Beetle Juice
27 September 2011
This is shellac and it's a resin that's been excreted by an Indian (female) "lac" beetle.
This cocoon-like tunnel was scraped off the bark of a tree - where the beetle excreted it - and can be processed for uses which include primers, food glaze and wood varnish. Interesting fact: prior to the advent of vinyl, shellac was used to make records.
This lovely sample is one of the Materials Library's most recent additions...
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