OK, I'm a little late with this post since I shellaced the bar tape last week but...I got some shellac flakes from Velo-Orange and picked up some denatured alcohol from Ace Hardware. It took about a day to disolve. Then I masked everything off and painted it on. The first coat just looked wet and the next few didn't change it much. The 5th coat though just gace it that deep luster like spit shined jump boots. It took me 3 days to put 8 coats total. Then I let it dry a couple of days. It felt hard and smooth to the touch so Saturday I took it out for it's first ride. Here's where the question comes in: after about 10 miles I could notice wear on the tops and drops where my gloves contacted the tape. By the end of the 45 mile ride the tops and drops were clearly worn and looked sort of hazy white instead of the deep lustrous shine it had. Is that normal? I expected it would do that eventually but not really after one ride. Did I maybe not let it dry long enough?

The only place I've ever heard of shellacing bar tape is Rivendell, and I've never seen it in real life. Post some pics if you can. Sorry to be of no help whatsoever.

I think it needs longer to cure. You can get rid of that haze by attacking the area with a hair dryer. Have patience, it takes a while to get warm enough. I found this out after desperately (but successfully )trying to fix the job I did outside when it was cold last winter.

I'm shellacing some clear Fir drawer fronts I made for our closets. I used Bullseye Amber out of a can as my days of mixing my own button-lac are long over. I started with a spit-coat of 30/70 shellac to alcohol. Then a second coat of 50/50, and a top coat with no thinning. Sanding with 600 between coats, and applied with a pig bristle brush. It came out great. Why are you using shellac on a bicycle again?

Actually, as silly as I think shellacing bar tape is, I have done it. Again using Bullseye right out of the can. I never put more than two coats of the stuff on. It was dry enough to ride in a day, and held up very well. You are putting it on cloth tape, right?

I think that 8 coats may be excessive. I've never applied more than five thin coats of Bullseye because I want the tape to have some texture for a good grip.

Not the greatest shot but you get the idea I think. I put 4 coats of Bulleye shellac on straight from the can.

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Could be. 5-8 is what was recommended on the instructions that came from Velo-Orange. After 4 coats it looked similar to the picture from fender1 above but at 5 it took on a deep luster. I rubbed it down with alcohol last night a slapped on another coat which brought back the shine. I'm going to let that dry for a week and see what happens. If it doesn't work I guess I start over. Try, try again.

I used 4 coats of Zinser Amber on Tressotaur tape and let it dry a couple of days before using. Haven't had any issues. 8 sounds like a lot of coats.

Here's what 8, well now 9, coats of shellac look like on plain black cloth bar tape. I'm going to let this dry for a week and see what happens.

Wow - at that point, I think you stop calling it shellacqued tape, and start calliing it shellac with a tape underlayment.

So why do folks do this -- does it provide a more comfortable grip? more durable? aesthetics? some type of tradition? I'm curious about the advantages.

No offense but that's really a lumpy, shiny, mess. The photo of Fender1's is what you should be shooting for.

Just experimenting mainly for aesthetics. Although the dye does tend to fade out of the cloth tape quickly.

You're not gonna tell me my baby is ugly and my mama wears combat boots are you? Not sure why Velo-Orange recommended 5-8 coats. Now that it's on there it does seem a bit excessive. But live and learn. Fortunately bar tape is cheap

Darn, I just wrote a longish reply about shellac application but don't see it posted. For some reason, the board seems to automatically sign me out within minutes and now what I wrote is lost!

Here it is again, hope it's not too longwinded :

I use shellac in woodworking but have not used it on handlebar tape. The process is like what Otis describes. The initial coat is thinned down with alcohol and subsequent coats with less thinning, builds up the finish. The key to multiple coats is to apply the finish thinly so as not to create an effect of "encapsulation". The durability of a finish coating (shellac in this case) is not entirely due to thickness of the coating. There is a point where the finish is too thick and will actually wear faster because the supporting substrate is too far away and the thick finish becomes too flexible.

In your case, you shouldn't apply more coats. Instead, just use an alcohol dampened rag and keep wiping it down until you start to feel the texture of the tape. Take a rag, stop the opening of the can of alcohol, invert the can. Wipe the bars with speed and light pressure. The finish might dull and as the alcohol evaporates, turn glossy. This all happens very quickly. Don't use too much alcohol as it will only dissolve and spread the shellac around. Use less ( and lots of rags), speed and short strokes and you can "pull" the excess shellac off. You might be surprised how quickly you can acquire the feel of the technique and attain a level of shellac zen and how you can control the look of the finish (lower or higher gloss). Shellac dries very quickly because the carrier and solvent is alcohol.

If you start again with fresh tape, thin the first coat 50/50 or less alcohol, brush on quickly. Repeat if there are missed areas. Let dry half an hour or so or until it just stops feeling tacky. Brush on a second coat unthinned, let dry an hour to two, third coat unthinned, let dry an hour to two. I think that should be enough. This is not fine furniture or musical instrument finishing and you want the shellac to soak into the fabric and then enough on top for some durability.

If you want an uber gloss, try this - after the final coat dries, use 600 grit wet and dry paper with a few drops of mineral oil or olive oil and gently polish the bars. It will reward you with a happy and lustrous gleam. In woodworking, the addition of oils and other substances not only increase the gleam and glow, but also gives the coating a certain flexibility.

sorry to hijack, but I think there's more than enuff info for the OP. Is there a vegan alternative to shellac? I've heard of corn-based "shellac", but I think it's used in industrial applications only.

Never tried it on bar tape (only wood), but you might try real tung oil- it's a tree nut oil that hardens as it cures. The "tung oil" finishes at Home Depot and the like have nasty solvents in them, I use pure tung oil (bought mine at The Real Milk Paint Company) and citrus solvent.

As to the OP, shellac finishes on wood will show water glass rings as cloudy white areas which may or may not clear up as they dry out... the sweat from your 45 mile ride, combined with too much shellac, was probably the reason for the cloudiness.

An excellent place to go when searching for vegan alternatives.

Hey, cows might need paint too...


What about using the bugs gathered on the fast downhills to make the shellac?

i used it several times. i love the feel of it. usually do like 3 to 5 coats in one evening. wait 45 min between coats. next day its ridable

What's "it"? Shellac or tung oil?

Ok, I tore it all off and started over. Here's the second try, this time without the lumpy padding under the tape, a different direction for the wrap, cord whipping with hemp twine, and only 4 coats of shellac.

Is there a vegan alternative???? Is this a trick question????

I shellaced a nature colored Cinelli cork type tape for my Mike Appel.
i used flakes and spirit from a furniture restoring supply. This must be more than 20 Layers (i wanted that brown tone), but the shellac dried fast enough for me to apply several Layers a day.

i have no problems with wear or the surface getting opaque, but then i don't ride with gloves.
Only issue i'm having is with small cracks, that might be because the base cork tabe is too soft. But it gives the bar that Jaguar leather seat look

this is how it looks:

wow that looks pretty damn cool. 20 coats you say?