Looking at the beautifully shellac'd bars on the Rene Herse linked in Mike Kone's post, I'm led to wonder when the technique was started. I especially like the way people match the tint to go with leather bags, seats, gum hoods, etc., but I'd never try it on one of my own bikes. When cloth tape was what was available, much preferable to the slick plastic in my own judgement, I just replaced it when it got worn. Fresh tape was the mark of a freshly or well maintained bike.
It wasn't until I started receiving the Rivendell Reader that I'd even heard of the technique (along with twine to finish it and braiding two colors of tape). Here on the humid Eastern Seaboard, I just can't imagine riding with handlebars going gooey the way wet shellac will, when I'm on a long muggy ride.
Can anyone enlighten us as to when this all started?
Dan Artley in warm, very humid, Parkton, Maryland