jyossarian

I have tan Soma Thick & Zesty bar tape that I'd like to color to match my honey colored Brooks. Anyone know if dyeing the tape would work? Would it take multiple applications or a one time dye bath? Will I need to apply some kind of dye protectant to keep the color from running when the bars get wet? Any negatives such as the color leeching onto my hands when I ride?

I tried searching and saw one thread on shellacking it w/ amber colored shellack until it was a close match, but I'm not sure how that would change the feel of the tape or whether it would start cracking after daily usage.

TIA!

SamHouston

if it's not black, or plastic, then yes, but most manner of home dye jobs will leave their mark on you even if you scrupulously follow the directions for setting it.

Matching a brooks should be a snap, goto a leather store and hunt through the odd-ends barrel til you find a close enough candidate.

powers2b

Cotton tape and varnish will match.

chimblysweep

generally speaking, you can only dye organic fabrics - wool and cotton and linen and such. you cannot dye any kind of plastic, pvc, etc.

if you have all cotton bartape and want to dye it, just know that it will probably bleed in the rain. i would recommend using the kool aide dye method. search the interweb for info. lots of us knitters dye that way.

cavit8

Ditto that. Shellac, rather than varnish, will change colour somewhat as it ages, depending on the type. A very Rivendell thing to do. Pick a cloth tape colour that's close (e.g. Tressostar) and shellac it up. Don't forget the twine wrap for that extra retro-geek factor.

https://www.outyourbackdoor.com/article.php?id=428
https://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2006...g-shellac.html

As per Sam's comment, I suspect dyes will bleed, particularly as you sweat. My Brooks saddle is a couple of years old and still gives a greenish tinge to my butt after a heavy sweatin' cycle.

jyossarian

Thanks all! I didn't know only organic materials can truly be dyed. The Soma cork tape is made of EVA which is vinyl. I checked Tressostar and the brown tape might be the closest match w/o dyeing, but I suspect it's not as comfy as cork tape. I suppose I could wrap cloth tape over the cork tape though.

As for the shellac method, it seems to be fairly durable. Varnish yellows w/ age and acrylic varnish dissolves in water. Don't know if I'll finish it off w/ hemp, but if anyone knows where to get hemp twine in NYC, lemme know, otherwise, I'll just go haunt hardware and yarn stores for it.

-=(8)=-

I have dyed plastic parts by using RIT Tye Dye and boiling them
on the stove for 15 minutes or so....Its not like they get real bright
with wha ever color you use but you can definately tell they are
mildly toned the color you boil them. Specifically, I turned dark grey
parts a real nice shade of Navy Blue.

jyossarian

Would boiling plastic handlbar tape melt/mangle/warp it?

mcatano

If you brought your bike to a leather shop, you could probably get them to cut you two strips of a similar-coloured leather in a bartape friendly width. I doubt it would cost very much. Heck, you could probably get them to make you a set of stitched grips for less than the cost of Viva or Brooks leather tape.

m.

-=(8)=-

Just soak it maybe ???
I guess boiling could hurt it.
I was replying to people who said you cant tint plastic.

jyossarian

Leather bar tape would be the bees knees, and there's more than a few fabric stores around so it can't hurt to find out what it would cost to buy. The RIT dye is what I was thinking of only because it's the only brand I'm familiar with. Luckily, dyes are also usually sold in fabric stores so I can just pepper them w/ questions.

roscoenyc57

what about the Brooks Leather bar tape?

https://www.brooksengland.com/press/

noriel

I've done the same thing with my Pedro's Milk Levers. Turned out a nice dark blue, not mildly toned in the least. maybe it's because I boiled it and left it in for a few hours. A lot of the white colored plastic/nylon parts of radio controlled cars can be dyed as well. I went so far as to dye some playstation controllers back in the day ('98), and the color rubbed off a little, but they are still the dark blue color to this day.

Just try it. Make sure your wear some black gloves and keep a way from the rain. Dunno how this is going to affect your adhesive, though. I think a YMMV is appropriate here.

jyossarian

Too expensive, but I did consider it.

dabern

What color is the tape you're starting with? If it's light, e.g. white or yellow, then amber shellac will work great...apply whatever number of coats it takes to match it to the saddle. Many light coats will make it smooth to the touch; fewer but heavier coats will make it feel slightly tacky. When it gets hammered & worn all you have to do is reapply.

GirlAnachronism

Thick & Zesty sounds like a kind of salsa.

jyossarian

As GirlAnachronism pointed out, the bar tape is tan. It's a little darker than the tape Spudmeister's new ride has as seen in this thread. The Brooks is the same color as his. So I'm starting w/ tape that's at least in the brownish family so an amber or honey/maple colored shellac should work. I'm thinking my best approach is to hit up some fabric stores and look for leather strips and twine (might as well go all OCP w/ it) or if the leather's pricey, go w/ shellac.

jyossarian

OK, so after deciding that 3 am a few weekends ago was the perfect time to get some bike related stuff done, I decided to shellack the handlebar tape. Seven unevenly applied coats later and the result was the following.



The color's much closer than it was before and while it's still not as dark as the Brooks, the mis-match isn't as jarring as before. As for the hemp twine, I'm still half-assedly looking for it, but the electrical tape will do for now.

Not pictured are the IRO headtube badge that fell off, again, and the shellac drip stains on the rims.

operator

I wouldn't worry about colour matching it too closely unless it's very very obviously mismatched. People don't notice that stuff, and if they do it doesn't really stick out.

greybeard87

Michaels crafts. Look in the beading section. You can get whole rolls or shorter pieces in various colors. A 12' piece will do a set of bars nicely and set you back less than $2.

guerillaidiom

****ing nerds.


how bout you ride the damn thing to shreds, before you hang it above your bed?

tkehler

Do any of you have advice for me? Aside from shellacking -- not my first choice for sure, for comfort reasons -- what tape should I use to match my Brooks honey leather saddle?

There are various companies making an orange tape. Or maybe a yellow?

Moving into the closer matches, there's Soma's thick and zesty tan, as well as Cinelli's tan.

Any advice?

Thanks

Ken Wind

Elkhide sewn-on bar covers

sloppy robot

you do know youre only allowed to match your brooks and bartape if youre over 60, have at least 6 inches of beard, are into cival war history and believe the government should be less centralized...

i dont make the rules.. i just try to follow them

iloveboston

yes yes yes