Hello David,
I use regular clear canned stuff from the hardware store. Mostly on cotton tape, but have also used on padded tape and it works fine. I like to do a lot of coats and get it real shiny. It will also be slick if it gets wet, but I like the look. After the first few coats (4 or 5) it feels pretty rough and grippy, but I don't like the look, so I keep going and after about 15-20 coats, it gets nice and pretty. I've got a couple of seasons now with some of my bars this way and they look great still. They don't get dirty and I give 'em a new coat once in a while when I'm doing another set of bars. Of course, they have to be thin coats and allow them to dry well between coats, so it takes a while (a week or longer) to do a set of bars, and near the end of the process I'll flip the bike over and get the bottom of the bars well shellaced too.
Whatever you end up doing, have a fun and experiment.
Drew Ellison Everett, Washington USA
On Jul 23, 2008, at 5:45 AM, David Bean wrote:
> What kind of shellac should one use for this? (Old-fashioned clear
> real
> shellac?) How many coats should be used?
>
> Thanks
>
> David Bean
> Arlington, MA USA
> beandk at are-see-enn dot com