# Re-Tolex'ing Head Cabinet



## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

I bought a Hovercraft 20w head (NAD post to come) and not particularly happy with how they finished the head cabinet as the tolex job just looks hideous. Just wondering if anyone on here has ever re-tolexed a head and would like to know how difficult of a job this could be?

On top of that, what did you use to adhere the tolex to the cab? I was thinking 3M Spray 77, but have heard that it's just not tacky enough.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

http://www.guitarscanada.com/showthread.php?43327-Tweed-Cabinet-Build&highlight=tweed+head

This thread has some great info and pictures.

I still have 3 cabinets sitting in the garage that I have built but not yet had the guts to tolex.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

As for putting tolex on I've had good luck with the Lepage solvent free contact cement.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Thanks for the link. 

Holy crap that was done nice and clean. I'm lucky that I'll be using corner protectors on my amp, so I won't have to be extremely neat and tidy there.

Well, if you want to jump in on a Steamco order with me, let me know!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I have the tolex already, 2 different types, been that way for 2 years now. Man do I know how to procrastinate. Thanks for the offer though.

Besides tolex, what else are you getting?


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

HAHA! No worries at all.

I'm not too sure yet. I'm debating doing grill cloth for the front face, but love the idea of staining a nice piece of maple for the front. I'm still deciding.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I agree that 3M "Super 77" is not enough holding power for tolex. The only thing that works for me is contact cement. Like vadsy, I use the low oder contact cement. Just look for the can with a green label. Normal stuff has a blue label and it is trip-city. (real stinky)


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

HAHA "trip-city".

I can see it now, "what the heck happened here? Why are my lines all crooked, I swear I cut everything straight".


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

hey tony,

I did wrap a head I made, but like i mentioned over the phone it was stretchy vinyl stuff. the corners are surprisingly not that difficult to do. however, i had 90* corners with no radiuses

staining a piece of maple looks great, but be prepared to spend some big bucks if you go that route. 

its unfortunately not that easy to find a nice piece of maple to use for that application, unless you have access to a wood shop. I'd recommend plywood and then veneering it. veneer isnt that cheap either but would still be a bit cheaper than finding a piece of hobby maple, re-sawing it, hoping it doesn't cup and then sanding it down and staining it. I know from experience.


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## JCM50 (Oct 5, 2011)

That stuff is garbage if you ask me (the solvent free stuff) . I just redid a head with it and I will never use it again. Good old contact cement is the best adhesive you can use for this purpose. 

My only advice is to do a dry run first and make sure you know how to cut the corners.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

With contact cement, did it alter the tolex in any way? I'm worried that some adhesives might cause the rolex to shrink.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Use this stuff and you'll be fine.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

TWRC said:


> HAHA "trip-city".
> 
> I can see it now, "what the heck happened here? Why are my lines all crooked, I swear I cut everything straight".


20 minutes in a room with 'good old" contact cement and you won't just be speaking a foreign language, you'll be speaking an alien language 

I've used the non-toxic stuff on tweed cloth and several types on tolex and never had a problem with it altering the tolex in any way or not sticking.

You brush or roll a good coat of glue on both surfaces, let it dry about 1/2 an hour or more until it's dry to the touch. When the two surfaces touch each other,
they are stuck for life. And the room can't be cold either. Room temperature or better.


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

This is what I use. Apply to both surfaces, let it get tacky, apply tolex/tweed, move it around if necessary, press and cut your corners. Very forgiving stuff, water soluble but gums up the brushes rather quickly. I bought a 20 litre pail a few years back locally, it was called "Flexweld", haven't been able to source it since.

http://www.tubesandmore.com/products/S-F316G


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

How to apply tolex to a guitar amplifier cabinet

I used this site to apply totex to a speaker cab and had good results. This method also worked well for doing the corners.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

WCGill said:


> This is what I use. Apply to both surfaces, let it get tacky, apply tolex/tweed, move it around if necessary, press and cut your corners. Very forgiving stuff, water soluble but gums up the brushes rather quickly. I bought a 20 litre pail a few years back locally, it was called "Flexweld", haven't been able to source it since.
> 
> http://www.tubesandmore.com/products/S-F316G
> 
> View attachment 8513


out of curiousity, what kind of joints do you use on your cabs?


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Yeah, I thinking that it might be more work than it's worth with a nice slab of wood. Either way, I'm going to head to Windsor Plywood to see what they might have. I've seen some gems in their scrap bins from time to time too, so that might be an option. I just love the look of Verellen amps and that's where I got the idea from. In fact, I've seen some of his heads with stained plywood and even that looks great.



blam said:


> hey tony,
> 
> I did wrap a head I made, but like i mentioned over the phone it was stretchy vinyl stuff. the corners are surprisingly not that difficult to do. however, i had 90* corners with no radiuses
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link, that's actually quite helpful. I fell into the YouTube rabbit hole last night and watched a bunch of tolex tutorials and I definitely feel a lot more confident about the process. 



Guitar101 said:


> How to apply tolex to a guitar amplifier cabinet
> 
> I used this site to apply totex to a speaker cab and had good results. This method also worked well for doing the corners.


Will, that looks like a nice and clean job as per usual. I'm really lucky that this cab doesn't have any weird angles, it's just a plain box so it'll be a good first-time project. I like that you're cab here is done in the Fender style with 2 pieces of tolex. That's one thing that I've also been debating: to do the cab in 2 pieces and glueing over the bottom seams or going seamless. I may go with the two piece route...



WCGill said:


> This is what I use. Apply to both surfaces, let it get tacky, apply tolex/tweed, move it around if necessary, press and cut your corners. Very forgiving stuff, water soluble but gums up the brushes rather quickly. I bought a 20 litre pail a few years back locally, it was called "Flexweld", haven't been able to source it since.
> 
> http://www.tubesandmore.com/products/S-F316G
> 
> View attachment 8513


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

What would the dimensions of your wooden piece for the front need to be?


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

About 18"x5".



vadsy said:


> What would the dimensions of your wooden piece for the front need to be?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

TWRC said:


> About 18"x5".


That's easy.

Here is what you do. Find a chunk of wood you like, Windsor is a good place, that's at least 2.5" x 18", slightly larger would be preferable, and roughly 1- 5/8" to 2" thick. Bring it over and we can rip the wood on edge giving you, hopefully, two 3/4" thick bookmatched pieces. If the results are satisfactory we use a biscuit joiner, clamps and glue overnight, trim to your exact dimensions, router the edges and sand. I have all the tools in my garage, let me know if you're interested.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Holy crap! Yes, I'm totally interested - thanks so much for the offer. I'll keep you in the loop later this weekend after I make a trip to Windsor Plywood.



vadsy said:


> That's easy.
> 
> Here is what you do. Find a chunk of wood you like, Windsor is a good place, that's at least 2.5" x 18", slightly larger would be preferable, and roughly 1- 5/8" to 2" thick. Bring it over and we can rip the wood on edge giving you, hopefully, two 3/4" thick bookmatched pieces. If the results are satisfactory we use a biscuit joiner, clamps and glue overnight, trim to your exact dimensions, router the edges and sand. I have all the tools in my garage, let me know if you're interested.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Another option for wood, check out this site http://www.fine-woods.com

I use them a lot. Most of it is 1/4" to 3/8" thick, nice maple spalts and burls. It's in BC, great to deal with.

& 

I've got some nice left over pieces of laminated 1/4 walnut about 10" x 20" and maybe a few other spieces about the same size. 
one of those might make a nice cabinet front.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

vadsy said:


> That's easy.
> 
> Here is what you do. Find a chunk of wood you like, Windsor is a good place, that's at least 2.5" x 18", slightly larger would be preferable, and roughly 1- 5/8" to 2" thick. Bring it over and we can rip the wood on edge giving you, hopefully, two 3/4" thick bookmatched pieces. If the results are satisfactory we use a biscuit joiner, clamps and glue overnight, trim to your exact dimensions, router the edges and sand. I have all the tools in my garage, let me know if you're interested.


whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

thats awesome you have all that stuff.

I had a piece of maple ripped by my friend that works for a cabinet shop


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

Those are dovetail joints Brian. I get them done on a computerized machine, too easy. I used to do them all using a router and finger joint templates, don't miss those days at all.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

damn.

i really need to learn how to make finger/dove/box joints.


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

If I ever start doing my own again I'd do biscuits.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

WCGill said:


> If I ever start doing my own again I'd do biscuits.


I used the large (1.5") biscuits on my last 12" cab and they worked fine. I can't see why the cab would need to be any stronger so yes, I totally agree with you.


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