A traditional full coating of shellac
How the Classical Guitar is Made
Painting guitars with resins of bug’s secretion?
Painting guitars with resins of bug’s secretion?
Varnish the top of the guitar is an essential point for producing good quality guitars.
More than anything, the principal purpose of varnishing is to make a guitar good looking finish. In addition, it is not acceptable to have discoloration or crack from over time use and that resins to become sticky at higher temperatures to affect the guitarist's performance. The varnish also affects sound quality so that some say the varnish itself can completely change the timbre of the guitar.
“Bug’s secretion for resins!!” you might be offensive but don’t worry.
Shellac resin is the common material of varnish for guitars. It is known for its outstanding gloss and durability. Above all, it even improves sound quality. Shellac is actually the processed form of resin secreted by insects called “lac bugs” found on trees in Thailand and India. Research has been conducted into the manufacture of artificial varnish with the same chemical properties, but at this stage, there is no varnish that exceeds the qualities of shellac resin.
Some people may be concerned about the fact that the resin is secreted by a bug but there is no need for such concern. The resin is quite safe and it is even used as a coating for confectionery and candy. The lac bug is similarly important as silkworm and honeybee which are the three most beneficial insects for humankind. They live in a large numbers in India and South East Asia.
An expert knowledge is required to apply shellac properly as to number of times of coating, length of time for dry…etc. It is the best natural coating for guitars.
300 repeated coatings
300 repeated coatings
Shellac itself is a solid substance that is dissolved in ethanol and soaked in a muneca before being applied to a guitar. The initial coating should be applied to fill in the fine pores of the wood surface. Rest of the coatings are to apply to increase thickness and luster.
300 times of coating are required. However the number of coating depends on the condition of the wood or the season. The entire body of the guitar needs to be coated with shellac and repeatedly dried, sanded and coated. The whole process takes almost three months. With additional coating, the color of the shellac appear and show darker tinge.
Since a thick coating affect the sound of the guitar, a thin coating is recommended. With shellac, the thickness should be between 20 and 30 microns. Spray varnish makes 150 to 300 microns for the finish. Therefore shellac produces thinner coating.
