Easy way to work out shellac mix

The standard way of mixing shellac flakes and alcohol is by a 1, 2 or 3lb cut, referring to the number of pounds weight of shellac flake to a gallon of alcohol. Having a bit of trouble converting to metric and in small quantities.

I recently found the magic numbers of 12, 24 and 36 grams of shellac flakes or powder to 100ml of alcohol gives the corresponding cut. So easy to remember.

Putting it a simpler way, if you want a #3 lb cut, 3 x 12 =36 gms of shellac flake to 100 ml of alcohol. Similarly, a 1lb cut is 1x 12= 12 gm of shellac powder or flakes to 100 ml of alcohol

if you need a larger volume, just increase the amount of flakes in proportion eg a 2lb cut for 500ml requires 2x 12 x 5 = 120 grams of shellac flake or powder


Hope this helps someone