Editing Shellac (section)

== Uses ==
=== Historical ===
In the early- and mid-twentieth century, orange shellac was used as a one-product finish (combination stain and varnish-like topcoat) on decorative wood panelling used on walls and ceilings in homes, particularly in the US. In the [[American South]], use of knotty [[pine]] plank [[panelling]] covered with orange shellac was once as common in new construction as [[drywall]] is today. It was also often used on kitchen cabinets and hardwood floors, prior to the advent of [[polyurethane]].{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

Until the advent of [[Polyvinyl chloride|vinyl]], most [[gramophone records]] were pressed from shellac compounds.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rheding|first1=Alexander|title=On the Record|journal=Cambridge Opera Journal|date=2006|volume=18|issue=1|pages=59–82|doi=10.1017/S0954586706002102|s2cid=231810582}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Melillo|first1=Edward|title=Global Entomologies: Insects, Empires, and the 'Synthetic Age' in World History|journal=Past & Present|date=2014|issue=223|pages=233–270|url=https://academic.oup.com/past/article-abstract/223/1/233/1426060|doi=10.1093/pastj/gtt026}}</ref> From 1921 to 1928, {{formatnum:18000}} tons of shellac were used to create 260 million records for Europe.<ref name=Berenbaum1993Page27 /> In the 1930s, it was estimated that half of all shellac was used for [[Phonograph record|gramophone records]].<ref name=HowManufactured1937>{{cite news|title=How Shellac Is Manufactured|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55073762|access-date=3 July 2014|publisher=The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912–1954)|date=18 December 1937}}</ref> Use of shellac for records was common until the 1950s and continued into the 1970s in some non-Western countries, as well as for some children's records.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-28 |title=My Turntable Has 3 Speeds But Are 78 RPM Records Still Made? {{!}} Vinyl Bro {{!}} Elevate Your Music |url=https://vinylbro.com/are-78-rpm-records-still-made/ |access-date=2022-12-30 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The history of 78 RPM recordings {{!}} Yale University Library |url=https://web.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/historyof78rpms |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=web.library.yale.edu}}</ref>

Until recent advances in technology, shellac ([[French polish]]) was the only glue used in the making of [[ballet]] dancers' [[pointe shoe]]s, to stiffen the box (toe area) to support the dancer en pointe. Many manufacturers of pointe shoes still use the traditional techniques, and many dancers use shellac to revive a softening pair of shoes.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.bloch.com.au/content/54-maintenance-of-pointe-shoes
| title = Maintenance of Pointe Shoes – Bloch Australia
| website = Bloch Australia
| access-date = 17 March 2016
| archive-date = 18 April 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190418021244/https://www.bloch.com.au/content/54-maintenance-of-pointe-shoes
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

Shellac was historically used as a protective coating on paintings.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

Sheets of [[Braille]] were coated with shellac to help protect them from [[wear]] due to being read by hand.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

Shellac was used from the mid-nineteenth century to produce small moulded goods such as [[picture frame]]s, [[box]]es, toilet articles, [[jewelry]], [[inkwell]]s and even [[dentures]]. Advances in [[plastics]] have rendered shellac obsolete as a moulding compound.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Freinkel |first=Susan |title=A Brief History of Plastic's Conquest of the World |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-brief-history-of-plastic-world-conquest/ |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref>

Shellac (both orange and white varieties) was used both in the field and laboratory to glue and stabilise dinosaur bones until about the mid-1960s. While effective at the time, the long-term negative effects of shellac (being organic in nature) on dinosaur bones and other fossils is debated, and shellac is very rarely used by professional conservators and fossil preparators today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PaleoPortal Fossil Preparation {{!}} Tips |url=http://preparation.paleo.amnh.org/50/tips |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=preparation.paleo.amnh.org}}</ref>

Shellac was used for fixing [[inductor]], [[Electric motor|motor]], [[Electrical generator|generator]] and [[transformer]] windings. It was applied directly to single-layer windings in an alcohol solution. For multi-layer windings, the whole coil was submerged in shellac solution, then drained and placed in a warm location to allow the alcohol to evaporate. The shellac locked the wire turns in place, provided extra insulation, prevented movement and vibration and reduced buzz and hum. In motors and generators it also helps transfer force generated by magnetic attraction and repulsion from the windings to the rotor or [[armature (electrical engineering)|armature]]. In more recent times, shellac has been replaced in these applications by synthetic resins such as [[polyester resin]]. Some applications use shellac mixed with other natural or synthetic resins, such as [[pine resin]] or phenol-[[formaldehyde]] resin, of which [[Bakelite]] is the best known, for electrical use. Mixed with other resins, [[barium sulfate]], [[calcium carbonate]], [[zinc sulfide]], [[aluminium oxide]] and/or cuprous carbonate ([[malachite]]), shellac forms a component of heat-cured capping cement used to fasten the caps or bases to the bulbs of electric lamps.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

=== Current uses ===
It is the central element of the traditional "[[French polish]]" method of [[wood finishing|finishing]] furniture, fine [[string instrument]]s, and [[piano]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bitmead |first1=Richard |title=French Polishing and Enamelling |date=1910 |publisher=Crosby Lockwood and Son |location=London |pages=Preface, 18 ff |edition=4 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/17935/17935-h/17935-h.htm |access-date=26 June 2021}}</ref>

Shellac, being edible, is used as a [[glazing agent]] on pills (see [[excipient]]) and sweets, in the form of [[pharmaceutical glaze]] (or, "confectioner's glaze"). Because of its acidic properties (resisting stomach acids), shellac-coated pills may be used for a timed [[Enteric coating|enteric]] or colonic release.<ref>[http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6620431.html Shellac film coatings providing release at selected pH and method – US Patent 6620431] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083616/http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6620431.html |date=29 September 2007 }}</ref> Shellac is used as a 'wax' coating on citrus fruit to prolong its shelf/storage life. It is also used to replace the natural wax of the [[apple]], which is removed during the cleaning process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://usapple.org/consumers/wax.cfm |title=US Apple: Consumers – FAQs: Apples and Wax |access-date=2012-02-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203123752/http://usapple.org/consumers/wax.cfm |archive-date=3 December 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> When used for this purpose, it has the [[food additive]] [[E number]] E904.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bleached Shellac |url=https://shellacthailand.com/en/product-and-services/bleached-shellac/ |publisher=Creasia Group |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref>

Shellac is an odour and stain blocker and so is often used as the base of "all-purpose" primers. Although its durability against abrasives and many common solvents is not very good, shellac provides an excellent barrier against water vapour penetration. Shellac-based primers are an effective sealant to control odours associated with fire damage.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stanton |first1=Cole |title=Solutions by Sixes and Sevens: Smoke Sealers during Smoke Odor & Fire Damage Restoration |url=https://www.randrmagonline.com/articles/87371-solutions-by-sixes-and-sevens-smoke-sealers-during-smoke-odor-fire-damage-restoration |website=Restoration & Remediation Magazine |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref>

Shellac has traditionally been used as a dye for cotton and, especially, silk cloth in Thailand, particularly in the north-eastern region.<ref name="Suanmuang Tulaphan, Phunsap, Silk Dyeing With Natural Dyestuffs in Northeastern Thailand, 1999, p. 26-30 (in Thai).">Suanmuang Tulaphan, Phunsap, ''Silk Dyeing With Natural Dyestuffs in Northeastern Thailand'', 1999, p. 26-30 (in Thai)</ref> It yields a range of warm colours from pale yellow through to dark orange-reds and dark ochre.<ref name="Punyaprasop, Daranee (Ed.)Colour And Pattern On Native Cloth, 2001, p. 253, 256 (in Thai).">Punyaprasop, Daranee (Ed.)Colour ''And Pattern On Native Cloth'', 2001, p. 253, 256 (in Thai)</ref> Naturally dyed silk cloth, including that using shellac, is widely available in the rural northeast, especially in [[Ban Khwao District]], [[Chaiyaphum province]]. The Thai name for the insect and the substance is "khrang" (Thai: ครั่ง).{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

====Wood finish====

Wood finishing is one of the most traditional and still popular uses of shellac mixed with solvents or alcohol. This dissolved shellac liquid, applied to a piece of wood, is an evaporative finish: the alcohol of the shellac mixture evaporates, leaving behind a protective film.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Woodworking Tools and Techniques: An Introduction to Basic Woodworking|last=Marshall|first=Chris|publisher=Creative Publishing International, US|year=2004|pages=137}}</ref>

Shellac 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, it does not keep up with synthetic finishing products.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thediyhammer.com/shellac-vs-polyurethane-vs-varnish-wood-finishing-faqs/|title=Wood Finishing FAQs: Shellac vs. Polyurethane vs. Varnish|website=TheDIYhammer|date=31 July 2019|access-date=4 August 2019}}</ref>

Because it is compatible with most other finishes, shellac 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.<ref name="WoodworkDetails.com2">Shellac, [http://www.woodworkdetails.com/knowledge/finishing/shellac WoodworkDetails.com: Shellac as a Woodworking Finish]{{Circular reference|date=March 2015}}</ref>

==== Other ====
Shellac 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.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}
* in combination with wax for preserving and imparting a shine to [[Citrus|citrus fruits]], such as [[lemon]]s and [[Orange (fruit)|orange]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/vegans-fruit-unsuitable-wax-diet-b2149877.html |title=Why not all fruit is suitable for vegans |date=2022-08-22 |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=The Independent |last=Sommerlad |first=Joe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Shellac, gelatin and Persian gum as alternative coating for orange fruit |journal=Scientia Horticulturae |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304423817303849 |last1=Khorram |first1=Fereshteh |date=2017-11-18 |volume=225 |pages=22–28 |last2=Ramezanian |first2=Asghar |doi=10.1016/j.scienta.2017.06.045 |last3=Hosseini |first3=Seyyed Mohammad Hashem|bibcode=2017ScHor.225...22K }}</ref>
* in [[dentistry|dental technology]], where it is occasionally used in the production of custom impression trays and temporary denture baseplate production.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The production of shellac and its general and dental uses: a review |journal=Journal of Oral Rehabilitation |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2842.1993.tb01623.x#:~:text=In%20its%20refined%20form%2C%20shellac,rims%20when%20recording%20jaw%20relationships. |last1=Azouka |first1=A. |issue=4 |volume=20 |pages=393–400 |last2=Huggett |first2=R. |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2842.1993.tb01623.x |year=1993 |last3=Harrison |first3=A.|pmid=8350174 }}</ref>
* as a binder in [[India ink]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ink |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/ink |website=MoMA |access-date=17 October 2021}}</ref>
* for [[bicycles]], as a protective and decorative coating for [[bicycle handlebar]] tape,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.outyourbackdoor.com/article.php?id=428 |title=Shellac & Twine makes Handlebar fine |date=21 August 2005 |website=Out Your Backdoor |access-date=17 March 2015}}</ref> and as a hard-drying adhesive for [[tubular tyres]], particularly for [[track cycling|track racing]].<ref>[http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/mounting-tubulars.html Mounting Tubular Tires] by [[Jobst Brandt]]</ref>
* for re-attaching ink sacs when restoring vintage [[fountain pen]]s, the orange variety preferably.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}
* applied as a coating 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.
* for fixing pads to the key-cups of [[woodwind]] instruments.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}
* for [[luthier]]ie applications, to bind wood fibres down and prevent tear out on the soft [[spruce]] soundboards.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}
* to stiffen and impart water-resistance to felt hats, for wood finishing<ref>{{cite web |url=http://antiquerestorers.com/Articles/jeff/shellac.htm |title=Shellac: A traditional finish still yields superb results |last=Jewitt |first=Jeff |website=Antique Restorers |access-date=16 March 2015}}</ref> 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 hats|top]] and riding hats.
* for mounting insects, in the form of a gel adhesive mixture composed of 75% ethyl alcohol.<ref>[http://www.nadsdiptera.org/News/FlyTimes/issue18.htm Fly Times: Shellac gel for insect mounting]</ref>
* as a binder in the fabrication of [[abrasive wheel]]s,<ref>{{Cite book
 |title=Grinding Technology: Theory and Applications of Machining With Abrasives
 |author=Stephen Malkin |author2=Changsheng Guo
 |publisher=Industrial Press
 |year=2008
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l3260ZF_PfQC&pg=PA5
 |page=5
|isbn=9780831132477 }}</ref> 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]] Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>), and shellac are heated and the mixture pressed in a mould.
* 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.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}
* 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, once cool, can firmly hold the object, allowing it to be manipulated with tools.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stone Setting Tools FAQs |url=https://www.ganoksin.com/article/stone-setting-tools-faqs/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Ganoksin|language=en}}</ref>
* in [[watchmaking]], due to its low melting temperature (about {{convert|80|-|100|C}}), 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]]. Also for securing small parts to a 'wax chuck' (faceplate) in a watchmakers' lathe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shellac |url=https://watchmakingjourney.com/tag/shellac/ |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=watchmaking journey |date=19 September 2014 |language=en}}</ref>
* in the early twentieth century, it was used to protect some military [[rifle]] stocks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.russian-mosin-nagant.com/faq/#Q3 |title=What kind of finish is on my stock? |website=Russian Mosin Nagant Forum |access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref>
* in [[Jelly Belly]] jelly beans, in combination with [[beeswax]] to give them their final buff and polish.<ref>[http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/faq/q-and-a/?id=11 Q&A – Jelly Belly jelly beans] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105045321/http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/faq/q-and-a/?id=11 |date=5 January 2014 }}</ref>
* in modern traditional [[archery]], shellac is one of the [[Hot-melt adhesive|hot-melt glue/resin]] products used to attach [[arrowhead]]s to wooden or bamboo [[arrow]] shafts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sapp |first=Rick |title=The Ultimate Guide to Traditional Archery |year=2013 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781626365360}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/26595 | title=Part of a Quiver &#124; Tibetan or Mongolian |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art}}</ref>
* in alcohol solution as [[sanding sealer]], 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dezeil |first=Chris |title=What is a Sanding Sealer? |date=23 April 2009 |url=https://www.hunker.com/12170980/what-is-a-sanding-sealer }}</ref>
* 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).{{Cn|date=January 2021}}
* in sculpture, to seal [[plaster]] and in conjunction with wax or oil-soaps, to act as a barrier during mold-making processes.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}
* as a dilute solution in the sealing of [[harpsichord]] soundboards, protecting them from dust and buffering humidity changes while maintaining a bare-wood appearance.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}
* as a waterproofing agent for leather (e.g., for the soles of [[figure skate]] boots).
* as a way for ballet dancers to harden their [[pointe shoes]], making them last longer.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ballet.org.uk/blog-detail/a-guide-to-pointe-shoes/ | title=Everything you Need to Know About Pointe Shoes |publisher=English National Ballet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chang Foster |first=Hannah |title=Confessions of a Pointe Shoe Fitter: A Specialist Tells All |date=31 May 2016 |url=https://pointemagazine.com/pointe-shoe-fitting/ |publisher=Pointe Magazine}}</ref>