Cotton and Shellac

With everything in the right places on the 51 porter conversion it was time to put the cherry on top.  There is something just right about the feel of cotton tape with just a few coats of shellac.  I have found that the orange tape, particularly Newbams, when paired with garnet shellac is not only a near perfect match for brooks leather saddles, but has a warm tone that you can not replicate any other way.  It is just one of those things that takes time, patience, and is a process you can not cheat on.  This project has a layer of Soma thick and zesty under the orange cotton, finished off with cotton twine and then three coats of garnet shellac, the pictures tell the rest of the story.

The amazing thing is the feel, grippy, but soft, with just a touch of cush.  It will soften with time, last for years with an occasional re-coat, and only look and feel better with usage.

And for the color, most would not know it isn’t leather unless you told them, a perfect match for a worn in Brooks.