SHELLAC RESIN
Shellac resin is a natural product with interesting properties and extraordinary versatility, used as a tough natural primer, sanding sealant, tannin-blocker, odor-blocker, stain, and high-gloss varnish.
Shellac resin is the purified product of natural resin lacquer, which is the hardened secretion of small parasitic insects, primarily the female lac bug (Kerria lacca) in India and Thailand.
Shellac resin has been known in India and China since ancient times, with its use traced back to more than 2000 years ago.
CAS Number: 9000-59-3
EC Number: 232-549-9
Molecular Formula: C30H50O11
Molecular Weight: 586.7
Synonyms: SHELLAC, 9000-59-3, Lacs, Lac resin, Resins,lac or shellac, Drack BS 30, GBN, GSN, Sticklac, Molumba, Kiree, GN, SSI, SB 25, NSC, SAM 25, CS, Mantrollac R 49, Fresh-Cote 214, KSD (shellac), (2R,6S,7R,10S)-10-hydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)-6-methyltricyclo[5.3.1.01,5]undec-8-ene-2,8-dicarboxylic acid;9,10,15-trihydroxypentadecanoic acid, Schellack, Lacca, Candy glaze, Lac resin, Shellac, purified, Confectioner's glaze, Q429659, Shellac, Shellac, Shellac, shellac, SHELLAC A RESIN SECRETED BY LACCIFER LACCA, COCCIDAE, Shellac. A resin secreted by Laccifer lacca, Coccidae., 9000-59-3, (5ξ,10β)-10,14-Dihydroxycedr-8-en-12,15-disäure --9,10,15-trihydroxypentadecansäure (1:1) [German] [ACD/IUPAC Name], (5ξ,10β)-10,14-Dihydroxycedr-8-ene-12,15-dioic acid - 9,10,15-trihydroxypentadecanoic acid (1:1) [ACD/IUPAC Name], 1H-3a,7-Methanoazulene-3,6-dicarboxylic acid, 2,3,4,7,8,8a-hexahydro-4-hydroxy-8-(hydroxymethyl)-8-methyl-, (3R,4S,7R,8S)-, compd. with 9,10,15-trihydroxypentadecanoic acid (1:1) [ACD/Index Name], Acide (5ξ,10β)-10,14-dihydroxycédr-8-ène-12,15-dioïque - acide 9,10,15-trihydroxypentadécanoïque (1:1) [French] [ACD/IUPAC Name], 9000-59-3 [RN], Lacca, Shellac
Shellac resin is obtained from the secretions of the female Kerria lacca beetle.
Shellac resin is a brittleness and hardness of the odorless and tasteless resin is very high.
Shellac resin is a natural product with interesting properties and extraordinary versatility.
Shellac resin is the purified product of natural resin lacquer, which is the hardened secretion of small parasitic insect.
Shellac resin is the only known commercial resin of animal origin.
The production of shellac resin takes place mostly in China and India.
Shellac resin has been known in India and China since ancient times.
Shellac resins use can be traced back to records from India more than 2000 years ago.
Shellac resin is a natural resin obtained from lac gum.
Shellac resin acts as a versatile wood treatment and coating, and acts as a binding agent in paint and rust treatment.
Shellac resin is commonly used as a primer, base coat or primer prior to painting, as a snag and stain sealant, and as an odor blocker.
Shellac is a natural resin that may be obtained in a variety of colors ranging from light yellow to dark red in the form of hard, brittle flakes with or without wax, depending on the refining process.
The different types of shellac include bleached shellac, bleached dewaxed shellac, dewaxed and decolorized shellac, dewaxed flake shellac, dewaxed orange shellac, dewaxed shellac, orange shellac, purified shellac, refined bleached shellac, regular bleached shellac, regular waxy shellac, wax-containing shellac, and white shellac.
The flakes may be crushed or milled to a coarse or fine powder.
Shellac resin is supplied as a coarse offwhite powder.
Shellac resin is tasteless and may have a faint odor.
The typical odor of shellac is the result of a complex fragrance system.
Shellac resin is also resistant to ultraviolet light, so it does not darken over time, dries quickly and hardens at relatively low temperatures.
Shellac resin can be easily retouched with a new layer of Shellac resin because the new one bonds with the Shellac resin.
Shellac resin is a natural resin secreted by the female lac bug (kerria lacca) on trees in the forests of India and Thailand.
After the raw lac has been harvested, Shellac resin is processed to obtain different colors and qualities.
Shellac resin is sold as dry flakes that need to be dissolved in order to be used.
Even though any anhydrous alcohol will dissolve shellac ethanol is generally used.
Liquid Shellac resin can be used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze, for manicures and wood finishes.
Shellac resin has perhaps the most functions of all the natural resins, it acts as a tough natural primer, sanding sealant, tannin-blocker, odor-blocker, stain, and high-gloss varnish.
Shellac resin is a resin secreted by the female lac beetle found on trees in the forests of India and Thailand.
Shellac resin is processed and sold as dry flakes and dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac that is applied with a brush.
Shellac resin is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand.
Shellac resin is mainly composed of aleuritic acid, jalaric acid, shellolic acid, and other natural waxes.
Shellac resin is processed and sold as dry flakes and dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish.
Shellac functions as a tough natural primer, sanding sealant, tannin-blocker, odour-blocker, stain, and high-gloss varnish.
Shellac resin was once used in electrical applications as it possesses good insulation qualities and seals out moisture.
Shellac resin acts as a hard natural primer, emery paste, tannin blocker, odor blocker, stain and high gloss.
Shellac resin was once used in electrical applications because it has good insulating properties and keeps moisture out.
Phonograph and 78 rpm gramophone records were made from Shellac resin until they were replaced by vinyl longs.
Shellac resin has been one of the predominant wood veneers in wood veneers since the 19th century when shellac resin replaced oily and waxy veneers.
Western world until Shellac resin was largely replaced by nitrocellulose lacquer in the 1920s and 1930s.
Shellac resin comes from the bark and lacquer, a caliche of the French laque en écailles, 'flake lac', later gomme-laque, 'gum lac'.
Most European languages (except Romance languages and Greek) use the word corresponding to the item from English or its German equivalent is Schellack.
Shellac resin secretes it to form a tunnel-like tube as the female lac beetle Kerria lacca (also known as Hemiptera order, Kerriidae family, Laccifer lacca) traverses the branches of the tree.
Although these tunnels are sometimes referred to as "cocoons", they are not cocoons in the entomological sense.
This insect is from the same superfamily as the insect from which the cochineal is derived.
Insects suck the sap from the tree and secrete "sticklac" almost continuously.
The least colored Shellac resin is produced when insects feed on the vomit tree (Schleichera).
The number of lac beetles required to produce 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of Shellac resin is variously estimated at 50,000.
The root word lakh is a unit corresponding to 100,000 in the Indian numbering system and probably refers to a large number of insects.
Raw Shellac resin, containing bark shavings and lacquer beetles removed during scraping, is placed in canvas tubes (like very long socks) and heated over a fire.
This causes the Shellac resin to liquefy and ooze out of the canvas, leaving behind bark and insects.
The thick, sticky Shellac resin is then dried into a flat sheet and divided into flakes or "buttons" (discs/cakes), then bagged and sold.
The end user then crushes Shellac resin into a fine powder and mixes it with ethyl alcohol before use to dissolve the flakes and liquid Shellac resin.
Liquid Shellac resin has a limited shelf life (approximately 1 year), so it is sold in dry form to dissolve before use.
Liquid shellac resin sold in hardware stores is usually marked with the date of manufacture (mixing) so the consumer can know it.
Some manufacturers (eg Zinsser) have stopped labeling Shellac resin with the date of manufacture, but the date of manufacture may change.
Alternatively, old Shellac resin can be tested to see if it is still usable: a few drops on the glass should dry roughly onto a hard surface.
Shellac resin, which remains sticky for a long time, can no longer be used.
Storage life depends on the highest temperature, so refrigeration extends shelf life.
The thickness (concentration) of shellac resin is measured in units of "pound cut", referring to its quantity (in pounds).
Shellac resin flakes dissolved in a gallon of denatured alcohol.
Most premixed commercial preparations are 3lb. to cut.
Multiple thin layers of shellac produce a significantly better result than a few thick layers.
Thick layers of shellac resin do not adhere well to the substrate or to each other and can therefore be peeled off relatively easily.
Also, thick shellac will hide fine details in carved designs on wood and other surfaces.
Shellac resin dries naturally, achieving a high-gloss shine.
For applications where a flatter (less glossy) shine is desired, products containing amorphous silica such as "Shellac Flat" can be added to the dissolved shellac.
Shellac resin naturally contains a small amount of wax (3-5% by volume) from the lacquer beetle.
In some preparations this wax is removed (the resulting product is called "dewaxed shellac").
This is done for applications where the Shellac resin will be coated with something else (like paint or varnish), hence the topcoat will stay connected.
Waxy (unwaxed) shellac looks like milk in liquid form, but dries clear.
Colors and availability of Shellac resin.
Shellac resin is available in many warm colors ranging from very light yellow ("platina") to very dark brown ("garnet").
There are many varieties of brown, yellow, orange and red among them.
The color is affected by the sap of the tree in which the Shellac resin beetle lives and the time of harvest.
Historically, the best-selling Shellac resin was called "orange shellac" and was widely used as a combination stain.
In the 20th century Shellac resin was used as a preservative and preservative for wood paneling and carpentry.
Shellac resin was once very common wherever paints or varnishes were sold (such as hardware stores).
However, cheaper and more wear- and chemical-resistant coatings such as polyurethane have been almost entirely replaced by decorative residential wood finishes such as hardwood floors, wood paneling boards, and kitchens.
If the user wants the wood to be colored, these alternative products should be applied on the stain; As a protective topcoat, clear or yellow hellac can be applied over a stain without affecting the color of the finished piece.
"Wax on shellac" (an application of polished paste wax over several coats of shellac) is generally considered a beautiful, albeit fragile, surface for hardwood floors.
Luthiers still uses Shellac resin to polish French fine acoustic string instruments, but in many workshops it has been replaced by synthetic plastic polishes and varnishes, especially in high-volume production environments.
Shellac resin, dissolved in alcohol, typically more dilute than Franco-Polish, is now commonly sold as "sanding paste".
Shellac resin is often used to seal wood surfaces in preparation for a more durable finish; Shellac resin reduces the absorption of wood, reducing the amount of final coating required.
Shellac resin is a natural bioadhesive polymer and is chemically similar to synthetic polymers.
Therefore, shellac resin can be considered as a natural form of plastic.
Shellac resin has occupied the most important position among the natural occuring resins.
India and Thailand are the only countries where shellac (lac) is cultivatedl.
The principal Shellac resin hosts in India are Palas and Ber for the Rangini strains and the Kusum for Kusmi strains.
The term Shellac resin and lac are often used synonymously.
Shellac resin with a melting point of 75 °C (167 °F) can be classified as a thermoplastic.
Shellac resin is used to bind wood flour, the mixture can be molded with heat and pressure.
Shellac resin scratches more easily than most lacquers and lacquers, and because the application is more labor-intensive, Shellac resin has been replaced by plastic in most areas.
For example, shellac resin is much softer than Urushi lacquer, which is far superior both chemically and chemically.
But damaged shellac can be easily retouched with another layer of Shellac resin (chemically unlike polyurethane).
Shellac resin is used in alkaline solutions of ammonia, sodium borate, sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide, as well as various organic solvents.
When dissolved in alcohol (typically denatured ethanol) for application, Shellac resin provides a coating with good durability.
On light hydrolysis, Shellac resin yields a complex mixture of aliphatic and alicyclic hydroxy acids and their alternating polymers.
The main component of the aliphatic component is aleuritic acid, while the main alicyclic component is shelolic acid.
Shellac resin is UV resistant and does not darken with age (although, as with pine, the wood underneath can darken).
Shellac resin is a natural product with interesting properties and an exceptional versatility. Shellac is the purified product of the natural resin lac which is the hardened secretion of the small, parasitic insect Kerria Lacca, popularly known as the lac insect.
Shellac resin is the only known commercial resin of animal origin.
Shellac resin is a natural bioadhesive polymer and is chemically similar to synthetic polymers.
Shellac resin can thus can be considered a natural form of plastic.
With a melting point of 75 °C (167 °F), Shellac resin can be classed as a thermoplastic used to bind wood flour, the mixture can be moulded with heat and pressure.
Shellac resin scratches more easily than most lacquers and varnishes, and application is more labour-intensive, which is why it has been replaced by plastic in most areas.
Shellac resin is much softer than Urushi lacquer, for instance, which is far superior with regard to both chemical and mechanical resistance.
But damaged shellac can easily be touched up with another coat of shellac (unlike polyurethane, which chemically cures to a solid) because the new coat merges with and bonds to the existing coat(s).
Shellac resin is soluble in alkaline solutions of ammonia, sodium borate, sodium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide, and also in various organic solvents.
When dissolved in alcohol (typically denatured ethanol) for application, shellac yields a coating of good durability and hardness.
Shellac resin comes in many warm colours, ranging from a very light blonde ("platina") to a very dark brown ("garnet"), with many varieties of brown, yellow, orange and red in between.
The colour is influenced by the sap of the tree the lac bug is living on and by the time of harvest.
Historically, the most commonly sold Shellac resin is called "orange shellac", and was used extensively as a combination stain and protectant for wood panelling and cabinetry in the 20th century.
Shellac resin was once very common anywhere paints or varnishes were sold (such as hardware stores).
However, cheaper and more abrasion- and chemical-resistant finishes, such as polyurethane, have almost completely replaced Shellac resin in decorative residential wood finishing such as hardwood floors, wooden wainscoting plank panelling, and kitchen cabinets.
Shellac resin is available in various grades and colors, which are typically categorized based on the purity and processing method.
This type has a natural orange or amber color and is often used as a clear finish for wood and other surfaces.
Blonde Shellac resin is a lighter and clearer variety with a pale yellow to straw color.
Shellac resin is commonly used as a wood finish, particularly on lighter-colored woods.
This is the purest form of shellac, typically used in pharmaceutical and food-grade applications.
Shellac resin can be applied using various methods, including brushing, spraying, or padding.
The choice of application method depends on the specific project and the desired finish.
Shellac resin is favored in the field of antique restoration and conservation due to its reversible nature.
Shellac resin can be easily removed with alcohol, making it a suitable choice for preserving the original finishes on antique furniture and objects.
Shellac resin is often available in the form of flakes or buttons, which are dissolved in alcohol to create shellac solutions.
Craftsmen and artisans can mix their own shellac solutions with varying concentrations for specific applications.
Shellac resin is considered non-toxic and safe for most applications.
However, individuals with allergies to shellac or alcohol should take precautions when working with shellac-based products.
The alcohol used to dissolve Shellac resin is highly flammable, so proper storage and handling are essential to prevent fire hazards.
Shellac resin has been used for centuries in various cultures for its versatile applications.
Shellac resin gained prominence in the West in the 19th century and was widely used as a furniture finish and for other decorative purposes.
Shellac resin is often considered an environmentally friendly and sustainable choice for coatings and finishes due to its natural origin and biodegradability.
One of the advantages of Shellac resin is its ability to be recoated without the need for extensive surface preparation.
This makes Shellac resin suitable for refinishing projects where a new layer of shellac can be applied over an existing one.
Uses of Shellac Resin:
Shellac resin was also frequently used in kitchen cabinets and hardwood floors before the advent of polyurethane.
Until the advent of vinyl, most gramophone records were printed from shellac compounds.
From 1921 to 1928, 18,000 tons of Shellac resin were used to create 260 million records for Europe.
In the 1930s it was estimated that half of all shellacs were used for gramophone records.
The use of shellac for recordings was common until the 1950s and continued into the 1970s in some non-Western countries.
Until recent advances in technology, Shellac resin (French lacquer) was the only adhesive used in making ballet dancers' pointe shoes to harden the box (toe area) to support the dancer en pointe.
Many pointe shoe makers still use traditional techniques, and many dancers also use shellac to reinvigorate the feeling of softening.
Shellac resin has historically been used as a protective coating in paintings.
Braille pages are coated with Shellac resin to help protect them from wear due to hand reading.
Shellac resin has been used since the mid-nineteenth century to produce small molded items such as picture frames, boxes, toiletries, jewellery, inkwells and even dentures.
Advances in plastics caused shellac to become obsolete as a molding compound.
Shellac resin (orange and white varieties) was used both in the field and in the laboratory to bond and stabilize dinosaur bones until the mid-1960s.
Although effective at the time, the long-term adverse effects of shellac (organic in nature) on dinosaur bones and other fossils are debated, and shellac is rarely used today by professional conservators and fossil preparers.
Shellac resin was used to fix the inductor, motor, generator and transformer windings.
Chiefly in lacquers and varnishes; also in manufacture of buttons, grinding wheels, sealing wax, cements, inks, phonograph records, paper; for stiffening hats; in electrical machines; coating confections and medicinal tablets; finishing leather.
Shellac resin was applied directly to the single-layer dressings in an alcohol solution.
For multilayer windings, the entire coil was immersed in the shellac solution, then filtered and placed in a warm place to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
The Shellac resin locked wire turns in place, providing extra insulation, preventing movement and vibration, and reducing buzz and hum.
Shellac resin also helps to transfer the force caused by magnetic attraction and repulsion in motors and generators from windings to coils.
More recently, Shellac resin has been replaced by synthetic resins such as polyester resin in these applications.
Some applications use Shellac resin mixed with other natural or synthetic resins such as pine resin for electrical use or phenol-formaldehyde resin for which Bakelite is the best known.
Mixed with other resins, barium sulfate, calcium carbonate, zinc sulfide, aluminum oxide and/or copper carbonate (malachite), Shellac resin forms a component of the thermosetting cap cement used to fix the caps or bases to the bulbs of electric lamps.
Shellac resin is the central element of the traditional "French lacquer" method of finishing furniture, string instruments and pianos.
Edible shellac resin is used in the form of pharmaceutical glaze (or "confectionery glaze") as a polishing agent on pills (see excipients) and confectionery.
Because of their acidic properties (resistant to stomach acids), shellac-coated pills can be used for timed enteric or colonic release.
Shellac resin is used as a 'wax' coating on citrus to extend shelf/storage life.
Shellac resin is also used instead of the natural wax of the apple that comes out during the cleaning process.
When used for this purpose, Shellac resin has a food additive with E number E904.
Shellac resin is an odor and stain blocker and is therefore often used as the basis for "all problem solver" primers.
Although Shellac resin's resistance to abrasives and many common solvents is not very good, shellac provides an excellent barrier against the penetration of water vapor.
Shellac resin-based primers are an effective sealant for controlling odors associated with fire damage.
Shellac resin has traditionally been used as a dye for cotton and especially silk fabric in Thailand, especially in the northeastern region.
Shellac resin imparts a range of warm colors, from pale yellow to deep orange-red to dark ocher.
Naturally dyed silk fabrics, including shellac resin, are widely available in the rural northeast, particularly in the Ban Khwao District of Chaiyaphum province.
Wood veneer Wood veneer is one of the most traditional and still popular uses of shellac mixed with solvents or alcohol.
This dissolved Shellac resin liquid applied to a piece of wood is a surface that evaporates: the alcohol of the Shellac mixture evaporates, leaving a protective film behind.
Shellac resin as a wood veneer is natural and non-toxic in its pure form.
The coating made of Shellac resin is resistant to UV rays.
Shellac resin cannot keep up with synthetic coating products in terms of water resistance and durability.
Because Shellac resin is compatible with most other finishes, Shellac resin is also used as a barrier or primer coat on wood to prevent resin or pigments from leaching into the final finish or staining the wood stain.
In the attachment of artificial flies for trout and salmon, shellac was used to cover all cut material on the fly head.
Shellac resin is used in combination with beeswax to protect and brighten citrus fruits such as lemons.
Shellac resin is used in dental technology, where it is occasionally used in the manufacture of special impression trays and (partial) dentures.
Shellac resin is used for bicycles, as a protective and decorative coating for bicycle handlebar tape, and as a hard-drying adhesive for tubular tires, especially for track racing.
Shellac resin is used to reattach ink sacs when repairing vintage fountain pens, preferably to impart an orange color.
Shellac resin applied with a standard or modified Huon-Stuehrer nozzle, shellac coating can be economically micro-sprayed and used on a variety of smooth candies, such as chocolate-covered peanuts.
For luthier applications, Shellac resin is used to bind wood fibers and prevent tearing in soft spruce soundboards.
Shellac resin is used for cheesecloth fabric coated with a solution of shellac and ammonia, used in the shell of traditional silk tops and riding hats.
For the mounting of insects, Shellac resin is used in the form of a gel adhesive mixture consisting of 75% ethyl alcohol.
As a binder in the production of abrasive discs, Shellac resin provides flexibility and smoothness that is not found in vitrified (ceramic binder).
'Elastic' bonded wheels typically contain gypsum plaster and provide a stronger bond when mixed with shellac; dry mix gypsum powder, abrasive (eg corundum/aluminum oxide Al2O3) and shellac are heated and the mixture is pressed in a mold.
Shellac resin is also used in fireworks pyrotechnic compositions as a low temperature fuel, allowing the creation of pure 'greens' and 'blues' – colors that are difficult to achieve with blends of other fuels.
In jewelry; Shellac resin is often applied to the top of a 'shellac stick' to hold small, complex objects.
By melting Shellac resin, the jeweler can press the object (such as stone setting mount) into it.
Once the shellac resin has cooled, it can hold the object firmly, allowing it to be manipulated with tools.
In watchmaking, due to Shellac resin's low melting temperature (about 80–100 °C (176–212 °F)), shellac is used in most mechanical manufacturing.
Movements to set and stick the pallet stones to the pallet fork and fix the roller jewelery to the roller table of the scale used for wheels.
Shellac resin is also used to fix small parts to the 'wax chuck' (front plate) on a watchmaker's lathe.
Shellac resin was used to protect some military rifle stocks in the early twentieth century.
Together with the wax on Jelly Belly jelly beans Shellac resin gives them the final shine and polish.
In modern traditional archery, Shellac resin is one of the hot melt glue/resin products used to attach arrowheads to wood or arrowheads.
Sanding paste is a shellac solution dissolved in alcohol that is commonly sold to seal sanded surfaces, usually wooden surfaces.
Shellac resin is used as a top coat in nail polish (although not all nail polishes sold as "shellac" contain shellac, some nail polishes do not).
Processes[citation needed] are used in sculptures to seal plaster and to act as a barrier during mold making in combination with wax or oily soaps.
Shellac resin is also used as a dilute solution for insulating Harpsichord soundboards, protecting them from dust and buffering moisture changes.
Shellac resin is used as a small-scale commercial resin insect, Laccifer lacca, made from the secretions of the lac beetle, marketed as amber flakes.
Shellac resin is a natural thermoplastic; that is, it is soft and flows under pressure when heated, but is solid at room temperature.
This feature makes Shellac resin useful alone or in combination with fillers such as flaky mica and asbestos in manufactured products.
Shellac resin is used in molding compositions used to produce molded articles such as buttons.
Shellac resin is a component of many products, including abrasives, sealing wax, hair sprays and cake polishes.
Shellac resin was formerly used in combination with fine clay or other fillings to mold phonograph records, but after the early 1930s, synthetic thermoplastics, especially vinyl resins, were gradually replaced.
Alcohol solutions of Shellac resin, also called simply shellac, are used as varnish for priming and finishing furniture, floors.
Alkaline emulsions of Shellac resin are used to make self-polishing waxes, hardeners for felt hats, cements and sealers.
Shellac resin secreted by insects feeding on various resinous trees in India.
Shellac resin mainly used in lacquers and varnishes.
Shellac resin moreover making buttons, grinding wheels, sealing wax, cements, inks, phonograph records and paper.
Shellac resin is also used to stiffen hats, coats.
Shellac resin is used confectionery and medical tablets and leather coating.
Shellac resin is used as anti-caking agent, drying agent, moisturizer.
Shellac resin is used food processing aid and surface finishing agent.
Shellac resin is approved for use as an inert ingredient in non-food pesticides.
Shellac resin is a natural bioadhesive polymer and is chemically similar to synthetic polymers and is therefore considered a natural form of plastic.
Shellac resin is a natural resin, making it a renewable and biodegradable material.
Shellac resin has been used for centuries in various applications due to its unique properties.
Shellac resin is soluble in alcohol, and this property makes it an ideal material for creating a solution known as "shellac varnish" or "shellac polish."
This solution can be used as a protective coating or finish for various surfaces.
Shellac resin is widely used as a coating or finish for wood, metal, paper, and other surfaces.
Shellac resin provides a glossy, protective layer that enhances the appearance and durability of the underlying material.
Shellac resin is also used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Food-grade Shellac resin, often referred to as "confectioner's glaze" or "food-grade lacquer," is used to provide a shiny coating on candies, pills, and other edible products.
Shellac resin is safe for human consumption.
Shellac resin is used as a binder in some cosmetics and personal care products, such as nail polishes and hairsprays.
Shellac resin helps the product adhere to the surface and provides a shiny finish.
Shellac resin is sometimes used as a coating for pharmaceutical capsules to improve their appearance, ease of swallowing, and stability.
Artists and crafters use shellac in various forms, such as shellac flakes or premixed shellac solutions, for painting, sealing, and finishing their projects.
Shellac resin has historically been used in the production of musical instruments, including violins and pianos, to provide a protective and decorative finish.
In some applications, shellac can be used as a sealant or adhesive, particularly in woodworking and craft projects.
Shellac resin is a popular choice for finishing and protecting wood surfaces, such as furniture, cabinetry, and musical instruments.
Shellac resin provides a durable, glossy, and protective coating that enhances the natural beauty of the wood.
In the field of antique restoration and conservation, shellac is often used to preserve and restore the original finishes on antique furniture and objects.
Shellac resins reversible nature makes it valuable in this context.
Shellac resin can be used as a sealant and adhesive in woodworking and craft projects.
Shellac resin can bond various materials and seal gaps, making it versatile for woodworking applications.
Shellac resin, also known as "confectioner's glaze" or "food-grade lacquer," is used in the food industry to provide a shiny, protective coating on candies, chocolates, pills, and other edible products.
Shellac resin is used in the pharmaceutical industry to coat pills and tablets, making them easier to swallow, improving their appearance, and enhancing stability.
Artists and crafters use shellac in various forms, such as shellac flakes or premixed shellac solutions, for painting, sealing, and finishing their projects.
Shellac resin is particularly useful for creating a glossy and protective finish on artwork and craft items.
Shellac resin has historical significance in the production of musical instruments, including violins, pianos, and guitars.
Shellac resin can be used to provide a protective and decorative finish on instrument surfaces.
Shellac resin can be used as a protective coating for jewelry and metalwork to prevent tarnishing and enhance their appearance.
Shellac resin can be used as a resist or etching ground to create intricate designs on printing plates.
Shellac resin is resistant to many etching chemicals.
Shellac resin can be used in ceramics to create resist patterns or as a binder for glazes.
In the manufacture of pipes and cigars, Shellac resin is used to seal the outer layers and create a smooth, glossy finish.
Shellac resin-based primers are used in painting to block stains, odors, and tannin bleed from wood and other surfaces.
These primers are particularly effective in preventing bleed-through.
Entomologists and collectors use Shellac resin to preserve and mount insects and other specimens.
Shellac resin can be used in document restoration to stabilize and protect fragile paper and parchment documents.
In cosmetics and personal care products, Shellac resin is used as a binding agent in some products, such as nail polishes and hairsprays.
Model makers often use Shellac resin to create smooth and glossy surfaces on scale models and miniatures.
Shellac resin can be used in printmaking and stencil-making processes.
Shellac resin is used in the tying of artificial flies for trout and salmon, where the shellac was used to seal all trimmed materials at the head of the fly.
Shellac resin is used in combination with wax for preserving and imparting a shine to citrus fruits, such as lemons.
Shellac resin is used in dental technology, where it is occasionally used in the production of custom impression trays and (partial) denture production.
Shellac resin is used a binder in India ink.
Shellac resin is used for bicycles, as a protective and decorative coating for bicycle handlebar tape, and as a hard-drying adhesive for tubular tyres, particularly for track racing.
Shellac resin is used for re-attaching ink sacs when restoring vintage fountain pens, the orange variety preferably.
Shellac coating applied with either a standard or modified Huon-Stuehrer nozzle, can be economically micro-sprayed onto various smooth candies, such as chocolate coated peanuts.
Irregularities on the surface of the product being sprayed may result in the formation of unsightly aggregates ("lac-aggs") which precludes the use of this technique on foods such as walnuts or raisins.
Shellac resin is used for fixing pads to the key-cups of woodwind instruments.
Shellac resin is used for Luthier applications, to bind wood fibres down and prevent tear out on the soft spruce soundboards.
Shellac resin is used to stiffen and impart water-resistance to felt hats, for wood finishing and as a constituent of gossamer (or goss for short), a cheesecloth fabric coated in shellac and ammonia solution -used in the shell of traditional silk top and riding hats.
Shellac resin is used for mounting insects, in the form of a gel adhesive mixture composed of 75% ethyl alcohol.
Shellac resin is used as a binder in the fabrication of abrasive wheels,imparting flexibility and smoothness not found in vitrified (ceramic bond) wheels.
'Elastic' bonded wheels typically contain plaster of paris, yielding a stronger bond when mixed with shellac; the mixture of dry plaster powder, abrasive (e.g. corundum/aluminium oxide Al2O3), and shellac are heated and the mixture pressed in a mould.
Shellac resin is used in fireworks pyrotechnic compositions as a low-temperature fuel, where it allows the creation of pure 'greens' and 'blues'- colours difficult to achieve with other fuel mixes.
Shellac resin is used in Jewellery; shellac is often applied to the top of a 'shellac stick' in order to hold small, complex, objects. By melting the shellac, the jeweller can press the object (such as a stone setting mount) into it.
The shellac resin, once cool, can firmly hold the object - allowing it to be manipulated with tools.
Shellac resin is used n watchmaking, due to its low melting temperature (about 80–100 °C (176–212 °F)), shellac is used in most mechanical movements to adjust and adhere pallet stones to the pallet fork and secure the roller jewel to the roller table of the balance wheel.
Shellac resin is used also for securing small parts to a 'wax chuck' ( faceplate ) in a watchmakers' lathe.
Shellac resin is used in the early twentieth century, it was used to protect some military rifle stocks.
Shellac resin is used in Jelly Belly jelly beans, in combination with beeswax to give them their final buff and polish.
Shellac resin is used in modern traditional archery, shellac is one of the hot-melt glue/resin products used to attach arrowheads to wooden or bamboo arrow shafts.
Shellac resin is a solution of shellac dissolved in alcohol widely sold to seal sanded surfaces, typically wooden surfaces before a final coat of a more durable finish. Similar to French -Polish but more dilute.
Shellac resin is used as a topcoat in nail polish (although not all nail polish sold as "shellac" contains shellac, and some nail polish not labelled in this way does)
Shellac resin is used in sculpture, to seal plaster and in conjunction with wax or oil-soaps, to act as a barrier during mold-making processes[citation needed]
Shellac resin is used as a dilute solution in the sealing of harpsichord soundboards, protecting them from dust and buffering humidity changes while maintaining a bare-wood appearance.
Shellac resin, commercial resin marketed in the form of amber flakes, made from the secretions of the lac insect, a tiny scale insect, Laccifer lacca .
Shellac resin is a natural thermoplastic; that is, a material that is soft and flows under pressure when heated but becomes rigid at room temperature.
This property makes Shellac resin useful either by itself or in combination with such fillers as flaked mica and asbestos in manufactured molding compositions, used for producing molded articles such as buttons.
Shellac resin is an ingredient in many products, including abrasives, sealing wax, hair sprays, and cake glazes.
Shellac resin was formerly used, along with fine clay or other filler, to mold phonograph records, but, after the early 1930s, synthetic thermoplastics, particularly vinyl resins, gradually replaced it.
Alcohol solutions of Shellac resin, also called simply shellac, are used as varnishes for priming and finishing furniture, floors, and various wood articles and as an intermediate in nitrocellulose lacquers.
Alkali emulsions of Shellac resin are used to make self-polishing waxes, stiffeners for felt hats, cements, and sealers.
Wood finish:
Wood finishing is one of the most traditional and still popular uses of shellac mixed with solvents or alcohol.
This dissolved Shellac resin liquid, applied to a piece of wood, is an evaporative finish: the alcohol of the shellac mixture evaporates, leaving behind a protective film.
Shellac resin as wood finish is natural and non-toxic in its pure form.
A finish made of shellac is UV-resistant.
For water-resistance and durability, Shellac resin does not keep up with synthetic finishing products.
Because Shellac resin is compatible with most other finishes, Shellac resin is also used as a barrier or primer coat on wood to prevent the bleeding of resin or pigments into the final finish, or to prevent wood stain from blotching.
Use and Manufacturing:
Shellac resin secreted by insects that feed on various resiniferous trees in India.
Shellac resin is used mainly in lacquers and varnishes; Also to make buttons, grinding wheels, sealing wax, cements, inks, phonograph records, and paper.
Shellac resin is also used to stiffen hats, coat confections and medicinal tablets, and finish leather.
Shellac resin is used as an anticaking agent, drying agent, humectant, processing aid, and surface-finishing agent for foods.
Permitted for use as an inert ingredient in non-food pesticide products.
Shellac is a natural bioadhesive polymer and is chemically similar to synthetic polymers, and thus can be considered a natural form of plastic.
Shellac resin is generally made from two ingredients, raw seed lac and ethyl alcohol.
In fact, most companies want to purify shellac as completely as possible—impurities from the bug, the cocoon etc. are removed, as are natural waxes.
Shellac resin is generally shipped in dry or flaked form and is re-moisturized with an alcohol solvent, generally denatured alcohol.
Some companies add ingredients to lengthen the shelf life of their product but will not reveal these proprietary additives.
Shellac resin that is bleached (or made into clear shellac) are dissolved in sodium carbonate and centrifuge to remove insolubles and then bleached with sodium hypochlorite.
Shellac resin is a natural product with interesting properties and an exceptional versatility.
Shellac resin is the purified product of the natural resin lac which is the hardened secretion of the small, parasitic insect Kerria Lacca, popularly known as the lac insect.
Shellac resin is the only known commercial resin of animal origin.
Shellac resin has been known in India and China since ancient times.
Shellac resins use can be traced back to recordings from India from more than 2000 years ago.
The first mentioning in Europe can be referred to van Linschoten in 1596 who was sent to India by the king of Portugal.
Shellac resin is a natural resin obtained from gum lac.
Shellac resin in turn is obtained from secretions of the female Kerria lacca insect.
Production of shellac resin takes place mostly in China and India.
The odorless and tasteless resin has a very high brittleness and hardness.
Shellac resin functions as a versatile wood treatment and coating, and acts as a binding agent in paint and rust treatment.
Shellac resin is commonly used as a primer, basecoat or undercoat prior to painting, a knot and stain sealer and odour blocker, as well as a high-gloss wood varnish, being a key component of the French Polishing process.
Shellac resin is also resistant to ultra-violet light, so does not darken with age, and is both quick drying and cures at relatively low temperatures.
Damaged Shellac can simply be touched-up with a fresh coat of Shellac resin because the new one amalgamates with the existing coat.
Brushes can be cleaned using methylated spirits.
Production Methods of Shellac Resin:
Shellac resin or lac is cultivated and refined from lacca, a resinous secretion produced by the tiny insect Kerria lacca (Kerr) Lindinger (Coccideae), formerly Laccifer lacca (Kerr).
The insects are parasitic on certain trees, mainly in India.
In Thailand and South China, the Shellac resin is secreted by another species, Laccifer chinensis (Madihassan) on different trees.
The insects pierce through the bark of the tree and transform the sap into a natural polyester Shellac resin, called stick lac,which is secreted through the surface of their body.
The Shellac resin forms thick encrustations on the smaller branches and twigs, which are then scraped off the twigs and further processed to produce seed lac, as Shellac resin is known at this stage.
Seed lac is then refined to become shellac.
The chemical composition, properties and the color of Shellac resin depend on the insect or insect strain, and thus the host tree, as well as the process used for refining.
Three very different processes are used for refining the seed lac to Shellac resin(bleaching, melting, and solvent extraction), resulting in products with different characteristics and properties.
Bleaching process Refined bleached or white Shellac resin is obtained by dissolving seed lac in an aqueous alkaline solution, which is then filtered, dewaxed, and bleached with sodium hypochlorite to completely remove the color.
However, changes in the molecular structure and the addition of chlorine substituents may lead to self-crosslinking and polymerization.
Melting process After melting the seed lac, the highly viscous molten lac is pressed through a filter and drawn to a thin film.
Once cooled, the film breaks into thin flakes.
The Shellac resin wax is not removed by this process and the color depends on the type of seed lac used.
Solvent extraction process Solvent extraction is a very gentle process for refining Shellac resin.
The seed lac is dissolved in ethanol, and wax and impurities are removed by filtration.
Activated carbon is used to produce light-colored grades.
After a further filtration step and the removal of ethanol, the resin is drawn to a thin film, which breaks into flakes after cooling.
The properties of the final Shellac resin depend on the type of seed lac used and are influenced by the processing parameters and the grade of activated carbon.
Shellac resin is widely used as a moisture barrier coating for tablets and pellets due to its low water vapor and oxygen permeability.
Shellac resin has usually been applied in the form of alcoholic or aqueous solutions (pharmaceutical glazes).
However, due to stability problems with alcoholic shellac solutions, Shellac resin has had limited use in the pharmaceutical industry for modified-release or enteric coatings.
Shellac resin, particularly novel aqueous shellac solutions, is mainly used in food products and nutritional supplements.
Recent research results indicate good application properties and chemical stability of shellac films from aqueous shellac solutions.
Aqueous ammonium Shellac resin solutions, based on dewaxed orange shellac, do not show the problems exhibited by alcoholic shellac solutions and are used as an enteric coating for pellets, tablets, soft and hard gelatine capsules, primarily in nutritional supplements.
Shellac resin is a primary ingredient of pharmaceutical printing inks for capsules and tablets, and can be applied as a 40% w/v alcoholic solution.
Shellac resin has also been used to apply one or two sealing coats to tablet cores to protect them from moisture before being film- or sugar-coated.
Other applications of shellac are the coating or encapsulation of powders or granules, e.g. in probiotics.
Prior to the introduction of film coating, a combination of Shellac resin, cetostearyl alcohol and stearic acid was used as an enteric coating.
In cosmetics, Shellac resin is used in hairsprays, mascara and lipstick formulations. Aqueous shellac solutions are also used for colonic drug delivery.
Manufacturing Methods of Shellac Resin:
Shellac resin is scraped from the bark of the trees where the female lac bug, Kerria lacca (order Hemiptera, family Kerriidae, also known as Laccifer lacca), secretes Shellac resin to form a tunnel-like tube as it traverses the branches of the tree.
Though these tunnels are sometimes referred to as "cocoons", they are not cocoons in the entomological sense.
This insect is in the same superfamily as the insect from which cochineal is obtained.
The insects suck the sap of the tree and excrete "sticklac" almost constantly.
The least-coloured Shellac resin is produced when the insects feed on the kusum tree (Schleichera).
The number of lac bugs required to produce 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of Shellac resin has variously been estimated as 50,000, 200,000, or 300,000.
The root word lakh is a unit in Indian numbering system for 100,000 and presumably refers to the huge numbers of insects that swarm on host trees, up to 150 per square inch (23/cm2).
The raw Shellac resin, which contains bark shavings and lac bugs removed during scraping, is placed in canvas tubes (much like long socks) and heated over a fire.
This causes the Shellac resin to liquefy, and it seeps out of the canvas, leaving the bark and bugs behind.
The thick, sticky Shellac resin is then dried into a flat sheet and broken into flakes, or dried into "buttons" (pucks/cakes), then bagged and sold.
The end-user then crushes Shellac resin into a fine powder and mixes it with ethyl alcohol before use, to dissolve the flakes and make liquid Shellac resin.
Liquid Shellac resin has a limited shelf life (about 1 year), so is sold in dry form for dissolution before use.
Liquid Shellac resin sold in hardware stores is often marked with the production (mixing) date, so the consumer can know whether the shellac inside is still good.
Some manufacturers (e.g., Zinsser) have ceased labeling Shellac resin with the production date, but the production date may be discernible from the production lot code.
Alternatively, old shellac may be tested to see if it is still usable: a few drops on glass should dry to a hard surface in roughly 15 minutes.
Shellac resin that remains tacky for a long time is no longer usable.
Storage life depends on peak temperature, so refrigeration extends shelf life.
The thickness (concentration) of Shellac resin is measured by the unit "pound cut", referring to the amount (in pounds) of shellac flakes dissolved in a gallon of denatured alcohol.
For example: a 1-lb. cut of shellac is the strength obtained by dissolving one pound of shellac flakes in a gallon of alcohol (equivalent to 120 grams per litre).
Most pre-mixed commercial preparations come at a 3-lb. cut.
Multiple thin layers of shellac produce a significantly better end result than a few thick layers.
Thick layers of Shellac resin do not adhere to the substrate or to each other well, and thus can peel off with relative ease; in addition, thick shellac will obscure fine details in carved designs in wood and other substrates.
Shellac resin naturally dries to a high-gloss sheen.
For applications where a flatter (less shiny) sheen is desired, products containing amorphous silica, such as "Shellac Flat", may be added to the dissolved shellac.
Shellac resin naturally contains a small amount of wax (3%–5% by volume), which comes from the lac bug.
In some preparations, this wax is removed (the resulting product being called "dewaxed shellac").
This is done for applications where the shellac will be coated with something else (such as paint or varnish), so the topcoat will adhere.
Waxy (non-dewaxed) shellac appears milky in liquid form, but dries clear.
Properties of Shellac Resin:
Shellac resin is a natural bioadhesive polymer and is chemically similar to synthetic polymers.
Shellac resin can thus can be considered a natural form of plastic.
With a melting point of 75 °C (167 °F), Shellac resin can be classed as a thermoplastic;used to bind wood flour, the mixture can be moulded with heat and pressure.
Shellac resin scratches more easily than most lacquers and varnishes, and application is more labour-intensive, which is why Shellac resin has been replaced by plastic in most areas.
Shellac resin is much softer than Urushi lacquer, for instance, which is far superior with regard to both chemical and mechanical resistance.
But damaged shellac can easily be touched up with another coat of Shellac resin (unlike polyurethane, which chemically cures to a solid) because the new coat merges with and bonds to the existing coat(s).
Shellac resin is soluble in alkaline solutions of ammonia, sodium borate, sodium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide, and also in various organic solvents.
When dissolved in alcohol (typically denatured ethanol) for application, shellac yields a coating of good durability and hardness.
Upon mild hydrolysis Shellac resin gives a complex mix of aliphatic and alicyclic hydroxy acids and their polymers that varies in exact composition depending upon the source of the shellac and the season of collection.
The major component of the aliphatic component is aleuritic acid, whereas the main alicyclic component is shellolic acid.
Shellac is UV-resistant, and does not darken as it ages (though the wood under it may do so, as in the case of pine).
Colours and Availability:
Shellac resin comes in many warm colours, ranging from a very light blonde ("platina") to a very dark brown ("garnet"), with many varieties of brown, yellow, orange and red in between.
The colour is influenced by the sap of the tree the lac bug is living on and by the time of harvest.
Historically, the most commonly sold Shellac resin is called "orange shellac", and was used extensively as a combination stain and protectant for wood panelling and cabinetry in the 20th century.
Shellac resin was once very common anywhere paints or varnishes were sold (such as hardware stores).
However, cheaper and more abrasion- and chemical-resistant finishes, such as polyurethane, have almost completely replaced it in decorative residential wood finishing such as hardwood floors, wooden wainscoting plank panelling, and kitchen cabinets.
These alternative products, however, must be applied over a stain if the user wants the wood to be coloured; clear or blonde shellac may be applied over a stain without affecting the colour of the finished piece, as a protective topcoat.
"Wax over shellac" (an application of buffed-on paste wax over several coats of shellac) is often regarded as a beautiful, if fragile, finish for hardwood floors.
Luthiers still use shellac to French polish fine acoustic stringed instruments, but Shellac resin has been replaced by synthetic plastic lacquers and varnishes in many workshops, especially high-volume production environments.
Shellac resin dissolved in alcohol, typically more dilute than French-Polish, is now commonly sold as "sanding sealer" by several companies.
Shellac resin is used to seal wooden surfaces, often as preparation for a final more durable finish; Shellac resin reduces the amount of final coating required by reducing its absorption into the wood.
Handling and Storage of Shellac Resin:
Handling:
Handle shellac resin in well-ventilated areas to avoid inhaling dust or fumes.
Avoid direct contact with skin or eyes by wearing protective gloves and goggles.
Use proper grounding and bonding procedures when transferring shellac to avoid static discharge, as some forms may be flammable.
Avoid exposure to open flames, sparks, or other sources of ignition.
Storage:
Store shellac resin in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight, heat sources, and moisture.
Keep containers tightly closed when not in use to prevent contamination and degradation.
Store away from incompatible materials such as strong oxidizing agents.
Ensure that storage areas are clearly labeled and designed to minimize the risk of fire.
Stability and Reactivity of Shellac Resin:
Stability:
Shellac resin is generally stable under recommended storage conditions.
Exposure to heat, moisture, or strong acids/bases can lead to degradation or loss of quality.
Reactivity:
Shellac resin can react with strong oxidizing agents, potentially causing a fire hazard.
Shellac resin may also degrade when exposed to moisture, leading to changes in its physical properties.
Shellac resin sensitive to alkaline conditions, which can cause it to saponify or break down.
Safety Profile of Shellac Resin:
Shellac resin is used in oral pharmaceutical formulations, food products, and cosmetics.
Shellac resin is generally regarded as an essentially nonirritant and nontoxic material at the levels employed as an excipient.
Some individuals may be sensitive or allergic to Shellac resin or the solvents used to dissolve it.
Skin contact with Shellac resin or inhalation of solvent vapors may lead to skin irritation, rashes, or respiratory irritation in susceptible individuals.
The solvents used to dissolve Shellac resin are often highly flammable.
These solvents include alcohol-based solutions, which can pose a fire hazard if not handled and stored properly.
Shellac resin's important to keep shellac and its solvents away from open flames, sparks, and heat sources.
When working with Shellac resin and its solvents, it's essential to ensure adequate ventilation to prevent the inhalation of solvent vapors.
Shellac resin is use these products in well-ventilated areas or consider using protective respiratory equipment if ventilation is insufficient.
Shellac resin can cause eye and skin irritation upon contact.
Avoid direct contact with the eyes and skin, and in case of accidental contact, rinse the affected area with water.
Prolonged or repeated skin contact with Shellac resin or its solvents may lead to allergic dermatitis in some individuals, resulting in itching, redness, and skin rashes.
Gloves and other personal protective equipment should be used when handling Shellac resin products.
Shellac resin and its solvents are not intended for ingestion.
Ingesting significant amounts of these substances can be harmful and may lead to nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal symptoms.
First Aid Measures of Shellac Resin:
Inhalation:
Move the affected person to fresh air immediately.
If breathing is difficult, provide oxygen and seek medical attention.
Skin Contact:
Wash the affected area with plenty of soap and water.
Remove contaminated clothing and wash before reuse.
Seek medical attention if irritation persists.
Eye Contact:
Rinse eyes thoroughly with water for at least 15 minutes.
Lift upper and lower eyelids to ensure complete removal of the substance.
Seek immediate medical attention if irritation persists.
Ingestion:
Do not induce vomiting unless directed by medical personnel.
Rinse the mouth with water and drink plenty of water.
Seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Fire Fighting Measures of Shellac Resin:
Extinguishing Media:
Use water spray, alcohol-resistant foam, dry chemical, or carbon dioxide to extinguish fires involving shellac.
Avoid using water jet as Shellac resin may spread the fire.
Special Hazards:
Shellac dust can be combustible and may form explosive mixtures in air.
During a fire, shellac can produce irritating or toxic fumes, including carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Protective Equipment:
Firefighters should wear self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and full protective gear to prevent exposure to smoke and toxic fumes.
Advice for Firefighters:
Keep containers cool with water spray to prevent overheating and possible rupture.
Evacuate the area and fight the fire from a safe distance if large quantities are involved.
Accidental Release Measures of Shellac Resin:
Personal Precautions:
Evacuate the area and ensure adequate ventilation.
Avoid inhalation of dust and contact with skin or eyes by wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Eliminate all ignition sources, such as open flames or sparks.
Environmental Precautions:
Prevent the spilled material from entering drains, watercourses, or the environment.
Contain the spill using appropriate barriers or absorbent materials.
Containment and Clean-Up:
Sweep up or vacuum spilled shellac resin carefully to avoid creating dust.
Place collected material in properly labeled containers for disposal according to local regulations.
Wash the spill area with water and detergent to remove any residue.
Exposure Controls/Personal Protection of Shellac Resin:
Exposure Limits:
There are no specific occupational exposure limits for shellac, but general dust exposure limits (e.g., OSHA PEL for total dust) may apply.
Engineering Controls:
Use adequate ventilation, especially in confined areas, to maintain exposure levels below recommended limits.
Implement local exhaust ventilation to capture dust or fumes at the source.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
Respiratory Protection:
Use a dust mask or respirator if dust levels are high or if working in poorly ventilated areas.
Skin Protection:
Wear protective gloves, long sleeves, and protective clothing to prevent skin contact.
Eye Protection:
Use safety goggles or face shields to protect against dust or splashes.
Hygiene Measures:
Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly after handling shellac.
Avoid eating, drinking, or smoking in work areas where shellac is handled.
Identifiers of Shellac Resin:
CAS Number: 9000-59-3
EC Number : 232-549-9
Molecular Formula: C30H50O11
Molecular Weight: 586.7
Chemical Name: Shellac
CAS Number: 9000-59-3
EC Number: 232-549-9
Appearance: Shellac typically appears as orange to reddish-brown flakes or granules. Shellac resin can also be found in a bleached, colorless form.
Solubility: Shellac is soluble in alcohol, making it easy to apply as a liquid resin.
Melting Point: Shellac typically melts at around 80-120°C (176-248°F), depending on the specific composition and form.
HS Code: 1301.90.20
Properties of Shellac Resin:
Melting point: 115-120°
Density: 1.035-1.140
storage temp.: 2-8°C
solubility: Practically insoluble in water, gives a more or less opalescent solution (wax containing shellac and bleached shellac) or a clear solution (dewaxed shellac and bleached, dewaxed shellac) in anhydrous ethanol, When warmed it is sparingly soluble or soluble in alkaline solutions.
Odor: mild woody
Stability: Stable, Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents.
