Don Williams writes:
Last weekend was my nearly annual "Shellac Secrets" workshop
at Olde Mill Cabinet Shop in York PA
(see www.oldemill.com for the training schedule).
I know Groopsters have attended in the past
(BruceH and JeffJ and a couple others for sure),
but don't think any of this year's dozen were members.
I could be wrong.
I've been doing it pretty much every year for the
past fourteen years, and it gets more fun each time.
Bess Nayor has been very generous in allowing me
to come so many times to teach.
I usually try to have a new "Stoopid Shellac Trick"
each year to add to the arsenal.
It's a real "hands on" and demonstration class,
... it's a pretty full evening and day.
One of the real highlights was the unexpected attendance
of the Mantrose-Bradshaw-Zinsser Technical Projects Manager,
who was intrigued by his face-to-face encounter with the end users
of his products, without the filter of sales reps.
Despite his having no finishing experience of any kind,
we talked him through it all and he had a couple of
beautiful pieces as he walked out the door Saturday afternoon.
He had graciously prepared an excellent technical brochure
to hand out to everyone.
He promised to send me lots of samples and stuff,
and to work with me as I formulate research topics
in my new role as the guy formerly in charge at SCMRE.
(I also hope to connect up with RussR and BruceH in the same context).
He also invited me to come and visit
both their facilities and technical libraries,
which I intend to do after the first of the year.
Anyhow, here are some of the day's activities,
as photographed by my friend and SCMRE colleague,
Research Fellow Angel (Archie) Santiago,
who attended as my guest.
Don Libro
PS:
I will be teaching a Boullework marquetry course in York in late October.
The Golden Rules of Finishing
Showing what a good brushed and burnished shellac finish looks like.
Mixing up our solutions of shellac, seedlac, buttonlac, sticklac...
I get pretty excited about shellac!
The stock varnish solutions.
One of the keys to good shellac finishing
is morking the brush very, very fast.
Everyone had at least one raised panel door
and in-the-round carving to finish completely.
This guy restores antique radios,
and discovered that shellac was the answer
to his problems of matching old surfaces.
Three Amigos from Harrisburg.
They were terrific finishers, and were preparing
for some big projects at the State Capitol.
This turner was ecstatic over the results of his day's labors.
Another shellac convert.
Photos do not do justice to the finished half
of this architectural carving in very coarse oak.
Archie's maple frame-and-panel door simply glowed by about 3 o'clock.