Lawrence : Shellac Flakes : 500g

Shellac Flakes are used as an ingredient for making Straw Hat Varnish, a tough methylated spirit-based varnish used to back etching plates and seal collagraph plates. Shellac flakes are dissolved in methylated spirit to a desired consistency, but a good starting point is 250g shellac flakes to 1 litre of methylated spirit/ethanol.

Shellac is a natural resin refined from Lac, the secretion of the tiny red scale insect Kerria lacca, which is parasitic on certain host trees in India.