Zinsser Sealcoat is $93.00 per gallon.

[Packard]

Zinsser Sealcoat is almost $93.00 per gallon at both Lowes and Home Depot.  My old gallon can has a sticker on it at $38.00.

And BIN, also a Zinsser shellac product is $72.00 for a gallon.

When did these get so expensive (and why)?

 

[woodferret]

Shellac shortage is ongoing.  Be glad you can get it as it disappeared off the shelves 2-3 yrs ago.  Started back in 2017? with consistent 'crop failure' in India and we were already running on fumes, then COVID got a lot of people buying home reno/woodworking stuff.  So shellac is cyclical in nature.  But ethanol is now also under pressure as supply is being redirected into fuel usage to cut gasoline (which limits were raised a 2? years ago).

Ya..... shellac.

 

[Packard]

Sealcoat is my go-to non-toxic finish for toys. 

I will have to see what else is available.

 

[Steve1]

Target Coatings had a waterborne shellac. 
Interesting.  I was ready to buy a quart and test it, but it seamed to have mostly disappeared.

I e-mailed them and they confirmed it has been discontinued.  Said shellac has been hard to source and become very expensive.

I replied "yeah, I know, that's why I was looking for an alternative source"

 

[Packard]

I apply the Sealcoat as a wipe-on finish.  I get a nice even coat and no drips and no cleanup. 

I will try a waterborne poly, probably Polycrylic as they say in their site that it is non-toxic.  And of course, water cleanup is almost as convenient as no cleanup. 

I will have to make some tests.

 

[woodferret]

Target Coatings had a waterborne shellac. 
Interesting.  I was ready to buy a quart and test it, but it seamed to have mostly disappeared.

I e-mailed them and they confirmed it has been discontinued.  Said shellac has been hard to source and become very expensive.

I replied "yeah, I know, that's why I was looking for an alternative source"

Last can of that EM shellac I got was purple.  It went on amber color, but definitely more on the orange/garnet side of thing then the blonde it used to be.  I can understand not wanting to deal with subpar flakes in the mfg process.

[member=74278]Packard[/member] have you considered just mixing your own?  It's about $30/lb for blonde/superblonde.  Still expensive for what it is, esp with denat being 50% more, but at least it doesn't go bad.  I assume you don't go through a whole gallon in one go.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Saicos Premium Hardwax Oil is rated as saliva resistant according to DIN 53160 T.1+2 and is recommended for children's toys by the manufacturer:https://saicosna.com/interior/saicos-premium-hardwax-oil-pure.html#product-details-tab-description

I regularly use their Premium UV oil on my doors and windows and have been very happy with the results.

Or, as Woodferret suggests, why not just mix your own shellac? Denatured alcohol is poison, but there's nothing stopping you from using Everclear or isopropyl alcohol.

Please note that if you use waterborne polyurethane you're essentially smearing plastic on the toys. While it may be "non-toxic", I wonder if you run the risk of exposing children to micro-plastics if they chew on the toys?

 

[smorgasbord]

I've been using 100% Pure Tung Oil for toys for decades now. Easy to apply, completely non-toxic, not a surface finish so nothing to chip off. Only caveat is that it takes several days to completely dry.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

I still buy shellac flakes and dissolve them in methylated spirits (wood alcohol). Guess I'm just old.

 

[Peter Kelly]

Zinsser Sealcoat is almost $93.00 per gallon at both Lowes and Home Depot.  My old gallon can has a sticker on it at $38.00.

And BIN, also a Zinsser shellac product is $72.00 for a gallon.

When did these get so expensive (and why)?

Because Lowe’s and Home Depot. Mixing your own shellac from flakes and 90% ethanol is much less expensive and a better product in every way.

 

[woodferret]

I still buy shellac flakes and dissolve them in methylated spirits (wood alcohol). Guess I'm just old.

Nah, just picky.  I still thin my BIN with methyl alcohol.  I tried isopropyl once in a pinch and it just didn't flash off the same.  Figured if I'm already half-dying (and have gloves on), I little bit extra methyl in the air isn't going to change much.

 

[Packard]

Best place to find shellac flakes?  How to measure flakes to alcohol ratio?  And I would prefer dewaxed shellac.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Best place to find shellac flakes?  How to measure flakes to alcohol ratio?  And I would prefer dewaxed shellac.

Book store shelves groan under the weight of books that have been written about finishing techniques and how to mix shellac. Bob Flexner's book is a good place to start. Ultimately, it boils down to which flakes you select, the alcohol you're using to dissolve the flakes, and what "weight" of cut you're making (1 lb cut, 2 lb cut, etc....).

Shellac flakes are generally available from the usual suspects (Woodcraft, Rockler, Lee Valley, etc....).

 

[Peter Kelly]

BT&C Tiger Flakes from Tools from Working Wood are good. 190 proof Everclear or Graves grain alcohol are both widely available in NY State.

I’ve also bought from this guy as well:http://www.shellacfinishes.com/product/dewaxed-shellac-flakes/

 

[PaulMarcel]

I was curious if the price of M&Ms went up as well. According to CBS, it went up just 14% in 2021-2022 (much less than other candies). A recent interview with the CEO of Mars said inflation and supply-chain issues were the cause for last year's Halloween candy price increases. Given this shellac problem, that's straight-up supply chain for them.

 

[Cheese]

I was curious if the price of M&Ms went up as well. According to CBS, it went up just 14% in 2021-2022 (much less than other candies). A recent interview with the CEO of Mars said inflation and supply-chain issues were the cause for last year's Halloween candy price increases. Given this shellac problem, that's straight-up supply chain for them.

Surprisingly, M&Ms are coated with a mixture of sugar & corn syrup rather than shellac.  [smile]  That was a surprise to me...

 

[PaulMarcel]

Surprisingly, M&Ms are coated with a mixture of sugar & corn syrup rather than shellac.  [smile]  That was a surprise to me...

Well, and for me, too... wonder if that changed as I always remember M&Ms being the quintessential example of "candy coating" (shellac)

 

[Packard]

And drugs (pills) with enteric coatings have shellac on them.

And confectioners’ glaze is shellac, though I read there is a vegan confectioners glaze and that cannot be shellac.

 

[Packard]

Just checked 1-gallon pricing on Sealcoat shellac.

Home Depot $90.03 + free shipping
Lowes (not showing Sealcoat gallon, Bullseye clear) $66.00 + free shipping
Amazon (Sealcoat)  $82.48 + free shipping (Prime).
Walmart (Sealcoat) $70.23 + free shipping

Lowes is cheapest, but not dewaxed.  Walmart wins for me.

Note:  It pays to shop.