I've been working on perfecting these wood keychains for the Green Life New Bedford order.

The engraving? Perfect. The wood quality? Great. The designs? Clean.

But I hit a wall.

Shellac.

I can only do 2 keychains at a time because I have to wait for them to dry. And when you're trying to scale production, that's a problem.

Here's what I'm dealing with—and how I'm figuring it out.

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The Problem: Shellac Takes Forever

After I engrave each keychain, I apply shellac to seal and protect the wood. It brings out the grain, protects against moisture, and gives it a professional finish.

But shellac needs to dry. And while it's drying, I can't stack them. I can't move them. I can't do anything except wait.

Right now, I'm doing 2 at a time. I lay them flat on my workbench. Apply shellac. Wait 30-45 minutes for the first coat to dry. Apply a second coat. Wait another 30-45 minutes.

That's 1.5 hours per batch of 2 keychains.

If I need to make 50 keychains, that's 25 batches. That's 37+ hours just waiting for shellac to dry.

That's not sustainable.

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Why This Matters

I'm not just making one or two keychains for fun. I'm building a business.

Green Life New Bedford needs their order. I have other potential orders coming. And if I can't scale production, I can't grow.

The engraving is fast. I can knock out 10-15 keychains in an hour. But the finishing process is killing my throughput.

I need a system that lets me:

• Do more than 2 at a time
• Dry them faster
• Keep production moving

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What I've Tried (And What Didn't Work)

Attempt #1: Stacking Them

I tried stacking keychains with wax paper between them.

Result: The shellac stuck to the wax paper. Ruined 3 keychains. Not doing that again.

Attempt #2: Hanging Them

I drilled small holes and tried hanging them on a wire rack.

Result: The shellac pooled at the bottom and dried unevenly. Looked terrible.

Attempt #3: Using a Fan

I set up a fan to speed up drying.

Result: It helped a little, but not enough. Still took 30+ minutes per coat.

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The Solutions I'm Exploring

I'm not stuck. I'm just figuring it out. Here are the ideas I'm testing:

Solution #1: Build a Drying Rack

I'm going to build a simple drying rack with nails or pegs sticking up. I can lay keychains on the pegs so air circulates underneath.

Pros:

• Cheap to build (scrap wood + nails)
• Lets me do 10-20 at a time
• Air circulation on all sides

Cons:

• Takes up space
• Still need to wait for drying time

Status: Building this weekend.

Solution #2: Switch to Spray Shellac

Instead of brushing shellac on, I can use spray shellac. It goes on thinner and dries faster.

Pros:

• Faster application
• Thinner coats = faster drying
• More even finish

Cons:

• More expensive per unit
• Need ventilation (spray fumes)
• Learning curve

Status: Ordering a can to test.

Solution #3: Use a Heat Gun or Hair Dryer

I can use a heat gun on low setting to speed up drying between coats.

Pros:

• Cuts drying time in half
• No additional materials needed (I already have a heat gun)

Cons:

• Risk of overheating and cracking the wood
• Adds another step to the process

Status: Testing this week.

Solution #4: Switch to a Faster-Drying Finish

Shellac isn't the only option. I could use:

• Polyurethane spray (faster drying)
• Lacquer (very fast drying, but toxic fumes)
• Wax finish (no drying time, but less protection)

Pros:

• Potentially faster production
• Different finishes for different products

Cons:

• Need to test each one
• Different finishes = different looks

Status: Researching options.

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What I'm Learning

This is the part of building a business that nobody talks about.

It's not the big stuff. It's the small bottlenecks that slow you down.

I can engrave 50 keychains in a few hours. But if I can't finish them efficiently, it doesn't matter.

The lesson: Production isn't just about making the product. It's about the entire workflow.

Every step matters. Every bottleneck costs time. And time is the one thing I don't have enough of.

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The Plan Moving Forward

Here's what I'm doing this week:

Monday: Build the drying rack (scrap wood + nails)

Tuesday: Test spray shellac on 5 keychains

Wednesday: Test heat gun drying method

Thursday: Compare results and pick the best method

Friday: Scale production with the new system

By next week, I should have a system that lets me do 10-20 keychains at a time without waiting around.

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Why I'm Sharing This

Because this is real.

I'm not pretending I have it all figured out. I'm not selling you a perfect system.

I'm building this in real time. I'm hitting problems. I'm solving them. I'm moving forward.

If you're building something—whether it's a business, a side hustle, or a project—you're going to hit bottlenecks too.

The question isn't "Will I hit problems?"

The question is "How fast can I solve them?"

I'm figuring it out. And I'll keep you posted.

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What's Next

I'll update you next week with the results. I'll show you what worked, what didn't, and what my new production system looks like.

If you've dealt with shellac or wood finishing before and have tips, drop a comment or send me a message. I'm all ears.

Let's figure this out together.