Resin balls can usually be found on the exposed trunk of grasstrees and should break off easily. If they don't feel like they will come off easily then leave them in order not to damage the plant. They can also be found around the bottom of the trunk.
Resin dissolves very well in alcohol but not so well in chloroform or ether according to a study published in The American Journal of Pharmacy (1881).
Before plastics and acrylics became popular, resins were used to create varnishes, used on furniture and floors, as stove polish and metal coating for tins, used in meat canning, soap making, perfumery and even in manufacturing early gramophone records. Some people still use grasstree resin as a varnish due to its beautiful reddish tint.
