Shellac and the uses there of - Long
Shellac – A secretion of the Lac Bug normally found in India and Thailand. The secretion forms a cocoon around the tiny little Lac bug (about the size of an apple seed) and it’s this .cocoon that protects the eggs laid during the reproductive cycle ( I usually call it “Huntin’ Season” since males is always lookin’ for females). Many folks have no idea of where shellac comes from other than the local Big Box store or local paint shop. I guess I shouldn’t be making fun of folks that don’t know this…because I didn’t either until I started researching shellac about 2 years ago. I did make fun of a fellow roommate of mine in the Air Force because he thought that steaks and hamburgers only came from the local Grocery store. I found a local farm “in Italy none-the-less” and showed him his first “cow” and explained to him that that’s where his beef came from. He didn’t eat beef again for some time after that day. Any way….back on topic……
The amber colored resin type substance they secrete is referred to as “lac”. This cocoon is the “raw” material of shellac that is now sold as “stiklac”. It’s called stiklac because of all the parts of twigs and bug remains that are still in the resin…..Eew-w-w-w-w-w-w!!!
Any way, the sticklac gets washed and refind for either of two processes, chemically or by hand and this process produces the raw shellac we purchase today. Further refinement of the shellac resin is where we get “Dewaxed” Shellac, “Super Blonde” Shellac and such. The grades of shellac goes something like this:
StikLac, SeedLac, ButtonLac, Dark Garnett, Orange, Pale or Blonde, and Super Blonde. Now, I may have missed a grade or two here, but I think you get the overall idea.
Now…let’s get on to what shellac can and is used for in todays’ world:
Used for furniture finishes. Shellac is dissolved in Denatured Alcohol and used as a clear topcoat or can be mixed to a 1 pound cut to use as an excellent wood sealer and evens out the woods that produce a “splotchy” finish when oil based stains are applied, like cherry and maple.
Shellac can be used to assist in healing of trees and shrubs. Put it on the exposed ends of pruned branches to seal in the sap and stop the ends from bleeding. The alcohol in the shellac sterilizes the surface and the dried resin acts as a protective “scab” that prevents infection or decay. Eventually the shellac breaks down with exposure to the elements and washes away.
Shellac is used my pharmeceutical companies to coat pills with that doesn’t allow the pill to dissolve in the stomach, but in the lower intestine that helps prevent upset stomach and also in your famous “time release” pills.
Shellac was even used at one time on M&M’s because of it’s ability to make the tiny candy shiny. It’s still used in some forms for coatings and glazes on candy.
Shellac is very food safe but when dissolved with Denatured Alcohol, it’s not “approved” as being food safe. If shellac is dissovled with pure Ethanol, then it’s even FDA approved for human comsumption. Hey Joe….hand me that bottle of Everclear over there, I need to mix up another batch of shellac.!!!! Yea, right!!!
Shellac is used to stiffen the felt in the bills of hats during the manufacturing process.
Shellac is used to coat the fruits in the store to make the shinier. (Maybe I should start rubbing them down with some alcohol and saving it all up instead of buying shellac in flake form?)
Shellac is mixed with marble dust to “glue” the glass to the metal base for some lightbulbs.
Shellac is used to make thoat Aluminum Oxide grinding wheels we use. If it allows the particles to break off and expose new fresh cutting particles, then shellac is part of the process in what holds it all together.
Shellac used to be used as a type of “adhesive” for gluing metal and glass together. It does this job surprisingly well. Try it some time.
Remember the old 78 records….Vinyl records…..those were shellac, fillers and lampblack to make those hip sounds we used to flop down on the record player.
There’s a lot that can be done with Shellac, and I believe that we as woodworkers overlook shellac as a sealer and clear topcoat. It’s not as durable as Marine Spar Varnish when it comes to cabinets or bathroom cabinets, but for general furniture that is not expose to heat and water…..it’s an excellent choice. Just don’t spill your wiskey on your shellac finished coffee table…..it will dessolve the shellac finish… :eek:
Did I mention that shellac was easy to strip? Just scrub the surface with a synthetic adbrasive pad soaked with Denatured Alcohol and keep washing with fresh alcohol and you’ll soon have a very clean and finish free surface.
Well….I’ve mumbled on here long enough. I hope you have learned a little more about Shellac and will be brave and try it some time. I believe that you will like it.
Now….where did I put my “moonshine jug”..!!!! :eek: :D
If YOU know of any uses of shellac that I haven't listed here, then post away!! :D
Shellac for paint projects
Use shellac to seal stains before painting. Many things will bleed through through latex paint:
- marking pencils
- color crayon
- mold
- signs of old leaks.
- nicotine
