Shellac is a natural resin of animal origin well-known all over the world for its multiple uses and excellent properties.
Used in India and China for more than 3.000 years, it was introduced in Europe just some 300 years ago. Shellac results from the secretion of a resinous substance produced by a parasite insect (Kerria Lacca) which place their larvae into the branches of certain trees in India.
These insects protect their larvae by covering them with this 'resin', which in its first stages is known as seedlac.
The production and processing of shellac started manualy ( still today hand-made shellac exists) even if we can find nowadays also machine-made shellac.
Branches covered with this resin are cut into small pieces after which the process of separation takes place: resin is separated from wood and bark, cleaned, ground and dried.
The final seedlac is the base for the shellac production which consists of melting, sometimes in a traditional way.
These ' hand-made' shellac contains wax and are available in different colour grades.
Dewaxed shellac is produced from selected raw materials by the solvent extraction system, using activated carbon.