Black shellac is its own animal. Where the rest of our line is pure, uncut resin, black is made differently — and traditionally so: it carries rosin, roughly half the material, which is how this deep, near-black shellac has always been produced. The intense color is the lac dye itself, concentrated — no pigment or stain is added. It is a wax-containing shellac — the natural lac wax left in, as the older forms keep it — which gives the laid-down film more body and warmth. Black reads as a dark amber deepening toward black: color with real presence, for work where you want the shellac to carry tone rather than disappear. Restorers reach for it to match deeply aged, near-black finishes on antique furniture and instruments. Cabinetmakers use it to push the color of dark, figured woods further into shadow. Think of black as a coloring-and-toning shellac first. It is at its best as a color layer for dark work; when the job calls for a clear, protective, or under-topcoat coat, that is what the dewaxed grades are for. Mixing notes: see the pound cut chart for dry weight per gallon, quart, and pint at the common working cuts. Sourced direct from a fifth-generation refining family in India who has supplied this bench since 1990.
