Thread: Is Black Japan just black shellac?

Hi all - newbie here hoping that someone can tell me exactly what Black Japan is... Is it just ornary shellac with a black stain added or a different beast altogether? I have bought a federation turned leg very dark stain table and I'm seeking to touch up some of the damaged bits. I have shellac flakes, and some Feast Watson Black Japan, and what I notice is that shellac is soluble in metho, which is the same stuff you can use to rub back a table like this - but Black Japan is compatible with turps, which cleans but doesn't really dissolve an old dark finish like this one... So I'm just trying to figure out my chemicals basically and whether it's ok to just pour it all together on the table top and give it a good scrub and see what happens :eek: no not really but you get the idea. The Black Japan is so shiny it seems like shellac.. Is it? Thanks