Pot, 60 Ml, 30 Gr from India (SKU 3484)
Shellac is a natural laquer that can be used to permeate and cover an object in a protective layer of organic varnish. Kuripe and Tepi made from wood or bamboo are usually coated with Shellac on the inside and outside of the object, as to harden the material and to give the Rapé a smoother flow through the pipe. To make liquid Shellac one needs pure alcohol. Add 30 to 50 grams of dry Shellac to 100 ml of alcohol, to make a saturated solution that is ready to use after one night of dissolving. It takes trial and error to achieve the perfect effect on your objects of art. More info below.
Packed in 60 ml clear plastic pots containing 30 grams of Shellac.
Shellac is a natural laquer that can be used to permeate and cover an object in a protective layer of organic varnish. Kuripe and Tepi made from wood or bamboo are usually coated with Shellac on the inside and outside of the object, as to harden the material and to give the Rapé a smoother flow through the pipe.
Shellac is the general name for a resinous substance excreted by the females of the lac insect, Laccifer (Tachardia) lacca (formerly Coccus lacca). The insects primarily deposit lac on the twigs and soft new branches of several varieties of Soapberry (Sapindus marginatus) and Acacia trees, such as the sacred fig Ficus religiosa, found in India, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and elsewhere in southeast Asia. Lac was used as early as about 1200 BC in India. Shellac and lac dye were imported to Europe in the 17th century. The crude resin, also called sticklac, undergoes several processing steps to extract useful components. Lac is used in the manufacture of varnishes (shellac), sealing wax (lac wax) and red colorants (lac dye).
Other names: Sticklac, Coccus lacca
The chief constituents of lac are about 6 percent of wax, about 6.5 percent of a pigment named laccin or laccaic acid, 70 to 85 percent of resinous matter, 65 percent of which is insoluble in ether, and 35 percent soluble in ether containing alcohol. The part insoluble in ether is probably a resinotannol ester of aleuritic acid, while the ether-soluble portion includes a yellow colouring matter called erythrolaccin.
How to make Shellac:
To make liquid Shellac one needs pure alcohol. Add 30 to 50 grams of dry Shellac to 100 ml of alcohol, to make a saturated solution that is ready to use after one night of dissolving. You can add additional flakes or alcohol to thicken or thin the viscosity to suit the task. Perhaps easier to make a heavier mix and then thin to task. You can stir the flakes or shake them in the solution periodically. Shake them generally and then let it stand to express air in the mix before use. The object can be painted with or dipped into the solution and will dry off within hours, to a hard layer of yellow-transparent varnish. The thinner the Shellac is diluted, the more will absorb into the object. Multiple layers give a rich effect. It takes trial and error to achieve the perfect effect on your objects of art.
No open flames of any kind or hot plates. This is highly flammable.
This natural product is delivered with no expressed or implied fitness for any specific purpose. It is simply a raw botanical specimen.
The product is packaged as botanical specimen and is not intended, branded, labelled, or marketed as a consumer product.
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