Encaustic Shellac . . . Colored shellac, set of three vials, handmade, green, purple, copper

Description

You will receive three, 6 ml vials of all natural, tinted, handmade encaustic shellac, sold as a set of 3. The art is for illustration only, to show the cells produced by the shellac. You will not receive the art block.

See the last two photographs showing the difference between my fresh, made to order, handmade shellac next to the well known Z ‘clear’ shellac sold in stores. If you want truly clean and clear shellac it has to be made fresh, preferably from ground lac and filtered.

You will receive all three shades . . . Purple Sheen . . . Olive Shine . . . Copper Sparkle

Add a little shimmer to your cells! Handmade in small quantities from the finest shellac flakes from India and food grade pigments.

It takes three days to make this pigmented shellac as it must be shaken or stirred often. If you have ever made your own shellac then you know what happens if you do not regularly agitate the alcohol and shellac mixture.

I use the highest quality lac flakes and alcohol available and mix a little on the thick side. If you want smaller, more lacy like cells simply pour out a little of the mixture and add a small amount of 99% alcohol and torch before drying. If you want larger cells torch after drying. Experiment with various heat settings as well as wet and dry shellac burns. After each use, remember to wipe the outside of the screw area at the top of the vial otherwise the lid may become impossible to open.

Before using, shake the vial and allow to rest for a few minutes. A thicker coat will creat larger, more open cells while a thin coat will give you smaller cells. I allocate an old artists brush for an applicator and clean the brush between applications with an alcohol based gel hand cleaner on a paper towel or clean in alcohol.

Even the best quality shellac begins to break down after 6 months, after a year it will have lost the qualities we seek for use in encaustic art. The canned shellac we purchase in stores, although fine for use in most furniture making, will likely have already lost the attributes we seek for use in encaustics. See the fourth photo . . . The shellac on the left is my handmade product, the shellac on the right is a high-quality ‘Z’ brand off the shelf. The only way to determine the age is to call the company and give them the lot number off the can. My shellac is made the day you place your order.

I will offer a larger variety of colors soon, send me a message and let me know what colors you’d like to see.