The usual advice for a *near* match with a honey Brooks is to treat tan cork or yellow cloth with amber shellac. Actually, white cloth treated with amber shellac will give the same result as will yellow cloth. If your honey Brooks has a lot of miles on it and has darkened substantially, then any of these choices won't be a close match. In that case, going with a darker tape (like the orange cloth shown by Lee, or possibly brown cloth) will keep the end result darker, whether that's good or not. Some experimentation and open-mindedness might be in order.
How you apply the shellac plays a big role in the desired result. I dilute the shellac with denatured alcohol, starting with a heavily diluted mixture for the first two coats and then progress to weaker dilutions. Thinned shellac initially penetrates the tape well and applies easily without drips and sags. I like to retain a bit of the texture of the tape, and I find that numerous, thinned coats make it easier to control that. I use six to seven coats total, resulting in a thin, durable finish that dries faster between coats. Aggressive *brushing* when you apply the shellac will result in more bubbles in the final finish and more splatters on you and your bike. If that bothers you, just use the brush to gently control the flow of the shellac onto the tape. Before your final coat (and once the previous coat has dried), knock off any little bubbles with fine sandpaper and follow with a quick wiping of denatured alcohol on a rag. You're now ready for the final coat. http://www.flickr.com/photos/35134...@n05/3297247547/in/photostream/ The above is an example of amber-shellacked white cloth with a honey Brooks. Both the tape and saddle were new when this was taken. Over time and mileage, the wrap has mellowed nicely, and the saddle has gained the darker tones and patina as you'd expect. Since the wrap will never darken like the saddle, the latter will one day become much darker in comparison. Finally, I understand some people actually like the "resin" look obtained by multiple, heavy applications of undiluted shellac. If that's your objective, realize that it won't have the same durability and will be prone to chipping or cracking, especially if applied over padded tape. I've been told that the additives in premixed, canned shellac reduce its flexibility; mixing your own solution with flaked shellac supposedly preserves flexibility. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
