Hello,  I am inching my way through the restoration of a 1928 Stroud
Duo-Art and after re-assembly of the first of two valve/pouch boards
I have a question.

Burnt shellac was used on the divider (I think you pros refer to it as
a split stack) when it was built and I wanted to stay true to what was
used (hide glue, burnt shellac, etc.).  So, following the advice found
on MMD, I burnt some shellac and used it to make the seal when I put
the valve- and pouch-board assembly back together (with a small metal
divider in the shape of an "S" in the middle).

Now, five days later, the shellac still hasn't hardened.  It is still
the consistency of 'Silly Putty'.  How long does this burnt shellac
usually take to harden?  Or should I take it back apart and use something 
else?  I really don't want to go through the trouble of adjusting the
valves and putting the rubberized cloth back on the sides only to have
to go back in because this stuff hasn't hardened.

I burnt the liquid-type shellac -- should I have burnt shellac made
from flakes?

Great site, very informative.  Thanks for any help.

Kirk Gibson

 [ See also the articles about thickened shellac indexed at
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/S/shellac.html 
 [ -- Robbie