Shellac
Shellac
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes, which are dissolved in ethanol to make liquid shellac, perfectly suitable for sealing wood furniture. From the time it replaced oil and wax finishes in the 19th century, shellac was one of the dominant wood finishes in the western world until it was largely replaced by nitrocellulose lacquer in the 1920s and 1930s(1).
The life cycle |
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Con ![]() |
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Long distance Shellac production takes place mainly in India and South East Asia.
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Non toxic Safe in the workshop. |
Difficult reuse It has a shorter shelf life than other finishes.
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Non toxic It is safe once dried and hardened (1). Also used as a food additive. Don't drink from the can, though. |
Short lifespan Easily damaged by alcohol (it dissolves the finish).
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Easy reuse Shellac finish can be easily repaired on wood products. |
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Links
What
Juliane Derry documented very thoroughly the fascinating shellac production process
This Wikipedia article has a super neat comparison of clear wood finishings
How to
Woodwork Details has a great guide on shellac
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Other Finishing
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Examples on Harvestmap.org