Group--- In addition to the post I saw a few days ago regarding using shellac, I too saw the article in Grant Peterson's Rivendell Reader regarding the (very patient) young lady who used string for bar tape. I did it on a Paramount that wanted the "leather look". Good news: it looks stunning! Moderate news: it is a timely process to install--- I used the heaviest cotton string that I could find at the Ace Hardware store. The finished product has a lot of little "bristles" that I would give a light, fine sanding prior to the application of the second coat of shellac. The finished product on mine would not be overly comfortable for riding sans gloves-- and my hands are one big callous.
Getting around the brake lever was a bit of a challenge, requiring letting the string pile up at the lever side while forming a steeper angle with every wrap. This is covered by the hood. By overlapping the "diagonal" wraps after starting on the opposite side of the lever, the exposed triangle became quite small. I would suggest using a layer of white tape under the string to eliminate the aluminum triangle, and cover up the hairline cracks that showed up here and there after shellacing, exposing a tiny aluminum line--- the string might shrink a bit after shellacing, as I pushed the wraps very tightly together during the very timely wrapping process.
Shellac comes in clear and amber colors--- I had to special order the amber, which I perferred on my sample, producing a nice tan-brown, while the clear produced a grey-tan color.
Just last week I saw a string wrapped steering wheel on a 1920's +/- Delage--- it had a delightful braided knot at each end, and a raised rib that twisted/circled around the wheel. The rib was caused by somehow lapping the string on every lap--- not a knot, just a raised rib. My next project on a long winter's night!
I will take some photos of both installations this week--- if anybody is interested, i will be happy to send them on--- email me at: nelsmiller@msn.com
cheers----Nelson Miller // Seattle, WA // USA