Martin, Though I've never shellac-ed any cork myself, I see no reason why it can't be done. It may be a bit more absorbent than cotton fabric, but the cork shouldn't be harmed by the shellac once absorbed and cured. One caveat: most "cork" tape is made of cork bits blended with some kind of binder, either natural rubber or a synthetic, and the alcohol solvent in the shellac might have some bad effect on that material...so test it first. Another sidebar: I used to consider shellac to be a cheap, tacky wood finish, inferior to lacquers or polyurethane, until I was given a primer from a friend of mine who restores antique frames and artwork. He explained (by demonstrating) the difference between the common commercial shellac from a can (which he considers crap) and the stuff you "cut" yourself by desolving the hard resins in pure wood alcohol. There are different grades of both the resins and the alcohol, and when you care enough to use the best the difference is dramatic...really. And it's not that hard to prepare your own, either. The pure "museum grade" alcohol that he uses for his shellacs might also be safer on rubber, compared to the commercial stuff that's "denatured" with MEK and other poisons (if that turns out to be a problem area). As always, YRMV. Alan Goldsworthy SF, CA
shellacing a cloth handlebar tape is a nice way to give your bike a classic look.
Sad thing is that cloth handlebar tape in colors other than black seems to have vanished rom the market; Rivendell is out of stock...
so i thought of alternatives.
Cinelli sells a modern "cork" padded handlebar tape in color "nature"
(see http://www.bike24.net/
i wonder i it might be possible to put shellac on one o those tapes? anybody ever tried it?
thanks or any hints,
Martin Appel
Munich, Germany