Not to get too deep into the weeds, but the Wikipedia link said exactly what I said - that lacquer is not (any longer) made from the lac beetle.
The term lacquer originates from the Portuguese word for lac, a type of resin excreted from certain insects.[1] Regardless, in modern usage, lac-based varnishes are referred to as shellac, while lacquer refers to other polymers dissolved in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as nitrocellulose, and later acrylic compounds dissolved in lacquer thinner, a mixture of several solvents typically containing butyl acetate and xylene or toluene.
I know all of the terms for finishes can be very confusing, and the different terms have meant different things over the years. In general, clear finishes are generically referred to as varnishes. Varnishes fall into two categories: those that cure, and those that don't. Polyurethane, nitrocellulose lacquer and acrylic lacquer are examples of varnishes that produce a film by not only evaporating a solvent, but polymerizing, or curing, the film over time. Curing essentually means that the finish becomes harder and becomes impervious to the solvent it was originally dissolved in. None of the curing finishes are made from beetles, including lacquer.
Shellac - the one that is made from beetles - is a varnish, but not a lacquer. It does not cure. A 100-year old shellac finish can easily be dissolved by alcohol, which is the solvent used to make shellac in the first place.
AI
