Shellac - is two coats enough?
 

This is the first time that I have ever attempted shellac over Tressostar cloth tape. Is 2 coats adequate? Is there a reason why some people do many more coats? Finally, how long should I allow the shellac to cure before I ride it, can it be wiped clean?

Thanks!

Depending on how thick you glom it on, you may be able to get by w/2 coats. Usually, it seems pretty rough still at that point and seems like it could capture a lot of grit/dirt in the crevices and voids. My impression is that three coats is about the minimum for bars that will stay pretty clean, be wipeable, follow on coats gloss them up more, and fill in more voids. However, the gloss wears off (for me anyhow) and it starts looking sorta worn/leathery.

I like about 6 coats, let dry 24 hours between coats. At this point, it looks like candy, shiny, etc, really too much, imo, but it wears in pretty quick and the gloss gets knocked off. I'll ride it 24 hours after my last coat.

I use 5-6 thin coats and I definitely don't wait 24 hours between coats. A fresh coat will always melt the previous coats, no matter how long you wait. That's how shellac works.

The first time I did it I used the shellac flakes from Velo Orange and applied their recommended 8 coats. It came out so deep and glossy it looked and inch deep and you could practically see yourself in it. Really NOT the look you want on your handlebars. I stripped it off and redid it with four coats and that was perfect. Two would probably work but not have quite the durability of four.

+4

I started with 3 coats and it still had lots of fabric texture while still being cleanable. Held up well for a year and a half. I put another coat on this spring and it's a little glossy. Lots more durable than cork tape.

The magic number for me is 4 coats. At 2, the cloth tape just looks like colored cloth. At 3, it starts to take on that shine. At 4, it's got the gloss, a very rich color (I use amber shellac), and a nice feel without being slick. With the first couple of coats, I do them about an hour apart and then let it sit overnight. Then I do the third and fourth coat in the a.m., again, about an hour apart.

there's a technique to brushing on shellac that's different from any lacquer or paint: you have to brush it thin and in one direction and quickly...you don't ever go back over it until it's dried, it's not something you fuss with to try to minimise brushstrokes. It dries fast. You can sand and recoat in about 30-45 minutes, depending on temp and humidity. I'd say 4 coats is a minimum and if you really have the technique, your 8 will look like an amateurs 4. Shellac has a limited shelf life, if you are brushing old shellac all bets are off.

I'm a painting contractor and use shellac for wood finishes, sealing stains, and the like. Why do you put it on handlebar tape? I would think it would take away any of the qualities that are good about cloth tape. Cloth tape is somewhat shock absorbing, sweat absorbing, has enough tooth for a good grip, comes in a variety of colors. So why seal it up and make it hard and glossy and woodtone?

thanx for starting this thread.

so i bought some grips from rivbike and put those on my bike and shellaced them. i put about 5 to 6 coats on and it was fine for awhile. then after some time the shellac started to bubble and when those bubbled they would look like pimples and pop then it would leave a big hole in the shellac. i finally sanded down the grips and did the shellac over and it was fine for some time but now it has started again.

i attributed it to the heat and sun here in arizona, i even covered my bike and it did it again.
has this happened to anyone. ill probally sand them down again and recoat it another 5 or 6 times.

These are good tips. Can you by any chance post some pics/links of nice shellac jobs? That'd be a good reference. Also, what do you look for in your 8th coat? I always stopped at 4 because it had a nice look and still had a nice feel to it. Finally, what's the shelf life, approximately?

Thanks!

I've only done one bar, but 4 coats did it for me. I was using amber over yellow and was going for a color rather than a specific gloss or feel. 3 coats just didn't have enough tint, the 4th ended up just a tad darker than the ideal shade I had imagined, but I like it.

I don't have any pics to show what good shellac looks like, but I need to make one correction: you can recoat the first coat after 30 or so minutes, but further coats are best applied with 8 hours between coats. I dissolve my own shellac flakes, and strain/filter them. I toss any leftover after 6 months shelf-life. Sometimes it lasts longer, but if you mix just enough for the job, there's little waste. If you want to tint shellac to add color, it's best to lay down one coat of clear, then lay on color-tinted over it and follow with a top coat of clear. It's not good in high heat (it WILL soften) and direct sunlight is not so cool, either (so Arizona sunshine may not be ideal, but the low humidity is good).
Also, the brush is important: no polyester or other plastic bristles: use natural "China" bristle brush, a cheap "chip" brush is fine for H-bar work.

Rivendell has some helpful photos to show the color changes of cloth tape w/ clear and amber shellac:

http://www.rivbike.com/products/list...product=16-114

Neal

This awful mess is 8 coats:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...ar89/002-2.jpg


This is 4 coats after I stripped it off and re-did it:

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...ar89/001-2.jpg

Six thin coats. First was amber, the rest clear. These bars haven't been ridden yet.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_P7m8p3pz-zo/Sc...bars%20018.jpg

I wouldn't worry too much about the gloss. Here is one that had 7 or 8 coats, was initially quite glossy, but then after a little use got a more matte appearance:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_P7m8p3pz-zo/Sd...Rack%20004.jpg

Lots of people have different techniques, from the shellac they use, to brushing techniques, to time between coats, to local temperature/humidity, all of which affect the outcome. For my part, I've had very good luck with thin coats with a lot of drying time between them. In the cases where I've used less time between coats, it was my subjective impression that the shellac retained a little more residual tack, something I didn't prefer. However, it is a hassle to take 4-5 days to shellac bars, and others have gotten satisfactory results with much more abbreviated drying times.

If you still don't believe me about the gloss, another thing you can do is after the last coat dries, take a paper towel/rag wetted with alcohol and wipe the bars down lightly. This will knock off some of the gloss, IME. I'm not talking about scrubbing off the shellac, just a quick swipe.

Some of this, you just have to experiment to find out what works for you. Fortunately, handlebar tape and shellac is pretty cheap compared to a lot of other bicycle parts.

I may not be as fussy as most, but mostly approach this whole vintage thing from a pragmatic 'utility-first-let's-ride-instead' attitude.
I reuse old bar wraps, finish off with electrical tape plus other cheapskate tricks, and I find shellac fitting marvelously into that scheme. It rejuvenates crappy tape, can be reapplied on a whim any time down the road without surface prep and is ride-ready in minutes here on the dry side of the continent. I even put a few coats on some really bad looking white Campy brake hoods, which arguably gave them a new round on my wife's bike.

I only use the dry amber flakes and keep a small amount of mixed shellac in a peanutbutter jar with a chopped off 1" brush inside, ready for immidiate use on large and small jobs. If it dries out (alcohol evaporates quickly) just mix it up again. It typically takes a good day for fresh shellac flakes to completely dissolve into a useable liquid.

The best thing about shellac is the 'you're kidding' look one gets when elaborating on the beetle poop origins of the flakes!

Hah, yeah... I love telling people that, then adding that you can eat the flakes.

I tried to respond last night but the browser crashed and I lost my whole long write up. I do want to say that gloss is not at all important to me, in fact I want it to have a satin appearance. I only had white cloth to work with so I was hoping the shellac would make the tape look better longer.

I have read about dissolving shellac flakes on the VO website, and I do believe it is probably a better method. I didn't have any set expectations so I just got the Bullseye stuff from the local hardware store. I was hoping that the clear would just barely tint the tape, after 4 coats I ended up with a cream/gold color. It could be a combination of things, it's not ideal but I don't hate it either. If anything I may get some gum colored hoods to match it better.

I'll post pics in a bit. Thank you for all of the helpfull advice, it will give me a lot to experiment with next time around.

Ok, here are some pictures. I would like to add that I did not just change tape for the heck of it, my other bars had an incident and I had to replace them :cry:. I miss the gray tape, it had really started to grow on me.

4 coats of bullseye pre-mixed clear shellac over white Tressostar tape. The first coat I applied was somewhat heavy with thin coats added about every 2 hours. I used a cheap natural bristle brush, I brushed in the direction of the wrap and tried to work quickly.

I believe I could have had better results getting the clear if I had used a better product, or somehow filtered what I had.

Here it is:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/...5be7bb11_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3619/...a9dc533d_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/...31cb6885_o.jpg

Here it is pre-accident with the gray tape and no shellac:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3540/...541d2083_o.jpg

thanx for the info, yeah im pretty sure its the damned heat out here, i might have to store my bike inside or something. ill just sand them down tonight and reapply.

but damn they look nice when they get redone.

it's technically not "beetle poop":rolleyes:: shellac is the resin that the *tree* excretes as a response to the beetles attacking it. The tree is trying to heal the wound with its sap as well as cover and kill the pests...as least that's the story I'm told.
Oops: I've been told wrong, it IS secretions of the insect, not the tree(s)...but still, it's not "poop"...maybe more like "sweaty vomit", that's got a nicer ring to it!

I run into the sales rep for Zinsser products at the paint store on occasion. I cant wait to tell him this use for shellac. I think its absolutely crazy. Why you guys do this is beyond me.

^Tra-DI-tion, my good fellow, we do it cause it was good enough for our forefathers!
...once you start using it you'll be hooked, too!
BTW, note to mkeller234: shellac always adds some amount of amber tint, but if you want the "clearest" shellac, look for a de-waxed Super Blonde (you'll have to make your own "cut" with denatured alcohol).

That's not bad at all. I've been wanting to put white cloth tape on my bike but I was afraid the shellac would turn it tan or light brown and unshellaced white tape wouldn't last half way through the first ride. I was wondering too though if there isn't something else that might work on white tape that would be clear. Maybe clear laquer or something like that.

hmm i just sanded mine down again and i think im just going to leave it until summer is over when it turns winter here.

cause im pretty positive it'll do it over again if i just coat them.