Shellac shelf life

[John Landis]

Zinsser used to put the date of manufacter on the bottom of the can, so you could figure it was good for three years from that date. They don't do that any more, just a code. Is it still good for 3 years, and is there a way to decipher the code?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The gallon can I just bought had a date of 12/2009 on it. The previous can I bought had a date "code" on it.

It's my understanding the most recent trend is for the date. Have you tried contacting Zinzzer's about it?

[Mitchell Andrus]

I don't think 3 years is a solid time period. Humidity and temperature have their effects. When in doubt.... throw it out - or at least test.

I mix small batches when I need shellac, don't trust the stuff past about a year anymore.
.

[glenn bradley]

My last 3 quarts (at different times) had dates but, none of them were dated in 2010. I'm sure an email or call to Zinsser will fix you up. I just dropped them a line as I want to be prepared if I run into this.

[Joe Chritz]

Test it. If it dries reasonably fast it is fine.

I am not aware of any way to decipher the codes without some help from the manufacturer.

Joe

[Steve LaFara]

What about shelac that you make up with flakes and alcohol? I've got some garnet shelac that has been sitting for about a two years in a jar. Should it be OK?

[Prashun Patel]

Steve-
You have to test it. It really depends how it's been stored. However, any answer you get here is going to be a guess at best. You won't know for sure until after a few coats.

[Steve LaFara]

Steve-
You have to test it. It really depends how it's been stored. However, any answer you get here is going to be a guess at best. You won't know for sure until after a few coats.


What do you look for? I used some of it last night and it appears to be good and dry today.

[Prashun Patel]

What do you look for? I used some of it last night and it appears to be good and dry today.

That's what yr looking for: if it's bad, it won't dry hard. It'll be tacky or soft hours after applying. If you sand it with 400-600grit sandpaper, it should leave the surface white and powdery.

[glenn bradley]

Regarding the date code:

Thank you for your recent e-mail.
We apologize for the delay in this response but your e-mail was not properly routed by our system.

The batch code on the shellac should always be a 6- or 7 digit number, beginning with a letter. For example: S01231D

The first number after the letter will be the last digit in the year of manufacture
The second number will correspond to the month
The third and fourth numbers will relate to the actual day of the month.

In this case a batch code reading S01231D will have been made in the year 2010, in the month of January, on the 23rd day.

The Bullseye Shellac will have a shelf life of three years.

Sincerely,

[Tom Giacomo]

Could the code then also be read 2010,12th month, 31 day?