Shellac for warangka

[Anthony G.]

Hi all, newbie when comes to this part.

I would like to apply thin layer of shellac to my old and modern made warangka to preserve and protect the wood.

And I would like to hear your view and advices please. Thank you.

1) Any recommended brand
2) Can i use shellac over painted warangka?
3) If shellac is not recommended, how about tung oil?

[A. G. Maisey]

Anthony, the finish on Javanese wrongkos is traditionally a light french polish. Not a piano finish, Javanese people prefer to be able to read the grain of the wood, so the polish they use is a very light one, that is repolished when it begins to wear.

French polishing is a skill that requires time to learn.

Balinese wrongkos frequently have a burnished finish, which does not use any coating at all.

My approach for the new ones would be to leave the wrongkos as you have received them from the maker.

For the older wrongkos I would use a good quality furniture oil, and when thoroughly dry, I would follow that with good quality wax furniture polish.

If you have any wrongkos that are in a truly poor condition, you might consider a complete re-polish, running through several grades of garnet paper, then steel wool, raise the grain of the wood by steaming and remove the whiskering with 0000 steel wool. Then use Scandinavian oil applied with a cotton wool filled rubber, rub back between coats, probably about 6 coats should be sufficient.

Shellac applied with a brush would be a very poor finish.

Tung oil is not an option.

We do not paint over sunggingan work with any other finish. If the work required sealing, the man who did the sunggingan work would have done it.

[milandro]

I have two sarongs which appear to have been treated with some shellac although was not brought to a true “ piano finish” to begin with.

One had some signs of water having been splashed on it, I got some denatured alcohol and have been just rubbing it.

The remaining shellac on the surface got , I think, slightly soluble again and covered the superficial water spots and are now no longer visible. I am happy the way it looks,

I have to say that although I probably understand the desire of having a shiny surface bringing it to a piano polish would probably not be practical

[Anthony G.]

Thanks all for sharing.

I started to think now that my violin probably is also cover with shellac. At least the bow was as what I was told.

Didn't realized things associated with finishing and chemical has so much studies in it.

Anyway, I dislike shiny stuff and usually prefer matt kind of finish. I will follow Alan advice then.

[Sajen]

This both wrongkos are restored and polished with shellac.

[milandro]

very nice @Sajen , how did you proceed with the applying of the shellac?

Did you sandpapper or use fine steelwool beforehand and then after applying every layer?

Something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1OCibJNAcg



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGTZt_6T9vw

[A. G. Maisey]

Just to clarify.

"Shellac" is made from the excretion of the lac bug.

In the trade terms as they apply in Australia, if you apply a shellac finish to timber you are using this resin dissolved in methylated spirits and applied with a brush. This finish is applied to internal timber fittings and cheap furniture --- or at least it used to be, there are now cheaper & better synthetic finishes that can be used.

"French Polish" is also made from the excretion of the lac bug, it is also dissolved in metho, the difference is that french polish is applied with a rubber made from fine cotton and filled with cotton wool.

"French Polish" is a technique, it is not a material. There are two major schools of French Polish technique:- French and British, the major difference is in the way abrasives are used during application.

The polish is applied in an over lapping "figure of eight" pattern. The complete process requires a number of steps and takes time and hands on tuition to learn. French polish is --- or maybe "was" is more accurate --- used on fine cabinet work and musical instruments. Basically, you apply many very thin coats of the polish over a period of time.

A good quality wrongko in Solo would have perhaps 5 or 6 coats of polish.

A good quality french polish taken to "piano finish" would use a minimum of thirty coats of polish.

French Polish is the absolute best way in which to bring a fine wood grain to the peak of display.

It used to be a distinct trade with a minimum three year apprenticeship.

The "cloudy" areas that can appear in a french polish finish when it is damaged by moisture can be removed with heat, but again, this is a specific technique that needs to be taught.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by milandro

very nice @Sajen , how did you proceed with the applying of the shellac?

Did you sandpapper or use fine steelwool beforehand and then after applying every layer?

Something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1OCibJNAcg



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGTZt_6T9vw

It's not done by myself, it was a restorer I've known to this time. Both wrongkos have been in a very bad condition and the second one was broken. The first one was also matched to the wilah. But the second video shows it better how it is to handle.

Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

A few more he restored for me, all are finished with shellac.

[Rick]

Milandro, I have used the method shown in the second video with some success, although I was looking for a finish that was not as bright as Sajens restorer has gotten. I was looking for a more subdued shine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGTZt_6T9vw

I used clear shellac thinned down with grain alcohol to about the consistency of water. Leftover Grain alcohol is saved for making Glogg or extracts.
There is really no grain to be highlighted on this scabbard, and I can't remember how many applications I did; it was probably 10 at least.

[A. G. Maisey]

I had a look at that youtube clip Rick.

You see the way the demonstrator is applying the shellac? He's working with the grain the whole way.

OK, he's got some sort of finish, but in applying any polish to wood and applying by working with the grain is something that you just don't do.

By using the figure of eight application method you're getting a deposit of the polish material into the grain. Typically you'd start in the top left hand corner and work in that figure of eight pattern either across or down.

I was taught to use the polish by taking it from an open container --- like a saucer --- and just dipping the rubber into it, you can continue working without stopping if the polish is right there just to use, instead of stopping, applying to the rubber from a bottle, then starting again.

Also using balled up cloth as the stuff inside the rubber is really not a professional way to work.

There are probably a million ways to apply shellac, I was taught one way starting when I was about 8 or 9 years old, and I've known a few professional polishers since then. The blokes who get paid to do the job all seem to use the way I was taught, but with minor variations.

[Rick]

Not really recommending that approach, Alan.
I just threw it out there as my experience that I had w/the stuff without doing any research.

[A. G. Maisey]

OK Rick, understood.

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by Sajen

A few more he restored for me, all are finished with shellac.

I feel too shiny

[milandro]

Hello @Rick, very nice job (altough I would have gone for a somewhat less shiny look myself)! Of course there are many roads leading to Rome or anywhere else. There are traditional ways and methods as there are unconventional ones. In the end, I think, the proof of any pudding is in the eating.

There are so many people out there doing so many things right and wrong with everything.

I recently bought a Bugis Kris. I always clean things and I noticed that some tan colored stuff came off. I believe it was shoepolish!

The majority of pieces available on the market (at least to me) have been around and sometimes it is difficult to tell what was done to them.

As for the methods, unless you are the conservator of a museum, which is different thing, I believe that one can honor the kris by giving the kris the level of care that you deem is appropriate.

[David]

Originally Posted by Anthony G.

I feel too shiny

Detlef, i am afraid i agree with both Rick and Anthony on this, at least in regards to the Javanese wrongko that you had refinished. Could just be the light you photographed them in, but these seem a bit to glossy.
I have rarely had occasion to do this type of finishing on keris wrongko. The one time i did do this type of work was when i was fitting a new, unfinished wrongko to an old keris blade. I was not particularly happy with the stain i used on the wood (which i believe may have been sandalwood), but i am happy with the finish. The stain i chose may have had a bit too much red in the colour for my tastes. For the final finish though i used Birchwood Casey Tru Oil, which is considered a gun stock finish. I applied multiple layers of the finish, bringing is down each time with 0000 steel wool each time, until i had built up about 5 or 6 layers. This was many years ago. Not sure if i would do it differently today.

[David]

Originally Posted by milandro

Hello @Rick, very nice job (altogh I would have gone for a somewhat less shiny look myself)! Of course there are many roads leading to Rome or anywhere else. There are traditional ways and methods as there are unconventional ones. In the end, I think, the proof of any pudding is in the eating.

There are so many people out there doing so many things right and wrong with everything.

I recently bought a Bugis Kris. I always clean things and I noticed that some tan colored stuff came off. I believe it was shoepolish!

The majority of pieces available on the market (at least to me) have been around and sometimes it is difficult to tell what was done to them.

As for the methods, unless you are the conservator of a museum, which is different thing, I believe that one can honor the kris by giving the kris the level of care that you deem is appropriate.

Yes, there are many different methods. But while the proof of any pudding might be in the eating, it is also important to take into account who will be doing the eating.
We all have different approaches to our collections, but as a collector who originates from well outside the cultures of these beautiful objects i collect my best approach is that if i do change anything on a keris i have acquired i want to do so within the parameters of how these changes/renovations would be approached within the culture of origin. Keep in mind that this probably won't be exactly the same for a Javanese keris as it might be for a Bugis keris from Sulawesi, Peninsula keris, etc.
Most importantly though is my belief that i should not be changing the look of a keris blade or dress just to suit what might be my own Western aesthetic. From my perspective it is my place to preserve the culture of the artifacts i collect, not make them my own. So i try to be careful not to apply my personal tastes too heavily to the keris in my collection. Which isn't to say i don't collect keris that are to a certain extent already to my taste zones. I just don't feel it is my place to "improve" upon them beyond maintenance and conservation.
Of course we can not always be sure where a keris has been or who from what culture has done what to a keris ensemble before it has come under our custodianship. Was the "shoe polish" on you sheath applied by a Bugis owner of some later collector from outside that culture? Hard to say for sure, but i would probably have removed it as you also may have done. We have to operate on our best intuition sometimes to decide what should or should not be done, or perhaps "corrected" in any of the keris we collect along the way. I usually try my best never to do anything that isn't reversible.