# Shellac question (Earlex Sprayer)



## berry (Oct 17, 2005)

I recently purchased a new Earlex 5500 turbine spray unit. The person I got it from never used it, I think it's 3 years old. Anyway I have this commission, it's to be finished with latex paint. I thought it would be good to seal the wood with shellac. 

Should I use flakes and make a batch and brush it on. Or make a batch and spray it on. Or purchase a can of Zinsser for spraying. The Sherwin-Williams store tried wanted me to purchase a can of the Zinsser. 

What do you folks think? Any tips for spraying shellac? Any tips on using the sprayer.

Thanks for reading.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Berry; can't help you with the shellac part, but I think you'll be happier with an opaque primer that's intended for the purpose. You'll end up with a better finish; the less coats of 'latex' the better.


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## Moz (Nov 13, 2015)

Dan, why is latex paint bad? Beekeeping forums swear by the stuff if you don't Tung oil, as the best thing to do for hives to minimize rot and extend their lives. Exterior only, it is not considered 'bad' for bees, as it is water based.

But I have seen a few times, where you think it not a good idea.
Why?

~M


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I didn't say it was bad, Moz, what I was getting at is that it doesn't do well when it's applied too thickly.
The more opaque the primer is, the thinner the finish can be.
This whole topic of "latex" is a minefield. True latex is rubber; I doubt that many so called latex paints are based on natural rubber any more(?).
A good quality 'latex' paint is normally Acrylic Latex meaning that a certain percentage of the volume is Acrylic resin...waterproof and hard as nails when cured.
In fact one could simply apply liquid acrylic to the wood and get the best result in the waterproofing dept.
The better the quality of Acrylic Latex paint, the higher the %age of Acrylic resin in it.
True Latex paint does not do well where there's a lot of moisture...it's _not _waterproof. *It also supports fungal growth!*


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

The zinser works really well, dries fast, and also makes a good barrier between otherwise incompatible finishes if I remember correctly.


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## Moz (Nov 13, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> I didn't say it was bad, Moz, what I was getting at is that it doesn't do well when it's applied too thickly.
> The more opaque the primer is, the thinner the finish can be.
> This whole topic of "latex" is a minefield. True latex is rubber; I doubt that many so called latex paints are based on natural rubber any more(?).
> A good quality 'latex' paint is normally Acrylic Latex meaning that a certain percentage of the volume is Acrylic resin...waterproof and hard as nails when cured.
> ...


I forget, not everywhere is 3% average annual humidity like Colorado...When Ozer's mom died, he brought back her Toyota from Washington state, and there was moss growing out of the side trim near the trunk...That dried up and was gone within 2 days here... The beautiful vid of one one the members flying around recently should have reminded me.
Fungal growth is only found in shower stall corners and refrigerator drawers...lol!

For hives, the main benefit of latex (exterior) paint is UV protection. Straight acrylic does not offer that. For the acrylic polymer protection, acrylic epoxy coating (think the thick bar finish) is recommended, but it yellows horribly, and is only good for a maximum of 4-5 years because of temperature fractures.

And 'they' (whoever 'they' are, always says Ozer) recommend 3-4 coats of latex paint...

That is why I'm going Tung oil and Johnson's. It lasts between 4-6 years, but is far easier to refinish than paint scraping.

~M


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you meant the interior, with it's high humidity. 
FOR THE EXTERIOR, another option might be a waterbourne Urethane based finish.
Product Catalog


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## gjackson52 (Jul 4, 2015)

if bee hives have any parts that need to slide or disconnect, latex paint has a condition called "blocking". What that is, latex painted parts will tend to stick to themselves. Supposedly "high end" latex will not do this, but I know the stuff from the big box stores is awful for sticking.


Gary


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## Moz (Nov 13, 2015)

gjackson52 said:


> if bee hives have any parts that need to slide or disconnect, latex paint has a condition called "blocking". What that is, latex painted parts will tend to stick to themselves. Supposedly "high end" latex will not do this, but I know the stuff from the big box stores is awful for sticking.
> Gary


Talcum powder.
Our first hives were Top Bar Hives, and being as clueless as I am about power tools, I nicely painted the kits inside and out with Behr top quality interior/exterior latex, thinking it durable, quality, yadda yadda yadda. Including the inside and outside of the lid. The lid, of course, stuck to the hive. 
Baby powder did the trick. After a season, the paint had dried/cured/aged enough that there is no longer any stick.

Spar varnish, or urethane is one of the prettier finishes, but only has a hive life of about 2-3 years, and unlike paint, needs to be sanded before recoating. I'm too lazy to sand just to repaint...Just like I hate scraping because of the mess.

Generally, I like 2-3 coats of thick paint, with 3-4 days drying/curing time. But the hives can't be so callously abused. Not if I want them to last more than a few years. 
A well maintained hive box can last up to 20 years, if properly prepared...Hence 3-4 coats Tung oil, and then 4-6 layers of Johnsons. Curing time alone is going to be about 44 days.

~M


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

@Moz

I like the way you are so enthusiastic about you bees. I like the little critters myself. We sure need them around and I plant lots of natural flowering material for them. I had a thought that latex paints had chloroform in them--not good for bees, but I think that is now forbidden. You said at one time you weren't going to harvest the honey, but I think that is necessary for bees continued use of the hive. Is that correct, and if so, will you be harvesting it?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Wifey is in the middle of this...
http://www.amazon.ca/Bee-Time-Mark-L-Winston/dp/0674368398

She keeps reading me passages from it; good stuff!


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