[ Jim McFarland writes in 060218 MMDigest:

> Hundreds of very good reasons to not use Phenoseal are to be found
> at the web site you recommend.  The MSDS sheets are rather scary.

Roger Wiegand writes:

> I wonder if you could expand on this comment?
> Liquid shellac carries a "may cause death" warning

To all who wrote:  The MSDS sheets on liquid shellac are not applicable
to the shop made product.  Those commercial products are full of nasty,
nasty stuff, especially the homestead finishing product you mentioned.
Even Bullseye (considered by many to be simple shellac, but it ain't)
has noxious additives.

I should have considered that many of you would purchase shellac this
way (I didn't mean to be inconsiderate).  We buy dry shellac flakes and
mix them with alcohol ourselves.  The resultant product is nasty only
if you use "denatured" (read: poisoned) alcohol.

My real objection is to the use of non time-honored materials.
I thought I mentioned that.  I am an organ builder, engaged in a trade
which has had many uses for shellac for hundreds of years.  In Europe,
shellac has been in use for thousands of years.  It is just plain good
stuff.  You never know what these newer products are going to do over
time.  Consider PVA glue which just gives up, or all of the various
leather substitutes which have cropped up, none that last as long as
leather!

Jim McFarland