Black shellac
Black shellac is a natural and maybe even our oldest wood finish. Originating in Asia Shellac comes from the Lac bug. The Lac bug looks like a small beetle and creates a resin cocoon on tree branches to protect the female and its larva, while feeding on the tree sap from the cocoon. The tree branches are then pruned, dried, and scraped off the branches to then be further processed.
Shellac can vary from a clear, to amber, dark amber, to Black shellac. I believe the black comes from the Bug being ground into the shellac. I use black shellac to match dark brown to black interior finishes in historic homes. Black shellac can vary in color as well. Sometimes it already has the brown look I’m looking for, sometimes it will have a purple tint, but it typically has a Reddish hue to it that I then can use a green dye to remove some of the red from the shellac to achieve the brown I am looking for. I will usually do 1-2 coats of black to achieve my desired look and then build up coats of clear to protect it.
Below is a video I made explaining everything I know and have learned over 10 years of working with Black shellac.
