63 
Part I] Lindsay and Hardow : Lac and Shellac 
the sheets so made (called a pannd) when dry and hard is broken 
up into small pieces ; irregular fragments (eg., where the sheet was 
held) are picked out for remelting and the result is shellac (chapra) 
ready to be packed in cases for export. When a large quantity of 
refuse or kiri has accumulated in the peta , the Karigar stabs it with 
the gouge and squeezes out the refuse or kiri which is pressed into 
cakes. Even kiri contains a large quantity of shellac and is usually 
sold for the manufacture of bangles. 
When a bag is completely worked out it is twisted up to about 
diameter and sets into a hard stiff rod known as danri . The danri 
is boiled in a cauldron of water with Fuller’s earth (reh or sajjimatti). 
The encrusted lac is thus recovered from the cloth, and floats as a 
scum on the water from which it is scooped off and pressed into 
cakes, called passewa , which can be remelted for TN manufacture. 
The washed bags are mended by darzis (tailors) and again used. 
The process for manufacturing garnet and button lac is similar 
to the above, but in the case of garnet lac the process is finished 
when the lac is removed from the cylinder; it is not stretched, but is 
allowed to set hard. In making button lac, the Karigar has a spa¬ 
tula with the end turned up in a “ U ” shape. He scoops up portions 
of lac with this and pours them on a metal plate or palm stem where 
they spread out into a flat button about 2\* in diameter by 
thick and set hard. Before they set the Bhilwaya stamps the firm’s 
trade-mark on each button. The use of a palm stem is said to give 
a better polish to the buttons. 
The above description applies to a good class factory employing 
primitive methods. The smaller factories manufacturing only TN 
and Standard I, and also the workers in their own homes, do not 
necessarily go through th6 processes exactly as described, but in all 
essentials they are the same. In Jhalda and Balarampur (Manbhum 
district) the nands or washing vessels are usually sunk in the cement 
floor. The Ghasandar kneels down at the side of the nand , and the 
washing is done with the hands instead of the feet. In Jhalda many 
of the manufacturers use steam power to drive their crushing 
machines and some use mechanical washers consisting of horizontal 
cylindrical iron vessels within which revolves a bar carrying arms 
throughout its length. Water is supplied and the revolving arms 
break up the lac cells. It is claimed that by means of these machines 
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