BUTTON LAC · CHESTNUT HOLLOW
The buttons.
The button line from the fifth-generation refining family that has supplied this bench since 1990 — each one harvest, pressed by hand in one run. Hemanta is the newest: Kusmi #1 taken further, sieved finer, washed three times, pressed warm through cloth. The palest, cleanest golden button we carry. All five buttons →
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SUPER GOLDEN · MOST SELECTIVE
Hemanta Button Lac
Kusmi #1 taken further — one winter harvest, sieved fine, triple-washed, pressed warm through cloth by hand. 100% shellac. The palest, cleanest golden button on the bench.
From $44.00 USD
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JETH HARVEST · GOLDEN
Aruna Super Golden Button Lac
A premium golden button from the Jeth harvest of the kusum tree — Hemanta's warmer sister.
$75.50 USD/lb · Sizes from $21.40 USD
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JETHWA · DARK
Jethwa Dark Button Lac
Dark button from the 2026 Jeth harvest — 100% single harvest, pressed in one run.
$70.35 USD/lb · Sizes from $20.10 USD
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BYSAKHI · DARK
Bysakhi Dark Button Lac — 2026 Crop
Genuine dark button from the 2026 Bysakhi spring crop, verified at the source.
$69.50 USD/lb · Sizes from $19.90 USD
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MERIT REPAIR STICK · IN STOCK
Merit Shellac Sticks
Hand-poured shellac-and-rosin repair sticks, made in small batches — the period-correct chemistry that quietly fixes more antique furniture than anything else in the trade. Select sets are on the shelf now, with more colors and sets added as production ramps up.
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DEWAXED · WARM MID-TONE
Dewaxed Amber Shellac Flake
The classic warm mid-tone — orange-amber in solution, depth without the deep red of garnet. The grade most general finishers reach for first.
$65.25 USD/lb · Sizes from $18.85 USD
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DEWAXED · RUBY RED
Dewaxed Ruby Shellac Flake
The red-toned grade of the dewaxed line — a ruddy maroon-red where amber and garnet stay in the browns.
$67.80 USD/lb · Sizes from $19.45 USD
The Hollow.
Notes on the material, the people who use it, and the work that doesn't scale.
HISTORY
The History of Shellac, Part 1: An Ancient Resin
Where shellac comes from — the ancient resin behind the finish, traced from its origins forward.
MATERIAL
Rediscovering Button Lac
Shellac made the old way — melted over an open fire, pressed by hand through cloth, and very nearly forgotten. What button lac is, and why it endures.
REFERENCE
Pound Cut Chart
Dry shellac per gallon, quart, and pint at every common cut — the reference to keep at the bench.
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