Back in the day, my uncle would hand mix every shellac batch from memory...

Now I just order pre-mixed online and miss those slow, messy lessons at his workbench.

2 comments

2 Comments

Bet you never thought you'd miss ruining a batch of shellac, but those screw-ups were the best teachers. Adding too much thinner showed you the material's limits better than any perfect mix. Pre-mixed stuff skips the messy learning that actually sticks with you. Now you just get a can of mystery goop without the story behind it.

benclark6h ago

It's the same reason people get weirdly nostalgic for fixing their own appliances or patching drywall. Calling a repair person gets it done right, but you never learn why the washer was shaking or how plaster actually cures. We've outsourced all the little problem-solving moments that used to teach us how things work.