making, mending + material culture

Kintsuglupedia: Shellac

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Intro:

Shellac is a natural resin derived from the Lac beetle. It’s an appealing alternative to urushi for a kintsugi-style repair; as both come out of a long decorative arts background and have been used to ‘stick, and seal, and decorate’ for hundreds of years in a number of regions. 


Background: 

Shellac is a natural resin that’s derived from the secretions of the Lac bug – an insect that feeds off trees indigenous to India and Thailand. The beetles’ cocoons –are gathered from the trees and refined into shiny orange shards, that dissolve in alcohol (but not water).

The shellac trade between Asia and Europe began in the early 17th century, saw a sharp rise once the 1800s hit, and continued into the early 20th century -  most commonly being used for polishing woodwork to a rich shine. French polishing is a particularly fine example of this.

Thus, Shellac has the potential to be a great alternative to urushi for a kintsugi-style repair; it’s coming out of a similar decorative arts background and has been used to ‘stick, and seal, and decorate’ for hundreds of years in a number of regions and cultures. Just like with urushi, it is often skillfully applied by a master-craftsperson, in very thin layers with sanding and polishing processes, resulting in a deep and rather magical luster.

Process: 

  1. Dilute shellac with alcohol to make a thick lacquer

  2. Mix with flour and stick the broken ceramic together

  3. Mix with clay and seal the crack 

  4. Mix with pigment and paint along the line

  5. Decorate with gold

Outcome:

This is currently in progress - I’ll report back when it’s fully cured and stress tested.

Other Thoughts:

Even if you might recoil at eating beetle excretions, there’s a good chance you’ve consumed shellac at some point in your life - it’s been a popular additive for making foods shinier, including jelly beans, M&Ms, and supermarket apples. Obviously you’re not going to be eating your kintsugi-style repairs, but even so this may not be a vegan option.


Regional significance: India, China,Thailand

Cultural significance: India, China, Thailand, France, UK, USA, Europe +

Traditional Uses: Boat building, French Polishing pianos and other instruments,food.

Tags:  India, Thailand, France, UK, USA, Europe, Insects, Historic, Traditional

References: 

http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/shellac-as-glue.791/

https://www.shellacshack.com/2008/03/using-shellac-a.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac

https://s3.amazonaws.com/theBarn/Articles/Finishing/Williams%2CDon-Shellac_Finishing.pd 

https://www.thoughtco.com/how-is-shellac-not-vegan-127609

A Traditional Finish Still Yields Outstanding Results, Don WIlliams, July/August 1988 pp56-5

Kintsuglupediaclementine nuttallIndia, Thailand, France, UK, USA, Europe, Insects, Historic, TraditionalComment