Inside an Indian shellac factory...

[nkforster]

Last year I went off on a bit of a french polishing binge - I got inspired when I visited Steve Gilchrist at his workshop in Australia in 2013 - I'd never seen truly great French polishing until then.

Sometimes it's just a good idea to go and get a lesson or two than spend a lot of time trying to work it all out. So first I went to see Roy Cortnall Summerfield down it Lincoln. Next I went over to Tacoma to learn from the master - Eugene Clark. The plan is to write all this up over on TLB.

But the next part of the trip turned out to be very interesting - I went over to north India to visit one of the areas where shellac is cultivated and processed, and that's what the post is about this week.

Here it is:

http://www.theluthierblog.com/articles/shellac/

I took a few videos, including hand making of shellac flake. It's a fascinating process, an amazing product, but there's a lot more work goes into it's making than I imagined...


youtu.be/

[kiwigeo]

Man that WAS a binge!!! I'm envious.

[hepikohetaniwha]

Really interesting! Thankyou.

[Nick]

As well as the exposed gears, I wonder if these workers ever suffer from respiratory problems after a time. I know it's a different country and different way of life but for the sake of a few cents for a paper mask......

[nkforster]

As well as the exposed gears, I wonder if these workers ever suffer from respiratory problems after a time. I know it's a different country and different way of life but for the sake of a few cents for a paper mask......

You're quite right of course, but India doesn't work like that. Have you been? I can honestly say that despite what you see in the videos, this is a safe job by Indian standards.

One factory I went to had a shellac bleaching plant nearby, but it was at the end of the season so it was closed. It was built by an American company and there is a good chance that what went on in there wouldn't be allowed in a "first world" country.

It's the way it is. Mind I did meet some great people who were doing their bit to support workers and farmers to get a better deal and I hope to cover their work in the next few weeks on the blog.

[Nick]

You're quite right of course, but India doesn't work like that. Have you been? I can honestly say that despite what you see in the videos, this is a safe job by Indian standards.

One factory I went to had a shellac bleaching plant nearby, but it was at the end of the season so it was closed. It was built by an American company and there is a good chance that what went on in there wouldn't be allowed in a "first world" country.

It's the way it is. Mind I did meet some great people who were doing their bit to support workers and farmers to get a better deal and I hope to cover their work in the next few weeks on the blog.

No I've never been Nigel but am all too aware of the lifestyle the 'ordinary' Indian is used to, quite a cultural shock from our own and as you say these workers would be treated better than most. What does annoy me is the likes of the American company that focus solely on returning a profit to their shareholders/owners yet the very people that produces the profit for them has minimal money invested in them. I do realize of course that these people are happy just to have work as the alternative is a begging bowl but it just rips my nightie when I know that others are preying on this attitude and probably making lots of money off of them when a few cents worth of safety equipment could increase their workers lot.

[kiwigeo]

As well as the exposed gears, I wonder if these workers ever suffer from respiratory problems after a time. I know it's a different country and different way of life but for the sake of a few cents for a paper mask......

The exposed gears and pulleys are a worry but what shocked me was the guy starting the machine by manually throwing the belt onto the pulley.

[kiwigeo]

...... but it just rips my nightie when I know that others are preying on this attitude and probably making lots of money off of them when a few cents worth of safety equipment could increase their workers lot.

I don't want to turn this thread into an HSE rant but +1 to all Nicks comments. I was in Carbatec the other day and saw they were hocking blonde shellac at $150 for a 500gram bag. The profit being skimmed off that bag of flakes would probably pay for gear and pulley guards for the factory in that video.

[J.F. Custom]

Can I just say, a sincere thanks to Nick and Martin for voicing those concerns?

I watched this video last night and while interesting, all I could think about was the sheer volume of dust these workers were breathing and their proximity to moving parts... I was too tired then to articulate my opinion coherently, but had planned to this evening - only to find others had too. I am VERY glad I was not the only one that felt it needed to be expressed.

Irrespective of whether this is a 'better' factory than others over there, it's not acceptable conditions imo. NO dust is good for the lungs and their long term health will suffer as a result. Not to mention other clear safety concerns.

It just serves as a reminder to the realities behind products we take for granted being able to buy relatively cheaply. And to think, rather than the workers or even manufacturers, it is mostly only lining the pockets of big business. Those whom are rarely held accountable or have any social responsibility - indeed, there are more laws protecting them and their 'trading rights' than the workers will ever hope to see.

It is a sad indictment on our priorities and humanity.

Rant over.

Jeremy.

[nkforster]

Can I just say, a sincere thanks to Nick and Martin for voicing those concerns?

I watched this video last night and while interesting, all I could think about was the sheer volume of dust these workers were breathing and their proximity to moving parts... I was too tired then to articulate my opinion coherently, but had planned to this evening - only to find others had too. I am VERY glad I was not the only one that felt it needed to be expressed.

Irrespective of whether this is a 'better' factory than others over there, it's not acceptable conditions imo. NO dust is good for the lungs and their long term health will suffer as a result. Not to mention other clear safety concerns.

It just serves as a reminder to the realities behind products we take for granted being able to buy relatively cheaply. And to think, rather than the workers or even manufacturers, it is mostly only lining the pockets of big business. Those whom are rarely held accountable or have any social responsibility - indeed, there are more laws protecting them and their 'trading rights' than the workers will ever hope to see.

It is a sad indictment on our priorities and humanity.

Rant over.

Jeremy.

Once again, you're quite right. No-one is arguing that these conditions are acceptable, they're not, but if you've ever been to India (and perhaps you have) you'll know that these type of conditions and far worse are the norm.

To quote a chap on another forum where I posted the video:

"...it wasn't that long ago that such dangerous unguarded machinery could be found in factories in the UK - 40 years or so. The world has changed a lot since then but it's largely the western world that have adopted much more rigorous safety practices."

I dare say the same was true for Australia too.

If anything it helps to remind us just how fortunate we are compared to so many others in the world.

The fact we even know breathing in all that dust is bad for us makes us more fortunate than the workers in that video, presumably they don't, as there is nothing stopping them tying a cloth around their nose and mouth as we would if a mask wasn't available. Very difficult to help people when education can be very poor and unions are no-where to be seen.

Have you seen the second video? How about doing this all day?


youtu.be/

In a post or two I hope to include a piece abut a very good Christian project doing their bit to educate the villagers in the area to not only gain more financially from the shellac trade but also to educate the younger generation to give some of the the opportunity to break free from a lifetime of hard labour.

For me, seeing the situation of others motivates me to help, even if that help is just making others aware of a situation or by donating to projects that are making a difference and not just keeping a roof over their own heads.

I hope it does the same for some of you...

[kiwigeo]

To quote a chap on another forum where I posted the video:

"...it wasn't that long ago that such dangerous unguarded machinery could be found in factories in the UK - 40 years or so. The world has changed a lot since then but it's largely the western world that have adopted much more rigorous safety practices."

What has changed in the Western world is that Employers have discovered that if they hurt or kill their employees they'll end up in court and it will cost them alot of money. Some would say that a genuine desire to look after workers drives HSE these days....unfortunately while some companies do appear to take this approach they're by far in the minority and it's a morbid fear of litigation that is the driver. Nothing gets a company moving like the fear of losing a bunch of money.

In regards to the Indian workers and their exposure to dust. To respond to the situation by saying that the'yre free to wrap a cloth around their head is a cop out. It is the employer who is exposing the worker to the hazard and it is the employer's moral obligation to 1. make the employee aware of the hazard and associated risks 2. spend the few cents it costs to supply a proper dust mask and 3. make wearing a dust mask while exposed to dust a condition of employment.

I haven't been to India but in my job as a Geologist on an oil rig I work with alot of Indians and other nationalities. What becomes quickly obvious is that the Indians approach to workplace safety is grossly inadequate and their benchmarks for what is deemed unacceptable workplace practises are much lower than here in Australia. That said.....it only takes a few hours of mentoring and education (costs me a bit of time but it doesn't cost the company any money) and these guys are soon properly risking out workplace hazards and mitigating same. It's nothing to do with culture...its purely to do with putting a higher value on a worker's life than the company's profits. For me...it's also about looking after my workmates.

[Ormsby Guitars]

Not too long ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp4PU8Kp-DQ