Buttonlac

Sticklac is the resinous secretion of a kind of tiny insect known as Laccifer lacca. Stick Lac (Sticklac) is a resinous protective secretion of the lac insects on the hosting trees. Sticklac is collected as the minor forest produce and cultivated since time immemorial in Vietnam, and lac cultivation is an important source of income for livelihood of the forest and sub-forest dwellers of central and northern Vietnam. Sticklac still enjoys the monopoly of non-toxic, biodegradable, natural and safe resin and used for applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and surface coatings for variety of uses in industries. Vietnam is the second largest producer, processor and exporter of the lac, having average production of 10, 000 tons for the last 5 years.

During processing of lac, various economically important by-products are obtained. The major component of lac is resin (65%) followed by two important by-products, viz. lac dye (1%) and lac wax (5–6%). The lac resin is processed into various value-added forms as per the need of the different industrial applications. Similarly, the dye and wax find its application in various sectors such as pharmaceutical, textile, etc.

Most of Stick Lac (Sticklac) cultivators in Vietnam are tribal people. Their traditional cultivation method is to inoculate lac insects on to the hosting trees, which could be perennial trees or annual bushes. The cultivators must choose the right hosting trees scattered in the forest. Besides breeding lac insects, choosing the right hosting trees is important in their business.
 

After feeding lac insects on to the hosting trees, and leave it for swarming and come back to harvest it after five to six – months. The harvesting works will involve cutting down branches which bearing lac and tying broodlac to new hosting trees. The harvested host trees are left alone for one to two years so that new branches can come out. 

Seedlac is formed into Buttons by the traditional hand made process. Hand made button shellac is produced by placing Seedlac into long narrow cloth tubes about 2″ in diameter and 30″ long and heating one end over a charcoal fire. The other end is attached to a windlass and is twisted gradually. Heat of the charcoal fire melts the lac which is forced through the cloth by pressure. The molten lac is scraped out manually onto sheets and the buttons left to harden. The process requires considerable manual skill and a lot of experience.

Buttonlac is preferred by restorers and those looking for a very protective shellac finish. It is superb for French polishing because of its hardness. The processing of buttonlac polymerizes it, resulting in a very tough material. Buttonlac’s toughness and moisture resistance.makes it the preferred choice for finishing floors and woodwork.