"May-Brith Nilsen" wrote in message
...

In Norway we have someting called "kvistlakk". Translated to English it
would be someting like "not lack" Is it the same as shellac?

And for the Valentines day, I'm afraid the train has left the station
years ago...

May-Brith from Norway

Maybe not since Shellac comes from the Lac beetle or insect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac

Realistically most other varnishes or lacquers are reasonably safe once
cured or dry......years ago I simply used polyurethane on my kids cradle
(alder)......nonetheless Shellac is or has been used for a thin coating on
pills and candies as well as 18th century furniture) and as I mentioned it
looks very good on pine (at least I think so)...there are several shades of
amber available with "orange" being a bit darker than some although I'd
think it is the most traditional. It is available as either a liquid
(hardware/paint stores) or as dried flakes (mail-order or better paint
stores).....premixed it has limited shelf life (1-3 yr.) so buy the newest
available...flakes last virtually indefinitely, they are mixed with alcohol
as needed......Rod