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When I bought shellac, they had two types: a blonde one, dewaxed, expensive.  I've got good results with this one.  When prepared it is was clear.

I also bought a cheaper, darker type, supposed to be more natural.   I recently dissolved  a batch in alcohol because the other one ran out, and this one looks like muddy brown water.   Is this normal ?   I kind of needed to apply a seal coat to the guitar I just finished this morning.

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Todd, thanks.

It is already 4 days old now, and there is a lot of undissolved stuff floating in there.   I'll try to filter it, and will probably try to find time and go buy the nicer dewaxed stuff. 

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Just bought some more of it.  I get it from a shop that sells supplies for painters and restorers. They also have hide glue but they don't know the gram strength. I'll have to test it one of these days.  I also asked them about fish glue and they showed me ....pellets, looked a lot like shellac. Strange. Current problem is that I couldnt find grain alcohol and I only have a little left. 

As for woodcraft down the street....around here is a real challenge to find any decent woodworking tool. Most of my stuff (and i dont have much at all) is very old, the kind my grandfather would have used. Cheapest is to order from the US, because online prices in Europe are much much higher, and add VAT to that.

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Can the stuff be poured off the settled wax into another bottle and stored for a limited time? (a few project and the rest for sealing)

I've french polished before- but a friend gave me a large bottle of shellac, when before I had been using Liberon premixed Special pale...

Use a funnel and a cofee filter or just some cheese cloth and pour it through that. You'll probably end up with useable shellac that way.

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