Deep in the throes of another winter, I've decided to shellac my first set of handlebars. So far the process has only been mildly problematic, and the bars look great (white tape and amber shellac, just like the French Randonneurs do it; thanks Jan!) It took 4 coats before the tape saturated fully, and the 5th coat gave it a nice gloss.
The first question is how many additional coats are optimal? The appearance now is what I like, although a little darker won't hurt. WIll additional coats increase durability? Are there pitfalls to putting "too much" on?
The second question is how do you remove overruns from the bars themselves? Not a lot, just a few brush strokes got off the tape and onto the Nittos. Alcohol? Paint thinner? Lighter fluid? I don't want to use anything that might mar the paint if I have an oopsie.
The third question concerns the texture of the bars. They feel a little prickly now, and should be a good non-slip grip. But will they smooth out with more coats? Can I buff the bars a bit to get a higher gloss? Sand them for more grip? Or does that not work with cotton tape? (it is a pretty rough surface, and I don't expect to get a mirror shine.) Has anyone experimented with buffing or otherwise smoothing the shellac between coats?
FYI, the bike is my sky blue MKM, matched to a honey B-17. Bars are the Nitto Noodles from Rivendell, spiritual heir to the Randonneur. The tape almost matches the saddle now.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Tom Adams, Shrewsbury NJ
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