Shellac for Bungs?
Dear Dr. Jagels,
I read your piece in the November/December issue of WoodenBoat (No. 307) with interest, and I am writing now with a comment and a query:
You state that you “have also seen historical references to using shellac as a glue to hold wooden plugs over countersunk screws in ships.” Your phrasing suggests that you are not sure that this is correct, but I can assure you that it certainly is. My father was a bit of an amateur boatbuilder, and he often gave me exactly that job. I would pour some shellac in the lid from a wide-mouth jar, dip the bung in the shellac, align the grain of the bung with that of the plank, and drive it home with a single smart whack of the hammer. Then it was on to the next one. A day or two later, I would come back with a chisel and a hammer and trim the bung to make it fair with the plank. The time frame for this would have been 1950, give or take a few years, so it was practiced in relatively recent times.