Tolex Arrrrgh!

[rutledj]

I'm trying to cover a fender style cab with the slanted front. What is the best way to handle those angles? I've found one tolex tutorial online (Casey's) but it doesn't cover those friggin angles.

Rut

[iknowjohnny]

I feel your pain. I finally got it buy using the following tricks...

1)-leave enough extra to grab and staple past the point you want it to go on the inside.

2)-spread glue then grab the tolex with a pair of vise grips and lock them. Pull it tight till it conforms to angles.

3)-as you are holdding it tight, tack that area down with a staple gun just past where you intend to trim it. Then loosed the vise grip and move it over a few inches and repeat.

Another thing that can help is a hair dryer to soften it and make it stretch over angles easier. Also, in some places you may have to cut it in a fe areas like the way the flange on piping is cut to allow it to bend around corners. Thats as clear as i can explain that, but you probably know what i mean. And finally, if you can find some, i bet a pair of vise grips with a wide jaw would work great. I have seen them where the end of the jaws are like a hammer head shark so you could grab about 5 or 6" at a time. Regular ones tho would still be needed for certain places where it's tight or whatever.

[rutledj]

So on the angle you just pull it hard? I have a problem with having too much material at that point and it wrinkles up. Seem like I need to cut it there to prevent overlap.

[iknowjohnny]

It's awful hard to explain without seeing what i did. But yes, if you pull it with a vise grip you will literally have 10 times less issues with wrinkling and such. Hold it there once it's tight and with the other hand shoot some staples in it. I use white glue, and after the glue dries in a day you can remove the staples and cut the excess tolex off.

But yes, you DO have to cut like i mentioned about the way the flange on piping has little cuts every 1/8" or so. In the image below you see the part under the faceplate that rounded? Well, if you took that part off the amp and looked at the back you'd see that where the rounded area is the tolex is cut about every 1/4" or so almost right up to the edge of the back. The top edge was even much tougher where it cuts inwards, but it's hard to se ein the pic so i used that front part as an example.

thats about the best i can do to describe it.

[img750]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c39/dazco/face.jpg[/img]

[Jana]

Yeah, pretty much what iknowjohnny said. I use contact cement and the chemicals in that kind of make the tolex rubbery. Contact cement is no fun to work with though, it makes it hard to play guitar for about a week afterwards... the first chord you grab on the guitar is the one you're stuck with for a while. lol.

But like IKJ says, stretch it tight and staple a lot. Beer helps.

[billyz]

You need to double cut the corners with a razor. Also, I find hot melted hide glue to work much better than contact cement , which never fully dries hard.

Fender used hide glue as per Sam Hutton and former fender employee and restoration expect.

John Mergili also uses a type of hide glue melted down in an electric skillet.
It cleans up with water too.
http://www.mergili.com/Kaboodle/Kaboodle_Cabs.htm

[Andy Le Blanc]

heres a link........

www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.ph ... ver&page=3

it becomes what ever you feel most comfortable doing.....
those corners start with a 90 then are finished to a 45......
corner caps are great cause they hide your boo boos...
get a heat gun .... or super glue.... or a wax stick to hide gaps
the cements half melt the tolex ..... but you can get them at any hardware

[CaseyJones]

I feel your pain. I finally got it buy using the following tricks...

1)-leave enough extra to grab and staple past the point you want it to go on the inside.

2)-spread glue then grab the tolex with a pair of vise grips and lock them. Pull it tight till it conforms to angles.

3)-as you are holdding it tight, tack that area down with a staple gun just past where you intend to trim it. Then loosed the vise grip and move it over a few inches and repeat.

AAaargh! Vice grips and staples? What I'd consider to be the First Law of Tolex Physics is "Objects at Rest Tend to Remain at Rest". Don't manhandle the tolex!

Yeah, pretty much what iknowjohnny said. I use contact cement and the chemicals in that kind of make the tolex rubbery. Contact cement is no fun to work with though, it makes it hard to play guitar for about a week afterwards... the first chord you grab on the guitar is the one you're stuck with for a while. lol.

But like IKJ says, stretch it tight and staple a lot. Beer helps.

Contact cement makes you play better. Everyone knows a little booze or dope conjures The Muse. Contact cement is a fair substitute for dope. Wheeze enough toluene or ketone and eventually the condition becomes permanent. What to you suppose shapes my personality? It's the damn glue startin' wif Revell plastic models back in the '60s when I could buy really good glue right over the counter up through today, I have a several quarts a day habit.

Saves on beer, though. Bigtime!

[Andy Le Blanc]

stretching is a no-no......... its a "double-glue" and the tolex is laid on....
a little slack is good....... then smooth out........ any tension will show later
hours ......days....... months .....as the tolex shrinks and the seems open up
as if by magic

[CaseyJones]

Too much glue. Double post...

[rutledj]

The problem was not so much with the corners but with the angle on front of the typical fender style amp. When covering the sides of the amp, that slant where the side goes from straight to the slant near the top. Can't seem to find a good way to do that little angle and not have way too much tolex on the inside that tends to fold over itself.

Oh, and the metal corners don't seem to fit the top slanted corner on this style cab.

Rut

[Ron Worley]

Antique Electronics also sells a very good glue for tolex work, it's really easy to work with and cleans up easily. Doesn't stink like hide glue either:

TOLEX GLUE, 1 QUART; $17.95

S-F316

Brush-on adhesive ideal for applying tolex. Cleans up with soap and water. No nasty solvents required. Does not stretch or shrink the vinyl. Quart.

TOLEX GLUE Adhesive For Bonding Tolex

Specifications: Tolex Glue is a non-flammable, Neoprene based, water borne adhesive formulated to bond tolex and vinyl to wood and wood based substrates.

Min. use temp: 45°F Shelf Life: 6 Months

Directions: Surfaces to be bonded must be clean. Apply a very thin coat to both surfaces. Very porous surfaces may require more than one coat. Second coat should not be applied until first has dried. Allow to "flash off" for 20-30 minutes. Cloudy areas indicate incomplete drying. This time can be shortened with forced air and/or heat. Position pieces carefully prior to bringing surfaces together as bond is made instantly. A pinch or J-roller roller is recommended to obtain proper mating.

Clean up and Storage: Clean Up: Cleans up easily with warm soapy water. Store tightly closed at room temperature. DO NOT Freeze.

Cautions or Warnings: For industrial use only. Consult MSDS prior to use.

[CaseyJones]

Brush-on adhesive ideal for applying tolex. Cleans up with soap and water. No nasty solvents required. Does not stretch or shrink the vinyl. Quart.

Cautions or Warnings: For industrial use only. Consult MSDS prior to use.

But does it make you play better?!

Neoprene is a very aggressive bond. That means get it right the first time or you're screwed.

[iknowjohnny]

any tension will show later
hours ......days....... months .....as the tolex shrinks and the seems open up
as if by magic

Not if you use white glue it wont ! Once it's fully dried the tolex is as good as part of the wood.

[skyboltone]

Antique Electronics also sells a very good glue for tolex work, it's really easy to work with and cleans up easily. Doesn't stink like hide glue either:

TOLEX GLUE, 1 QUART; $17.95

S-F316

Brush-on adhesive ideal for applying tolex. Cleans up with soap and water. No nasty solvents required. Does not stretch or shrink the vinyl. Quart.

I hate the stuff. Having said that I will also say it's the best I've found. You have way more open time with it than with the inhale-ables Casey is so fond of. But the easy clean up is a damn lie. Ordinary 3M spray cleans up worlds easier. The white water based stuff just balls up like boogers and has to be rubbed off like RTV. Also it doesn't hold as well. But......I often find that I need the extra time to move things or even pull a piece off completely to realign it. AES's product is worlds better in that regard.