Need advice on lacquer/shellac coated can

[Paul Dickinson]

Hi Folks!

I'm a newbie to the group and need some advice and guidance.

I have a Stoeckle flat top which is very clean, but is covered with either lacquer or shellac and the coating has turned orange over time. It makes a very clean can look very dull.

I picked up some lacquer thinner and tried it on the bottom lid and the rag did have some light orange spots when I gently applied in that area. I got courageous and tried cleaning the seam, AND I decided to just slightly enter into the painted part of the can, and unfortunately it rubbed out a very small part of a black line, so I immediately stopped that process! However, a very small spot of bright yellow showed through the treated section, so there is a hidden beauty underneath all that orange film!

I just started searching your forum and I see that maybe a 30 second acetone dip might do the trick? Please advise!

I would really appreciate some of the experts here to weigh in - I would really love to bring this one back to life.

Thank you so much!

Paul

[Conehead]

Hi Folks!

I'm a newbie to the group and need some advice and guidance.

I have a Stoeckle flat top which is very clean, but is covered with either lacquer or shellac and the coating has turned orange over time. It makes a very clean can look very dull.

I picked up some lacquer thinner and tried it on the bottom lid and the rag did have some light orange spots when I gently applied in that area. I got courageous and tried cleaning the seam, AND I decided to just slightly enter into the painted part of the can, and unfortunately it rubbed out a very small part of a black line, so I immediately stopped that process! However, a very small spot of bright yellow showed through the treated section, so there is a hidden beauty underneath all that orange film!

I just started searching your forum and I see that maybe a 30 second acetone dip might do the trick? Please advise!

I would really appreciate some of the experts here to weigh in - I would really love to bring this one back to life.

Thank you so much!

Paul

Hi Paul,

Welcome to our website. I took the liberty of moving your post to the "General Discussion" forum. It will get much more attention there, and I'm sure you will have input from the membership.

Cheers,
Jim

[menke]

I almost think we need to post a how-to video on this. What say the guys who've developed techniques? I was just about to recycle my salsa jar the other day...

I did several hundred of these about ten years ago, from an early collector who'd used several different lacquers over the years. Some clean up well, some don't clean at all, some take the label with it. It's pretty tough to do a single can; I was able to use common/slag labels as practice to work on each different batch of lacquer I ran into. While lacquer thinner is usually a bad thing to start with, there are some brands with a gentler blend of chemicals. Acetone is strong medicine- it will work, but at a price. Start with the mildest soap and water, work your way up.

[Paul Dickinson]

After I experimented with the lacquer thinner, I thought to start much slower. I grabbed an ice cream pail and filled it with luke warm water and just soaked it for only 5 minutes. The yellow color seemed to brighten up but the dullness returned after it dried.

I may be interested in enlisting some help with this if anyone is interested.

Thanks

[Candog]

Just search in this site on "Acetone" more info than you need to know.

[Summitcan]

Hi Folks!


I have a Stoeckle flat top which is very clean

Paul

That’s a pretty good can - lacquered or not ..
- can you post a picture ?
Thanks
Eric