Re: Kodalak/amyl acetate
Richard S. Sullivan (richsul@earthlink.net)
Sat, 10 Apr 1999 16:58:17 -0600
Kodalac is most likely Kodatalk for Kodak''s long forgotten brand
of shellac. The fact that it is soluble in alcohol tends to confirm that
it is shellac.
I did some web research and came up with this ditty on it:
Shellac is an animal product.
The basic
material comes from the Coccus lacca, a scale insect that
feeds on certain trees in India and southern Asia. After feeding, the
insect produces through its pores a gummy substance which hardens into a
protective covering called lac. This lac is collected and then it is
crushed, washed and dried. After further treatment, it is skillfully
drawn into thin sheets of finished shellac. Many products such as
phonograph records, sealing wax, fireworks, and electrical
insulators and instruments have shellac in their composition. When mixed
with alcohol, shellac forms ordinary varnish.
Soon after the scale insect is hatched, it leaves its birthplace and
begins to wander about, looking for a likely place to settle down. It
finds this place at last upon a stem or a leaf or the outside of a fruit.
It inserts its sharp little beak in the tissue and then settles down for
a lifetime of sucking at this particular spot.
It is soon covered by a substance that it secretes or gives forth from
its body - a substance that in certain species looks like wax, in others
like cotton, in still others like powder. The growing insect sheds one
skin after another; these skins form a rounded little scale, held in
place by the secreted substance.
Oooohh wee!
BTW, they haven't used shellac in phonograph records since they spun
around too fast to read the label.
It comes in waxed, unwaxed, white and orange. My web search was clogged
by the fact that there is a rock group named shellac. It still seems to
be imported, mostly from India and I suspect any really really good paint
or art supplies store would have it.
Hope this helps.
--Dick Sullivan
>I know what wood alcohol is. I could probably find amyl acetate (I
take it
>that's NOT amyl nitrate). But I wonder wnat Kodalak might be.
Collodion?
>Or? (The book was from 1939.)
>
>I don't recall the old formularies listing by brand name, but
maybe
>someone has a clue, even of where to look...
>
>TIA,
>
>Judy
>
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on Thu Oct 28 1999 - 21:39:30