Cable rub - protection after the fact?

[gaijintendo]

Hello peeps,

I am looking at buying a knockabout commuter steel framed bike. It has a fair whack of cable rub on the top and headtubes and I was wondering, are you supposed to do anything before throwing some heli tape at it?

I mean, obviously, cleaning the surface to make sure the tape sticks. Should I be daubing it with some T-Cut?

 

[steve50]

as long as wear hasn't gone too far you could buff it out before taping but t-cut might be a bit harsh on thin cycle paint maybe consider a milder cutting compound or brasso is an old favourite for polishing scratches out.