A traditional organic resin extracted from a scale lac insect ( laccifer lacca) and processed into shellac flakes. This is a natural resin with a small amount of insect wax. Dissolved flakes in methylated spirit or Isopropyl alcohol 99% it is a clear hard varnish, with good bonding use as french polish. Gold gilding as primer coat. Increasingly hard to get shellac flakes are still being used as furniture varnish, mold makers as a sealer for plaster molds, paint works as inter surface barrier or resist in metal etching and rewiring for its good insulating properties. It is fast drying with the evaporation of spirit solvent. A food safe varnish with the evaporation of the alcohol solvent after several days. NOTE: These flakes are not dewaxed and will leave wax residue sediments in dissolution. Residue need to be filtered or decant before use.
To prepare shellac, weigh flakes grind with coffee grinder or hammer pulverise to increase surface area and solubility. Add to spirit/Alcohol solvent while stirring. Placing in a warm bath helps in solubility. Normally 1 lb cut refers to 1lb flakes to 1 gallon solvent. 2 lb cut to 1 gallon is 2 lb cut. Shake well and leave overnight for the flakes to dissolve and the wax to settle at the bottom denoted as a cloudy layer. Decant the top shellac liquid for a dewaxed shellac. You need to dewax for better adhesion if final finish requires a Polyurethene finish. Otherwise not necessary just shake up the wax and apply. Use as a sealer or as a varnish with more subsequent coatings applied with fine sanding between layers. 4-5 coatings would suffice. The first coat need dilution with solvent for better penetration and sealing. Polish with furniture wax when shellac varnish is cured and hardened to minimize surface scratches. To remove shellac varnish scrub with steel wool and methylated spirit to dissolve the varnish. Shellac color is light to dark brown depending on the cut and the type of tree the lac insect feed on. Color if needed with oil dyes in shellac solution. Note to sieve with fine organdy to remove impurities before use. Incomplete solubility is when the flakes are not dewaxed or pulverised into powder or the alcohol /spirit has absorbed water. Store shellac flakes tightly closed in dry cool dark place with silica gel. As seller is not the shellec producer, we do not guarantee complete solubility. Purchase only on this understanding and conduct trial with smaller purchase.
For a superb shellac French finish without brush marks, drip shellac to alcohol dampen cotton ball pad. Rub in circular motion on to a finely sanded wood. The friction helps to eradicate and the alcohol solvent dissolve any shellac swirl. To lessen friction some add drops of paraffin oil to the polish surface. As surface protection for the fine french polish, Tung oil or hard carnauba wax is buffed on the cured french finish.
Papier mache and paper sculptures are strengthened and reinforced with application of shellac varnish in one or more coatings. Thereafter to be poly putty filled and sanded smooth for paint coating.
In gold gilding, shellac without or with mesh#1000 calcium carbonate filler will fill wood grains for a smooth gilding. Fine sand with Mesh#3000 emery polishing sandpaper every coating before gilding. Smooth filled wood grain surface allow burnishing with agate tool for a plated finish effect. Bookbinders spray coat shellac to book edges before iron on gold foil as decorative binding and pages stiffener. This prevents pages curling and dog eared.
Also used as a resist in acid etching, of printing plate in etching, fabric stiffener and crafts adhesive in jewellery engraving or embossing with heat to adhere or remove. Shellac had long being used to varnish finger nails. To remove, acetone is applied with a cotton bud to dissolve and wipe off. Shellac flakes can be softened with heat and rolled into shellac sticks with oil colors, color iron oxides pigments or natural food dyes as color shellac stick. Applied to lath turned wood makes pretty friction polished lacquerwares. Try formulating your own traditional stamping wax with carnauba, beeswax and shellac flakes for the breakable sealing wax. Saxophone pads are coated with molten shellac as a seal in air flow control.
Store flakes in cool, dry and dark environment for long shelf life. Mixed shellac to be used within 1 year.
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