I want to order some shellac flakes from shellac.com to shellac my cloth handle bar tape. Should I get the waxy or dewaxed flakes?

https://www.shellac.net/pricelist.html

Get the dewaxed if you care, though it doesn't really matter on handlebars. de-waxing is more tuned toward furniture use. A more economical method may just be a small. half pint can of Bullseye clear. About 7 bucks. Going for a specific color?

I want to end up a deep dark red:

0430201173SS 125 by vonfilm, on Flickr

Don't take my word as gospel here... From my own experience even shellac labeled as clear will have a bit of color to it. I am under the impression that de-waxing is a process used to make the shellac clearer. If you are looking to darken your bars, then I would use something with a a bit of color in it.

Here is my bike. I used Newbaums red tape and 3 coats of bullseye clear shellac. It did make the tape darker, actually darker than I wanted (wanted to match the seat tube stripes)


Here is another bike of mine. This tape started out white and I added three coats of the same bullseye clear shellac. You can see how much color it actually contains.

Stemming from the OP looking at the same site,

How much should I buy to thoroughly coat the tape? From shellac.net "4 oz. will make a pint (16 oz.) of '2 pound cut' shellac."
I am thinking of using one of the redish browns or the ruby on this

Hey Hairnet, did you buy those army bag panniers or make them? I like em! If you bought them, where did you get them from? If you made them, is there how to link or website you'd be willing to share? Thanks!
I love how I'm always learning something new on here. I never heard of Bullseye pre mixed shellac. I thought if you wanted your cotton handlebar tape shellac'd you had to go the whole flakes route.

This is Newbaum's red with one coat of amber shellac:

16 ounces of mixed shellac is about ten times more than you need to coat your bars. Buy the 4 ounces, but mix about a half of a cup of denatured alcohol with 3-4 tablespoons of flakes. a bit more if you like it a tad thicker. Stir thoroughly, a couple of times, and ideally let sit for a week to let the wax settle to the bottom. But you don't have to. Use it right away is OK too. Letting the wax settle will give you a more clear solution, but it hardly matters on handlebars.

Check Home Depot or your local hardware store. You want the tiny can.

They are army surplus store musette bags. I used corrugated plastic street signs for backing - very crude. Here is my friend's more thorough version https://web.archive.org/web/200410200...ypanniers.html
thanks for the tips

Thanks Rootboy and Hairnet! Quick Question: if the cotton tape on you're handlebars was black, would bullseye make the look lighter or milky?

One coat of clear shellac on black tape won't change the appearance. Several coats would will look black but it will become glossier with each coat, and after about 4 coats, will look like gloss black vinyl.

Amber shellac will look bad on black, as it will start looking like dark sh*t.

Here's black cotton with one coat of clear:

That's some good looking bar tape right there. Appreciate the info guys.

VERY nice.

Another brand you'll find at Home Depot in cans is Zinser. I've used both the amber and clear. Just a guess based on the pics above, but the Zinser clear appears to be more clear than the Bullseye above.

2 (maybe 3) coats of Zinser clear over light blue and a very light gray cotton

Actually, Ex Pres, I think Zinsser is the company, Bull's Eye is the product name. Just looked at a small can at the hardware store yesterday and, for the price, it sure is a lot less hassle than buying flakes, alcohol, etc. Much as I like mixing my own shellac.
I'm experimenting with a different approach on a set of bars I'm working on at the moment. Clear lacquer.

That's the stuff I use.

That's what I get for being in the over 50 club (and killing cells back in the 70's).

But my clear does appear not to affect the color as much as some of the pics posted above. I wonder if the effect is tape brand dependent as well?

In the same club


Well, one advantage of using shellac is it will not impair cells near as much as what I'm experimenting with. Lacquer. I actually like the smell of shellac, though I suppose denatured alcohol is not that good for my feeble, addled brain either.

Interesting about the effect and color. I'm trying Testor's clear lacquer for the very reason that I think shellac, even the clear, tends to give sort of a yellowish cast. Certainly not as much as the amber but I somehow still don't care for it on certain colors. Now, if you're trying to match a honey colored Brooks, amber shellac is very helpful.

Another reason I'm tinkering around with crystal clear lacquer; I've decided I'm not fond of the heavy, multi-coat look so I'm trying to achieve my correct color before I seal with lacquer. It's been a bit hit n' miss but I'm getting there. I've found adding additional coats of shellac doesn't really make the color any darker. Makes amber more deep and rich but also builds up into a too-glossy appearance, IMO.

I also use the stuff in cans. Bear in mind that it's fine to mix the clear and amber in whatever ratio suits your project. I no longer remember the details, but this is some combination of the two, mostly clear; about 3 coats over red Tressostar. If you're super particular, it would make sense to buy an extra roll of tape for experimentation.

Neat pic Due Ruote. Great color combo.

Thanks. That's one of those Ted Williams 531 bikes. I did like the color, sort of a poor man's Legnano. Bike was too big for me so it's been passed on to a friend.