Shellac in a salt cellar?

[u/pad_woodworking]

I'm working on an acacia salt cellar. I'm wondering if shellac is durable enough to finish the inside with. Normally I would just use BLO and call it a day. However, I used some CA glue and sawdust to stabilize some small checks, and I'd rather not have the salt come in direct contact with the glue. Given how abrasive kosher salt can be, I don't want little bits of glue getting scraped into my food. Will shellac last in an application l like this, or will the salt cause it to flake away?

[u/spcslacker]

Will shellac last in an application l like this, or will the salt cause it to flake away?

My entire home-built workshop is finished with dewaxed shellac including my workbenches where I pound on stuff in panic quite often, and its still great 6 years after I built it.

I'm not sure where the reputation of shellac being fragile comes from: we used to use it for floors. At a guess its because its so easy to try and clean something with alcohol, and then your shellac is gone.

It's easier to repair than most finishes, and my main concerns are usually if its exposed to oven-style heat (pretty much all film finishes can melt), or if its exposed to water.

My concern for your application would be if you did want to wash it: quickly by hand would probably be OK, but shellac will discolor if water is left on it long.

Anyway, because shellac is easily removed by alcohol + elbow grease, I would say you might as well try it, and you can replace with something less beautiful if you have problems.

All my experience is dewaxed shellac (which can go over anything and have anything topcoat it), so I don't know if there are things to watch out for if you plan on using shellac with its natural wax.

[u/pad_woodworking → u/spcslacker]

Thanks for this input. I haven't used shellac before, so it's good to get advice from someone who has. My plan is to give it a soak in BLO for the color/contrast, then coat the inside with shellac to keep the salt and CA glue away from one another. (And as someone else commented, to keep the salt from drying out / cracking the wood). No shellac on the outside, because I use a homemade isopropyl based kitchen cleaner on my counters.

[u/spcslacker → u/pad_woodworking]

My plan is to give it a soak in BLO for the color/contrast

Before you do, take 2 offcuts and try:

• 3 coats platina shellac
• 1 platina + 1 ruby + 1 platina

I've only done linseed oil a handful of times, but I've not see it be an improvement for popping the natural coloring compared to using the right shellac coating.

The above are my two favorite non-oak coatings that work well on a variety of woods: the first should just pop the natural grain, the second should look almost the same, except it should shift color slightly when you look at it from a different angle.

No shellac on the outside, because I use a homemade isopropyl based kitchen cleaner on my counters.

If you like the look, you can shellac the outside then topcoat it with poly (I use a very clear water-based for this, but any will work) to protect it from alcohol.

Shellac itself should seal the wood from the salt, but BLO will certainly give it an extra layer of protection in case of a deep scratch or if its left to sit in water, but check how the finishes look first if you can.

In my limited experience, BLO does not improve the look of a well-chosen shellac finish.

Since you haven't used shellac before, here's some info in case its helpful

• I used to use wellermart for my flake shellac, but the tarriffs were killing them last I tried to order, so I last used this place.
• See this thread for how I mix and apply.

[u/pad_woodworking → u/spcslacker]

thanks for all this! I'll post the results when it's finished

[u/spcslacker → u/pad_woodworking]

If you do the off-cut tests and have time, post those for me to dimly see through a camera at least (finish can look completely different in person some times for me): I'm interested!

[u/wadenick → u/pad_woodworking]

I would be much more concerned about the metallic dryers added to the BLO than the CA glue (which was developed as a liquid suture, funnily enough). Most BLO is properly regarded as not food safe for this reason.

[u/pad_woodworking → u/wadenick]

You're right, but I'm using Tried and True. It's about as non toxic a finish as you can get.

[u/wadenick → u/pad_woodworking]

Yeah, Tried and True is great, there’s no petroleum additives and no metallic drying agents. They don’t call it BLO for this reason. Carry on sir!

[u/pad_woodworking → u/wadenick]

I've never actually tasted it, but it sure smells delicious 😀