tone.

[WoodworkerTom]

Here one panel of 8 total. I really like the color and the fact that I didn't have to stain them too. Had to get creative on where to let all the sheets dry in a two car garage space.
Next up, cross cut to 4 ft and begin surfacing and milling all of the hardwood lumber.

[jteneyck]

Here one panel of 8 total.  I really like the color and the fact that I didn't have to stain them too.  Had to get creative on where to let all the sheets dry in a two car garage space.
Next up, cross cut to 4 ft and begin surfacing and milling all of the hardwood lumber.

Looks good.  The nice thing about Sealcoat is that it's wax free so if you ever decide to topcoat it with something else you can; in fact, anything.  Also, keep in mind that you can add Transtint dyes to Sealcoat, and any shellac or WB product for that matter.  I often do that to get the color I'm after, and you can get any and I mean any color you want except white.

John