The simplest method of manufacturing artificial amber.

The mass has the appearance of natural amber, but does not have its hardness. The mass consists of 1 part of turpentine resin, 2 parts of shellac and 1 part of white rosin. All these parts gently fuse together. In a tin vessel, whose double walls are filled with oil to achieve a uniform temperature, turpentine resin melts, and then shellac is added. Shellac gradually softens and combines with turpentine in an opaque, white, thick mass, which after a while becomes more lively and more transparent. When the mass becomes almost transparent, then rosin dissolved in a separate vessel is added. After a short time, the mass becomes completely clear, liquid and ready for casting or pressing any objects, usually made from natural amber.

Depending on the color of shellac, the color of the mass varies from brown to lemon-yellow. The lemon-yellow mass can be made darker by heating. If you increase the amount of turpentine resin, the mass will turn out to be lighter and after cooling it is softer and less brittle. From the increase in the proportion of shellac, the mass, on the contrary, becomes thicker, harder and more fragile. An increase in the proportion of rosin also entails brittleness. The mass can be polished and varnished. When heated, it becomes ductile, and with further heating melts. The mass is insensitive to water, but it dissolves into alcohol.