Re: [ATM] re: Working with thin mirrors

[Woodchuck <djv@bedford.net>]

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004, Ellen Mackenzie wrote:

> Thanks for the tip Woodchuck, I'll give Lee Valley a try, I thought shellac
> had gone the route of raw linseed oil and such because of its' solvent - -
> methyl hydrate - - need a court order to by it. I don't dilute the sealing
> wax, I just heat it up and let it flow on.

In the US, it's usually sold in solution with ethanol (denatured
with gasoline), rather than methanol.  Curiously enough, I can still
buy methanol over the counter as an antifreeze for gasoline in cars,
and I confess to using it as a solvent for French polishing with
shellac.  (This may not be true in California, where there are
strange laws relating to the sale of ounces of chemicals that are
produced by decaying vegetation by the ton.)  Shellac itself is
non-toxic, being used to coat M&M candies, pharmaceutical pills,
and a large variety of other things.

Raw linseed oil is still sold down here by the gallon, I think for
treating concrete floors and the wooden molds used in concrete work.

Another "stickum" is "dop wax", used in the lapidary craft.  MP around
150F.  I suspect this stuff of being shellac-based, but can't prove
it.

Dave

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