[dptulk]

I have developed a finish for woodworking on a lathe that contains alchohol (as a carrier for shellac particles) and Mineral oil as a wood conditioner and lubricant.  It works great!  only it seperates.  Any Ideas on what I could use to catalize this mixture?

BTW I am not a chemistry buff, just a woodworker... Thanks for any help.

[movies]

I think your going to have a tough time with finding something to do that.  What you need is an emulsifier.  You might try addind a little bit of soap or detergent and see if that has any effect, but it might prevent the shellac from adhering to the wood.  You could also try using a different alcohol that has more carbons in it; if you are using ethanol (drinking alcohol), try isopropanol (rubbing alcohol).  I don't know about the availability of other alcohols though.

[dptulk]

Thanks for your response.

I have moved from mineral oil to a vegatable based oil and while it seperates, it takes days as apposed to minutes.  This will work for now.

[movies]

That's interesting.  Not something I had thought of.  Thanks for the update!