SHELLAC Flake, Button & SeedLac

See: Shellac Mixing & Usage Notes    • Pound Cut Mixing Chart (Printable version)
 See: Myths & Facts about Shellac
More info on shellac solvent / reducers, click here: Everclear 190 Shellac Solvent
Please Read: Not all Denatured Alcohols are equal. There is no purity standard
or required Ethanol percent content to be labeled “Denatured Alcohol”
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SEEDLAC is the least processed shellac. All other shellacs are made from this raw seedlac resin.
The insect feeds on the sap of the tree and secretes the Lac as a protective shell in which the females lay their eggs.
Seedlac comes from the branches that are covered by the Lac resin left by the lac bug, known as sticklac.
The sticklac is crushed to yield the seedlac. The Seedlac is sieved to remove organic materials, washed,
and dried in open air.

BUTTON Shellac:
has the toughness and mar resistance that makes it the preferred shellac
for finishing floors, interior woodwork, and French polishing musical instruments.
Seedlac is heated by a charcoal hearth in a canvas tube, as the resin oozes from the canvas,
it is placed on a steel plate, and the buttons form. All Button Shellac contain a small
percentage of the natural shellac wax.

Waxy Shellacs 
are processed directly from raw Seed-lac. The waxy Lac varieties (shellacs) retain their natural color and wax content.
Wax content provides some flexibility & moisture resistance.
Seed Lacs, Button Lacs, Handmade Lac, and some Flake Lac are all waxy varieties.
'Waxy' shellacs are a good choice when the finish will be shellac only.

Use a DEWAXED Shellac for a universal sealer/primer and as a transitional coating between dissimilar finishes.
Use a Dewaxed Shellac when the topcoat, for extra water & alcohol resistance, will be a varnish, lacquer, or urethane.

Scroll down for a Shellac Variety Descriptions by Category, Photos, & related materials.
The 4 Oz. (1/4 Lb.) Sample Packs are listed with each Shellac variety.

SEED LAC is the least processed shellac. All other shellacs are made from this raw seedlac resin.
The insect feeds on the sap of the tree and secretes the Lac as a protective shell in which the female lay their eggs.
Seedlac is made from the branches that are covered by the Lac resin left by the lac bug, known as sticklac.
The sticklac is crushed to yield the seedlac.  The Seedlac is sieved to remove organic materials, washed and dried in open air.

BUTTON Shellac
has toughness and mar resistance that makes it the preferred shellac for
finishing floors, interior woodwork and French polishing musical instruments.
Heating the seed to form buttons polymerizes the shellac resin to yield a more
scuff and abrasion resistant shellac.

Waxy Shellacs 
are processed directly from raw Seed-lac. The waxy Lac varieties (shellacs) retain their natural color and wax content.
Wax content provides some flexibility & moisture resistance.
Seed Lacs, Button Lacs, Handmade Lac, and some Flakes are all waxy varieties.
'Waxy' shellacs are a good choice when the finish will be shellac only.

Use a DEWAXED Shellac to make a universal sealer / primer and as a transitional coating between dissimilar finishes.
Use a Dewaxed Shellac when the topcoat, for extra water & alcohol resistance, will be a varnish, lacquer or urethane.

The Story of Shellac
by Zinsser Co., Inc.
In celebration of 155 years manufacturing shellac, Zinsser revised this booklet in 2004,
which was first published in 1913 and reprinted seventeen times throughout the years.