If you've ever wondered what the ingredient is that makes jelly beans so hard and shiny, you may wish you had never asked that question at all. So let's not beat around the bush: Jelly beans are shiny ...

I discuss high-tech wood coatings. But from time to time, I will discuss something that is tried and true and, perhaps, not so high tech. Shellac is definitely a low-tech product. It is the secretion ...