Vegan Alternative To Shellac

[Inkysloth]

Hi all,

 

I'd like to give a vegan friend a vintage fountain pen, but I'd rather avoid shellac (or other animal-based materials) in its repair if I can.

 

Is there an alternative to shellac I can use to resac a pen? Will rosin based sealant work? Or is shellac the only realistic adhesive for the task?

 

Thanks

 

Robin

[Namru]

Wait, vegans can't use products secreted by an insect?

[Inkysloth]

Wait, vegans can't use products secreted by an insect?

 

Nope.

 

Nothing that's a product or byproduct of an animal. Insects are animals.

[provis]

Hi, rosin sealant has worked for me.

[Inkysloth]

Hi, rosin sealant has worked for me.

That's great to hear.

 

What proportion rosin did you use? Or was it a sealant you bought from someone else?

 

best wishes

 

Robin

[At Midnight]

Is your friend planning to eat the pen?

Edited July 2, 2013 by At Midnight

[Inkysloth]

Is your friend planning to eat the pen?

 

If they did, I wouldn't be giving them one... no-one chews the end of a pen in my presence!

 

(Veganism is about more than diet - vegans don't *use* anything that is produced using animal products or byproducts. I'm not vegan, but I appreciate the standpoint of those that are)

[Namru]

Nope.

 

Nothing that's a product or byproduct of an animal. Insects are animals.

I know this is off topic and such, but what happens if they get an infestation of termites?

[Inkysloth]

I know this is off topic and such, but what happens if they get an infestation of termites?

 

I don't know...

 

Just had a quick Google, and a quick think, and wonder if it's a combination of:

 

Use repellants where possible.

If necessary, then extermination is only possible solution.

 

No one can be perfect, I guess, and life is often about finding satisfactory compromises. If in all situations where one can choose not to harm, exploit, use, or otherwise negatively affect animals one does choose to not do those things, there may be situations where the only realistic choice is to do harm.

 

I see a parallel with environmental protection. I can't live a life that has zero negative impact on the environment. However, I can make efforts to reduce my negative impact, and accept those areas where I can't make changes are an adequate compromise given my efforts elsewhere.

 

This is all far too philosophical for me today!

[Namru]

This is all far too philosophical for me today!

You think this is philosophical? I remember being in a young writers seminar; spending at least 2 hours arguing about who invented doors.

[Inkysloth]

You think this is philosophical? I remember being in a young writers seminar; spending at least 2 hours arguing about who invented doors.

 

As tired as I am, this is philosophical!

 

Though actually, it's ethical. Either way, it's more than my brain is good for.

 

Just point me at a pot of coffee and a sofa...

[OcalaFlGuy]

There isn't any substitute for shellac in holding a sac on a nipple.

 

Certainly NOT rosin based section sealant.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Fabienne]

Why don't you give your friend a nice dip pen? They are fun, easy to clean, you can get flex points, broad points and all kind of nibs which do all kinds of neat things. Or an eyedropper? No sacs to worry about there. Pistons might fill the bill as well. there are a lot of ways to avoid shellac and animal products.

[dontheo]

As you can see I am rather new to this forum. Everyone has been so nice in trying to help me achieve my New Years resolution of using a fountain pen again. I will try to contribute where I can, but at first the thought of putting shellac on a sac scared me. lol.

 

One of my other passions is fly tying. We tiers are always looking for the perfect cement. Shellac was used with a lot of the old classic flys but has given why to modern cements. I asssume it is the rubber problem and the chemicals?

 

An alternative might be a silicone sealent. It could be a little tricky to work with but cleans up nicely with alcohol.

 

I have been experimenting with rosins nd there are actually quite a few out there that may work. If you wish to try this route, get a very pure rosin which you can find on ebay. I heat it up over a can of sterno in an old tin measuring cup. It will be come liquid in a few minutes. When it dries, it would be a perfct seal and then to remove later it can be reheated. It has to be the high end rosin for violins, etc. which is very pure. About 10 bucks on the bay.

 

T

[chad.trent]

I've been vegan for close to 10 years now. Here's my take on shellac (and similar products).

 

I seek out a non-animal-based product whenever I can. However, if there is no other option, I use what I have to. There are times you can't avoid it. For instance, the vulcanization process invloved in making car tires uses an animal-based ingredient. I'm not sure what it is though. There are no tires available that don't use it, and I can't walk everywhere I go, so I rest easy knowing that for the things I can control in my life I choose products that don't come from animals.

 

I'm not going to argue about whether or not my choices make sense, or why I should or shouldn't be doing something. I know my choices are right for me and for my family. I'll let everyone else decide what is right for them.

 

But, to answer the OP's question... I use shellac. If that makes me a bad vegan in someone's eyes then that is their opinion and they are entitled to it. Until there is a viable non-animal option, that's what I'm going to use.

Edited July 2, 2013 by chad.trent

[Romagno]

I've been vegan for close to 10 years now. Here's my take on shellac (and similar products).

 

I seek out a non-animal-based product whenever I can. However, if there is no other option, I use what I have to. There are times you can't avoid it. For instance, the vulcanization process invloved in making car tires uses an animal-based ingredient. I'm not sure what it is though. There are no tires available that don't use it, and I can't walk everywhere I go, so I rest easy knowing that for the things I can control in my life I choose products that don't come from animals.

 

I'm not going to argue about whether or not my choices make sense, or why I should or shouldn't be doing something. I know my choices are right for me and for my family. I'll let everyone else decide what is right for them.

 

But, to answer the OP's question... I use shellac. If that makes me a bad vegan in someone's eyes then that is their opinion and they are entitled to it. Until there is a viable non-animal option, that's what I'm going to use.

 

I think you have a very sensible attitude.

[Mickey]

 

If they did, I wouldn't be giving them one... no-one chews the end of a pen in my presence!

 

(Veganism is about more than diet - vegans don't *use* anything that is produced using animal products or byproducts. I'm not vegan, but I appreciate the standpoint of those that are)

 

I wonder what ultra-vegans use for fertilizer. Do they bar earthworms from churning the soil? The vegan life style can, if carried to extremes, be absurd, comically so. As long as non-human animals share the planet with us, everything shares the taint of animal products or byproducts. Your friend should remember that farmers are animals too; whatever they produce is an animal product. I presume your friend is also an animal. (I once had a pet rock.) Tossing that salad for dinner makes it an animal byproduct, too.

 

What about prokaryotes (bacteria and such). They aren't plants. So is washing your hands, fighting off an infection, or blowing your nose a violation of some vegan creed?

Edited July 2, 2013 by Mickey

[Lloyd]

 

The vegan life style can, if carried to extremes, be absurd, comically so.

So do omnivore diets. Have you ever considered eating a pet, a neighbor, or yourself?

[Ron Z]

Rosin based thread sealant can not be used to secure a sac. It has no adhesive properties as such, other than being sticky. But since it does not fully harden, and releases at a much lower temperature, if you use it to secure a sac it will not hold.

 

Be careful using pure rosin. I make the rosin sealant that I use, and can tell you that the temperature needed to turn rosin liquid is hot enough to melt plastic (yes, I've measured it). A hard rubber section may be OK but I wouldn't risk it with a celluloid section.

 

I hate to say it, but shellac is your best choice. Finger nail polish will fail, and the acetone in has the potential to damage some pens. A silicone RTV will work, but you should use a non-corrosive alcoxy silicone, which can be expensive. Regular RTV silicone releases acetic acid as it cures.

 

Shellac finds it's way into a lot of surprising places, like candy. "Confectioners glaze" is shellac. It's often used as coatings for pills as well...

[chad.trent]

 

I wonder what ultra-vegans use for fertilizer. Do they bar earthworms from churning the soil? The vegan life style can, if carried to extremes, be absurd, comically so. As long as non-human animals share the planet with us, everything shares the taint of animal products or byproducts. Your friend should remember that farmers are animals too; whatever they produce is an animal product. I presume your friend is also an animal. (I once had a pet rock.) Tossing that salad for dinner makes it an animal byproduct, too.

 

What about prokaryotes (bacteria and such). They aren't plants. So is washing your hands, fighting off an infection, or blowing your nose a violation of some vegan creed?

 

I'm waiting for the old standby omnivore question of "what would you do if you were stranded on an island with just a cow?"