Sticklac
Nadal Braymiller
Cultivation begins when a farmer gets a stick that contains eggs ready to hatch and ties it to the tree to be infested.[1] Thousands of lac insects colonize the branches of the host trees and secrete the resinous pigment. The coated branches of the host trees are cut and harvested as sticklac.
The leading producer of lac is Jharkhand, followed by the Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra states of India. Lac production is also found in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, parts of China, and Mexico.
The word Lac is derived from the Sanskrit word lākshā '(लक्ष) representing the number 100 thousand, which was used for both the Lac insect (because of their enormous number) and the scarlet resinous secretion it produces that was used as wood finish, lacquerware, skin cosmetic, ornaments and dye for wool and silk in ancient India and neighbouring areas.[2][3] Lac resin was once imported in sizeable quantity into Europe from India along with Eastern woods. These were being used very widely.[4][5]
Lac is harvested by cutting the tree branches that hold sticklac. If dye is being produced, the insects are kept in the sticklac because the dye colour comes from the insects rather than their resin. They may be killed by exposure to the sun. On the other hand, if seedlac or shellac is being produced, most insects can escape because less coloured pale lac is generally more desired.[7][clarification needed]
The use of lac dye goes back to ancient times. It was used in ancient India and neighbouring areas as wood finish, lacquareware, skin cosmetic, lacquerware and dye for wool and silk.[2][3][7] In China, it is a traditional dye for leather goods. Lac for dye has been somewhat replaced by the emergence of synthetic dyes,[7] though it remains in use, and some juices, carbonated drinks, wine, jam, sauce, and candy are coloured using it.[9] It is still used as sealing wax by the India Post[10] but its use is being phased out.[11]
Lac is used in folk medicine as a hepatoprotective and anti-obesity drug. [citation needed] It is used in violin and other varnish and is soluble in alcohol. This type of lac was used in the finishing of 18th-century fowling guns in the United States.[citation needed]
India exported significant amounts of sticklac derivatives, especially lac dye, from the 1700s to the late 1800s. Production declined as synthetic dyes emerged, and after the late 1940s, production of seedlac and shellac also declined due to replacement.[7]
The Mahabharata mentions the Lakshagriha, which was built by the Kauravas to house the Pandavas. The intention of Kauravan was to burn the Pandavas by setting fire to the Lakshagriha.[citation needed]
Sticklac is a resin secreted by the insect Laccifer lacca. It contains a percentage of Lac dye which originates in the insect and can be extracted from the sticklac to colour textiles to shades of red as a natural dye. Shellac, which is used as a varnish, primer, food glaze, and adhesive, is also a product of sticklac..
Dye colours will vary depending on the type of fibre, mordant and water quality. Explore the range of colours that can be achieved and keep notes of the methods and quantities used. Mordant with alum for reds and iron for purple-greys.
A number of factors will determine the strength of colour and shade obtained from these natural dye extracts. These include the length of time the fibre is allowed to soak in the dyebath, the pH level of the water, and whether the water is hard or soft. A further factor is the type of fibre to be dyed; cotton and other cellulose will require either a tannin mordant or Aluminium Lactate, while wool, silk and other proteins will require Alum only.
Additional colours can be achieved by experimenting with mordants; the Fibrecrafts Mordant Pack includes 250g Alum, 50g Iron, 50g Copper, and 10g Tin, plus 100g Cream of Tartar to get you started. We recommended note keeping to enable the reproduction of successful colour results.
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Shellac is a natural laquer that can be used to permeate and cover an object in a protective layer of organic varnish. Kuripe and Tepi made from wood or bamboo are usually coated with Shellac on the inside and outside of the object, as to harden the material and to give the Rap a smoother flow through the pipe. To make liquid Shellac one needs pure alcohol. Add 30 to 50 grams of dry Shellac to 100 ml of alcohol, to make a saturated solution that is ready to use after one night of dissolving. It takes trial and error to achieve the perfect effect on your objects of art. More info below.
Shellac is a natural laquer that can be used to permeate and cover an object in a protective layer of organic varnish. Kuripe and Tepi made from wood or bamboo are usually coated with Shellac on the inside and outside of the object, as to harden the material and to give the Rap a smoother flow through the pipe.
Shellac is the general name for a resinous substance excreted by the females of the lac insect, Laccifer (Tachardia) lacca (formerly Coccus lacca). The insects primarily deposit lac on the twigs and soft new branches of several varieties of Soapberry (Sapindus marginatus) and Acacia trees, such as the sacred fig Ficus religiosa, found in India, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and elsewhere in southeast Asia. Lac was used as early as about 1200 BC in India. Shellac and lac dye were imported to Europe in the 17th century. The crude resin, also called sticklac, undergoes several processing steps to extract useful components. Lac is used in the manufacture of varnishes (shellac), sealing wax (lac wax) and red colorants (lac dye).
The chief constituents of lac are about 6 percent of wax, about 6.5 percent of a pigment named laccin or laccaic acid, 70 to 85 percent of resinous matter, 65 percent of which is insoluble in ether, and 35 percent soluble in ether containing alcohol. The part insoluble in ether is probably a resinotannol ester of aleuritic acid, while the ether-soluble portion includes a yellow colouring matter called erythrolaccin.
How to make Shellac:
To make liquid Shellac one needs pure alcohol. Add 30 to 50 grams of dry Shellac to 100 ml of alcohol, to make a saturated solution that is ready to use after one night of dissolving. You can add additional flakes or alcohol to thicken or thin the viscosity to suit the task. Perhaps easier to make a heavier mix and then thin to task. You can stir the flakes or shake them in the solution periodically. Shake them generally and then let it stand to express air in the mix before use. The object can be painted with or dipped into the solution and will dry off within hours, to a hard layer of yellow-transparent varnish. The thinner the Shellac is diluted, the more will absorb into the object. Multiple layers give a rich effect. It takes trial and error to achieve the perfect effect on your objects of art.
This natural product is delivered with no expressed or implied fitness for any specific purpose. It is simply a raw botanical specimen.
The product is packaged as botanical specimen and is not intended, branded, labelled, or marketed as a consumer product.
SHEFEXIL was originally incorporated as SEPC (Shellac Export Promotion Council) 60 years ago, and this panel has been in special focus by the Council ever since. The main export products under this panel include Shellac, Seedlac, Buttonlac, Aleuritic Acid, Bleached Lac and others.
Lac and its associated products have managed to survive and create a niche market of their own, especially in western countries. Recent reports indicate that export destination for Indian lac is Indonesia, Germany and USA.
The fact remains that such a combination of properties cannot be mimicked by any synthetic substitute. Such inherent strengths ensure that lac can be used in diverse areas: from gun powder to lipsticks, chocolates and medicinal tablets, from perfumes to etch primers, etc. In fact, lac has faced continuous challenges from the synthetic petrochemical - based resins and dyes for over fifty years.
In spite of certain basic weaknesses (lack of flexibility, solubility in alcoholic solvents, lack of sufficient water resistance and erratic supply position), it has managed to preserve its existence and also develop newer vistas of application and opportunities, in the face of continuous threats from synthetic substitutes.
Most people have no idea of what Shellac is or where it comes from. Shellac is a natural, organic resin that comes from an insect, Laccifer Lacca, that is about the size of an apple seed. This bug alights on certain trees indigenous to India and Thailand and during its reproductive cycle feeds on the sap that it sucks from the twigs of these trees. The bug secretes an amber coloured resinous substance that is called 'lac', a word that comes from the Sanskrit word 'lakh' which means one hundred thousand.
The resin forms cocoon around the insect which serves to incubate the eggs she lays. This cocoon is the raw material from the Shellac and is called 'sticklac', because it contains resin, parts of the twig and bug remains. The stick lac is washed and then refined either chemically or by hand, to produce the raw material available for sale.
The lac insect belong to the category of primitive insect called coccids. Coccids are notorious pests of forest vegetation, on woody trees and indoor ornamentals all over the world. However, the lac insect, which is technically a parasite of trees such as Schleichera oleosa (vern: kusum), Zizyphus mauritiana (vern: ber) and Butea monosperma (vern: palas) in India and of the rain tree, Samanea saman in south east Asia e.g. Thailand, cannot be considered a pest, since the economic benefits it produces far exceeds the negligible damage that it may cause to its host trees.
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