Cleaning shellac off a can?

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Cleaning shellac off a can?

#1

Post by BeerCanKeeper »

Hi, I was hoping someone could give some advice on shellac removal. Some of the shellac has come off where it was thin. But where it was put on thicker it has yellowed and is quite ugly. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Jeff


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Shellac

#2

Post by Rocknchip »

I too have a shellac problem and the feedback I've recieved over the past 4 yrs is "yer outta luck!" I guess its almost impossible to remove aside from a slow, year-long rub out with something that is almost abrasive free - no patience let alone time for that! Fred Gorlach told me that its virtually impossible to remove. there is a product called "Zep" that I cant find here in Indy that he said might be good for smoke damage but I want to try it on shellac to see if it helps

I purchased these cans from the same source out of Layfayette, IN - the cans were all shellaced (not the cobalt blue Royal Amber, that can has smoke darkening in the white area and I added it to the photo to see if anyone has any good ideas to remove smoke stain other than the ZEP concept)
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shellac

#3

Post by Rocknchip »

The cans were coated with presumably to preserve or adhere the small sticker the drinker added to the side of the cans that stated year and city where he consumed the beer. Ive seen this sticker on cans before and wonder if its the same drinker that labeled cans this way back in the day? or if sticker shape and design was a household standard thing and thats what people used, but I have seen this sticker on several cans over the years... Does anyone else have cans with this sticker?

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I was able to clean the shellac off the tops and bottoms with Ether!!! I tried the Ether on a Stag flat from the same bunch and it took all the paint off down to shiney steal! The tops and bottoms of the Frankemuth and the Old Ductch are perfect underneath that shellac!!!! I didn't even try it on the brown Royal Amber hopeing for some space age compound will be developed in the future - that can must be shelf-new underneath the coating of shellac --- I like the effects of ether fumes, but not the how it kills cans!!!

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#4

Post by buckeyerust »

Try WD 40 or any penatrating oil-

test first of course.

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#5

Post by JAL »

If it is truely Shellac (like that used in by Wood finishers), then that is soluable in Ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol). Straight Ethanol should be OK on the painted surfaces, but definately check carefully. Alcohol will initially make Shellac sticky, but will dissolve it if soaked for a period of time. You can find this in any hardware store, or use 190 proof grain alcohol (Ever Clear) from the liquor store.

My hunch is somebody coated the can with Polyurethane, which I have run across. I don't know anyway to remove that without damaging the painted surface. Polyurethane yellows with time (the same way it will if used on wood floors).

WD40 uses Stoddard Solvent (Mineral Spirits) and won't dissolve either Shellac or cured Poly.

BTW, Shellac will generally get a 'crackled' appearance over time if applied too thick... Poly yellows.
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#6

Post by BeerCanKeeper »

Thanks for the replies. Judging by what Delmarva posted, this can appears to have been coated with poly as there is no crackling. Some spots will come off by using my thumbnail. The parts that are thicker do not.

Thanks, Jeff
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Shellac

#7

Post by Rocknchip »

Yes, thanks for the insight - looks like those cans were covered with Poly U and not shellac..... wish I could have been around in 1953 to talk to some sense into the guy who drank em and coated them...
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#8

Post by cansnatcher »

The only method I know of is really risky. You could use paint remover (!!) for a short period of time, and hope you take off one coat but not two. Also, Acetone could do the same thing. I think the new water-based (environmentally friendly) paint remover might give you a longer grace period between coats of poly vs paint. Test on the back of a less valuable can from the same batch if you can.
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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#9

Post by Scott Rollert »

I recently traded for one of those shellac/polyu. cans. I found acetone works on loosening up that stuff. Here are the results...
DSC00416.jpg
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I used the acetone with Q-tips and a toothpick. I work all day with a jewelers loupe, so I'm used to working with magnification and in small detail. I found the acetone really messes up the coating used for the metallic gold, so leave those areas alone. But the paint of the label holds up. Dab a drop of acetone on an area and rub VERY lightly with the toothpick. The shellac will soften up and start to dissolve. Before it totally dries out, wipe the area with a paper towel to remove the residue, and move on to another area. Work it in small areas and be patient. The results are pretty good!
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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#10

Post by Rocknchip »

sounds too delicate for me - ill try it out wiht the fankenmuth
Thanks for detailing your results
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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#11

Post by Scott Rollert »

Looking at the Frankenmuth & Old Dutch, I'd be tempted to try either Qtips or some way of soaking the can in acetone. The Berghoff had so much gold trim in the label that I had to use the toothpick. I don't see any metallic colors on either of your 2 cans. If you decide to try soaking, be sure to use a glass or metal container. Acetone melts certain plastics.

Be sure to test a small area near the seam to see if it's working. And post pix if the results are favorable. Good Luck!
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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#12

Post by Bryan2 »

That's great news, Scott. Acetone is a very powerful solvent, but it does evaporate quickly. Given that property, it has less time to sit around and loosen paint. I've got some similar solvents, with slower evaporation times that I should experiment with.
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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#13

Post by PinBeer »

Instead of acetone, I've used MEK. It's like acetone, but has a slower evaporation time. This does help loosen things more, but you still have to watch it carefully.

I haven't tried it on shellac/polyu though, only homemade paintovers.

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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#14

Post by Scott Rollert »

I think one advantage of the quick dry time of the acetone is the lack of affecting the paint on the label. As I worked the Berghoff, I would see the shellac dissolve. When that occurred, I'd wipe it off with a paper towel. As mentioned earlier, the metallic gold had to be avoided, so the toothpick was used in the areas near any of the metallic gold. I would think a can that doesn't have any metallic colors could possibly be soaked and rubbed down to remove that stuff. Anyway, I'm happy with the results. The time put in resulted in a gr. 1 can!
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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#15

Post by bobh0930 »

I'm new to this forum, but will add my experience, better late than never. I got a painted can, Old Bohemian 104-22, that had a drippy yellowed finish on it-no crackling. I have a woodworking book that says shellac can be removed with denatured alcohol, so I tried that, since alcohol on a beer can seemed a good bet. Bought a quart of Kleen-Strip denatured alcohol. First soaked just the lids, and the coating came off after 30-60 minutes with a little rubbing (used an old fabric softener sheet, the kind you pull out of the dryer). So I soaked the whole can. I started pulling it out after 2 hours, not knowing how long to soak it. Some of the shellac came off with light rubbing, some didn't. I tried again after 4, 6, and 8 hours, each time getting more of the can clean. The shellac came off, but I was a bit too aggressive with the rubbing, so I scratched the paint in a few spots. The can looks clean now, but maybe not worth adding the scratches. I guess I should have soaked it longer, like 24 hours, before scrubbing. Don't know it the alcohol might have made the paint easier to scratch, but otherwise, the paint looks like new and unaffected.
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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#16

Post by Uncle Jackson »

Acetone is a chemical that works as a solvent when most others won't. It is the active ingredient in nail polish remover. Most of the other chemicals noted (ethanol, gasoline, MEK, paint remover, etc.) have similar abilities to dissolve certain substances. In general, if the normal solvents do not work, acetone will. If neither works, you are out of luck.

Matt menke had some similar issues with cans last year. Some worked well and some did not. I got one of hid nots. I think that certain colors in the underlying paint may dissolve, so be careful.

Good luck and let us know as I have a few I may try as well.
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Re: Cleaning shellac off a can?

#17

Post by galambam »

I picked up a crowntainer at the flea market last weekend. It's painted black with some PA Dutch looking flowers painted on it. After some time with rubbing compound I can see it's a Sunshine. Problem is the rubbing compound rubs off some of the can's paint along with the painted-on black. Would the acetone help take off the paint while not hurting the can's original finish?
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