tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post2908011512173260931..comments2024-03-18T08:41:35.438-04:00Comments on Lovely Bicycle!: Shellac: Why and How?Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-34277237916758584862017-03-07T06:45:15.406-05:002017-03-07T06:45:15.406-05:00My greyish Brooks Cambo saddle is too light to my ...My greyish Brooks Cambo saddle is too light to my taste. Would shellac be durable enough to resist my excited movements on the saddle?Erikhttp://www.bikelike.nlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-19863872996034202512014-06-10T05:57:44.779-04:002014-06-10T05:57:44.779-04:00Hi Paul,
Use a dot of glue from a hot glue gun at...Hi Paul,<br /><br />Use a dot of glue from a hot glue gun at start and end of the twine. Superglue should be ok too if you don't have a gluegun though.<br /><br />RichardAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-6925599667798753452014-02-11T10:12:05.706-05:002014-02-11T10:12:05.706-05:00This is probably a silly question - how would you ...This is probably a silly question - how would you make the twine adhere to the water bottle before giving it a good shellacking? Do you simply glue the two ends?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11575874458050647863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-60421897192683377662013-11-20T13:04:40.593-05:002013-11-20T13:04:40.593-05:00As you say, on this side of the Atlantic, mixed sh...As you say, on this side of the Atlantic, mixed shellac is known as French polish. It's also sold as knotting, which tends to be a bit cheaper. This is for sealing resinous knots in wood before painting it, and is probably not as good quality as French polish, but maybe quite adequate for bicycle use. Rustin's sell knotting alongside their French polish. Denatured alcohol is the American term. In Britain, this is called methylated spirits or meths, and is widely available. It will clean the shellac off brushes, which should then be washed in warm soapy water, rinsed and put to dry naturally. A warning about nail varnish remover. My wife used some recently, applying it with cotton wool balls, and the skin cracked open on the pads of all her fingers, causing great discomfort and inconvenience for a while.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-77706544680023599402012-10-04T09:02:24.491-04:002012-10-04T09:02:24.491-04:00you dont need to use denatured alcohol
it's as...you dont need to use denatured alcohol<br />it's as good to use ordinary purple meths<br />i can promise you that. robinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-60929122264134614252012-02-24T20:38:16.744-05:002012-02-24T20:38:16.744-05:00As a woodworker that uses a fair amount of shellac...As a woodworker that uses a fair amount of shellac, I can recommend Zinnser SealCoat, which is a premixed dewaxed shellac of very high quality and is sold as a seal coat for wood. This product is medium-light amber and provides a better moisture barrier than standard shellac. It is fast drying, has a long shelf life and is available in hardware and home center stores.Tom in Delawarehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01680741648183113727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-80391689056803385632011-06-20T02:45:04.574-04:002011-06-20T02:45:04.574-04:00Calling theeverydaycyclist and others in Britain: ...Calling theeverydaycyclist and others in Britain: to dilute shellac or wash out your brushes, look for methylated spirits or "meths." This is basically denatured alcohol, and is a purple colour. A slightly cheaper alternative to French polish is "knotting," which is essentially the same thing, shellac dissolved in alcohol, but rather thinner. As for "lice poop," French polish is used as a finish on some of the finest furniture ever made, by the likes of Thomas Chippendale, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-32952176999465082762010-10-01T21:20:08.728-04:002010-10-01T21:20:08.728-04:00I would never cut the Hutchinson rubber coverings ...I would never cut the Hutchinson rubber coverings or as I've heard the 'pleather' from those Motobecane handlebars, I shellacked over the rubber itself and it is an outstanding feel. Doing the water bottles is a nice touch.<br /><br />All this stuff is so classic.... jeez, I keep homage to the Bike boom, suicide levers, keep 'em, they don't seem so different than those reverse or garondolet brake levers I see for sell. Fine if you like to do it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-72065183201439074552010-09-18T09:58:39.339-04:002010-09-18T09:58:39.339-04:00karl--the Pashley fold-down rear kickstand is not ...karl--the Pashley fold-down rear kickstand is not very user-friendly. The bike can roll forward off of it. I tolerate it, begrudgingly and have written in the past about how poor it is.<br /><br />For a while, I had a replacement Pletscher double-legger, but that broke. I have my doubts about their quality.<br /><br />I am not sure what to recommend for the Pashley. I am still looking for a good kickstand for mine.<br /><br />Don't twine/shellac the Pashley! That thing needs to stay black. You can touch up the scraped paint with automotive black enamel. Black nailpolish (as I found out) will eventually turn white (like super-glue) and look ugly.MDIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810401918223629618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-57069049198471785102010-09-17T22:52:50.296-04:002010-09-17T22:52:50.296-04:00Velouria, thank you for this post. You gave me an...Velouria, thank you for this post. You gave me an idea of using twine and shellac for my Pashley kickstand (it swings down from the top of the rear fender, as you probably know). It's just painted metal and it's getting pretty beaten up in the short time that I've had the bike. I may be more particular than most in keeping bikes as flawless as possible. So, this is kinda killing me. How does the cohabitant deal with the kickstand of his Pashley? He may not be as obsessively compulsive (or as odd) as me in preserving the looks of stuff.karlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-73066236295000979662010-09-17T09:21:09.961-04:002010-09-17T09:21:09.961-04:00It doesn't _have_ to be denatured, if you know...It doesn't _have_ to be denatured, if you know what I mean... :) <br />No, no it does not. My preference is brown and it seems to work just fine regardless of clear or amber, if you know what I mean...Matt.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-47752330136861899312010-09-16T23:01:42.265-04:002010-09-16T23:01:42.265-04:00Actually I'm one of about 10,000 people buildi...Actually I'm one of about 10,000 people building a bamboo bike these days. If I wanted to be doing something hip I'm probably 3 or 4 years too late. I'm just following the plan from the "instructables" website. <br /><br />But I think they're neat (if maybe a little dumb), reasonably light, easy to make(compared to a steel frame), stiff and cheap. I like the looks of them more than anything though. They look like something Tommy Chong would ride if he were a cyclist. I like Tommy Chong and I hope you do too, I think we should all strive to be more like the great man if only in being broad minded enough to ride bikes made from yard waste.<br />Corey, the first one was SUPPOSED to be a 29er singlespeed freewheel, but the wheels I was going to build it around got re-claimed at the last minute by the guy who left them here for like 3 years, so the one in the jig right now is a 26" coasterbrake bike built with a bunch of really nice parts I salvaged from a 1936 Firestone girls bike with a bent frame and rusted out rims. I hope it turns out nice but if it doesn't I'll throw it into a corner and try again this winter. Two of my friends are also building them in my basement (we have a really nice jig we built together for building steel bikes) and they made it look like fun so I decided to do it too. I'm always down there building racks for people or working on Museum projects so it gives me something to do when I need a diversion. It ought to be done in about a week or 10 years... If it turns out to be a dead-end like 75% of these projects do, who cares, it's fun just messing around with dumb stuff.<br /><br />SpindizzyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-81269809767648941552010-09-16T22:36:25.804-04:002010-09-16T22:36:25.804-04:00It doesn't _have_ to be denatured, if you know...It doesn't _have_ to be denatured, if you know what I mean... :)MDIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810401918223629618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-76133168753334439272010-09-16T21:41:14.459-04:002010-09-16T21:41:14.459-04:00FYI Shellac is always reddish/amber, the clear she...FYI Shellac is always reddish/amber, the clear shellac is obtained through a bleaching process. And if you keep that lid tapped tight on that can it can last years! And if no one has mentioned it yet, denatured alcohol works great for cleaning up any drips if you're not careful.Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-47874244102928795492010-09-16T21:22:20.802-04:002010-09-16T21:22:20.802-04:00Oh, and I've been using an oversized stainless...Oh, and I've been using an oversized stainless bottle from the grocery store - I was wondering what bottle you are using?<br /><br />ErickKirsten-Erickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03466456546647848931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-60208761253126217882010-09-16T21:20:48.054-04:002010-09-16T21:20:48.054-04:00I'm not usually one to promote my stuff in com...I'm not usually one to promote my stuff in comments, but this is topical - it's a work in progress/experiment incorporating shellac into some shoes I'm working on:<br />http://riotgeer.blogspot.com/2010/08/wip-8-24-10.html<br /><br />ErickKirsten-Erickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03466456546647848931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-38968035116574461202010-09-16T13:24:10.759-04:002010-09-16T13:24:10.759-04:00I've noticed that clear varnish goes better on...I've noticed that clear varnish goes better on tape colors in the blue area of the spectrum. Amber is orange. Opposite on the color wheel of blue. Orange on Blue is Blechk. Think of amber shellac as an amber filter on a camera. It makes *most* colors look golden as an Italian landscape. I test-coated dark blue with both. Amber came out almost black.<br /><br /> I tried amber on a dark green tape. The results are VERY subjective. It looks like pond scum. I like it... matches my Rivy Sackville bags. My daughter is ashamed to be seen with me on it. My wife refuses comment. Nobody seems to be without an opinion, though few are voiced. It gets stares. About a third say they like it. I'm guessing the rest are too polite to comment.Phil Millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-36445243042282665382010-09-16T09:25:27.586-04:002010-09-16T09:25:27.586-04:00I had been noting your nice looking water bottles ...I had been noting your nice looking water bottles in other photos and am glad you took a closeup and explained how they were made/created. Thanks for teaching and showing me something new. I enjoy reading your blog.PaddyAnnehttp://pedaltalk.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-30742561897962409172010-09-16T06:41:15.425-04:002010-09-16T06:41:15.425-04:00Over here in the UK, shellac tends to be known as ...Over here in the UK, shellac tends to be known as french polish - or at least that's all I've found to approximate the Bullseye shellac that Rivendell recommend. For the benefit of UK based cloth and twiners, Rustin's French Polish is basically your Amber Shellac equivalent. Also I've struggled to find denatured alcohol in UK hardware shops - you get odd looks from the sales assistants. However, I've found that my 'co-habitant's' nail varnish remover works really well. 4 coats applied over time has given my bars a nice antiqued effect - some of the tape beausage as been presevered under layers of shellac, like a prehistoric bug caught in amber. I use brown Tressostar cloth tape with amber shellac - gives a nice rich tone that complements (rather than tries to match) a honey Brooks B17Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-2949063612148908012010-09-16T06:11:52.658-04:002010-09-16T06:11:52.658-04:00I'm so tempted to ask why anybody would like t...I'm so tempted to ask why anybody would like to smear lots of lice poop all over handlebars :-)<br /><br />(I know, it's also a food additive, as E904, and covers lots of pills that should dissolve slowly, so rather harmless)Frits Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11399632570565541892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-85192596940547521992010-09-15T23:51:59.385-04:002010-09-15T23:51:59.385-04:00MDI - That's right, I forgot about #5; that...MDI - That's right, I forgot about #5; that's an important point. Reminds me that I need to review the bottles themselves too.<br /><br />Corey - Thanks, I think his bike looks great, too... though I still think it is about time he got a nice *new* bike. I am willing to go hungry for a few months, but he is hard to convince.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-70688249076416864632010-09-15T23:48:48.838-04:002010-09-15T23:48:48.838-04:00Corey: I have it on good authority Spindizzy is ma...Corey: I have it on good authority Spindizzy is making bamboo-framed fixie 29er mountain bikes with full suspension, wooden tubular rims, latex & silk sew-ups and hydraulic disc brakes powered by coconut milk.MDIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810401918223629618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-47303541635079360012010-09-15T23:44:39.763-04:002010-09-15T23:44:39.763-04:00I should add that I like the new cloth/shellacked ...I should add that I like the new cloth/shellacked bars on my Motobecane. Probably not going back to cork.<br /><br />I am not sure about leather. On the one hand, I love the leather Brooks grips on my Pashley (but those are leather washers, a completely different feel from leather tape or sewn-up elkhide). On the other hand, I like the sandpapery/hard feel of shellacked cloth tape. I also like how cheap and replaceable cloth tape is. And all the colours. Mine is/was orange.<br /><br />I put the remaining orange tape around my kickstand, going to shellac that in place tomorrow and maybe Velouria will post some pics of that on Flickr.<br /><br />Anon @ 8.42pm: I've posted this several times before, but here is a brief list of why twine/shellac are great for steel water bottles:<br /><br />It (1) provides a grippy, textured surface to hold/open/close the slippery bottles, (2) prevents rattling in the cages while (3) ensuring a tight fit over bumpy roads, (4) protects the expensive bottle from dents and scratches, (5) keeps the sun rays from heating the metal, and (6) stays comfortably cool when the bottle is filled with ice chips. Like a desert sack, a slightly wet shellacked twine sleeve (7) evaporates slowly cooling the water inside the bottle. Finally, it (8) almost completely hides the logos... :)MDIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810401918223629618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-64350149333256712062010-09-15T22:12:42.041-04:002010-09-15T22:12:42.041-04:00Before I forget, MDI's Motobecane looks great ...Before I forget, MDI's Motobecane looks great with the new shifter controls. <br />I had my '70s Peugeot set up in a very similar manner, and loved it. <br />The shellac is like icing on a very classy cake.<br /><br /><br />Spindizzy, are those going to be bamboo-framed fixie 29er mountain bikes? ;)<br /><br />Corey KCorey Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381826721030941179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-6324481796409190772010-09-15T21:19:24.201-04:002010-09-15T21:19:24.201-04:00Spindizzy - That was one of the reasons we twined ...Spindizzy - That was one of the reasons we twined ours; the layer of twine makes them fit into at least 3 standard cages we have on our various bikes. <br /><br />Are you joking about the bamboo frames?Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.com