Shellac is sometimes called 'French finish'. The actual shellac material comes in a flake form. These flakes have to be dissolved into a solvent/oil blend, like denatured alcohol and boild linseed oil, in order to create a brush-on finish product.
Where can I get shellac flakes?
http://www.shellac.net/
What, exactly, is 'shellac'?
http://www.shellac.org/shellac.html
Thanks for the links!!
Well, it has to be called the French finish then because it must always try and run, right?