OMG RAT FUR, GET IT OFF GET IT OFF

[Fred Mott]

My son bought this used 15 cab, the cab is in good shape except the rat fur on it, Anyway he got this big Idea he is going to take of the fur and spray it with gator bed liner stuff. I felt sorry for him, I watch him last night in the garage with a razor blade. He was tearing off little squares at a time. And man was it a job. Do any of you guys no of a easy are better way of doing this. He is going to be gone a week with his mom to see his Grandpa. So I thought if anyone knew I would give him the info when he got back. AGAIN THANKS FOR ANY HELP.

[Jim C]

Never tried this but would think that like any glue down material, the trick would be to find a way to release the adhesive. One would think that a heat gun or perhaps a solvent is the answer. Have you had a chance to check with the folks that sell this material? I would think that if you sell the adhesive, you might also carry (or know of) the release agent.

[derridiandrift]

Jim's got the answer... heat gun. It makes a mess and smells bad but is probably less dangerous to his health than solvents. Suggest to him that he does it outside and stands up-wind.

I agree... rat fur is awful. I found an old Ampeg B-40 cab at a local store that somebody had recovered in rat fur. I wanted to buy it but felt that it wasn't worth the trouble of recovering in tolex, so I passed.

Let's hope we're nearing the end of the rat-fur era.

[TombassCaton]

lots of fire, that should do it

[Rezdog]

Greetings from the North,

I waited almost 2 decades before buying any new bass cabs because of the plague of ratus furitus. You're a good dad. Thank god rat fur has almost been eradicated.

Rezdog

[Rockmusician]

Use a heat gun, case cutter and paint scraper. I did this to my cabs several years ago and was able to do each cab in about 1 hour per cab. Then I took Goo Gone to remove the excess adhesive. To finish them I used Duplicolor Truck Bed Liner. I used one gallon and the Duplicolor Roll On kit. The cabs look great and the finish is indestructible.

[Fetusyolk]

[knappymer]

Originally Posted by Rockmusician

Use a heat gun, case cutter and paint scraper. I did this to my cabs several years ago and was able to do each cab in about 1 hour per cab. Then I took Goo Gone to remove the excess adhesive. To finish them I used Duplicolor Truck Bed Liner. I used one gallon and the Duplicolor Roll On kit. The cabs look great and the finish is indestructible.

+1

Thanks for the details. Think I'm gonna give it a try on my SWR Workingman's 15 combo.

[jmattbassplaya]

I'm curious why you guys are so against fur. It's never bothered me much except for whenever I've jammed at a friends place who had a dog that shed. Past that, it does what it does.

[will33]

Doesn't bother me either. If you want a certain look, fine but carpet takes bumps and bruises much better than tolex without getting all the rips and tears. Duratex and the like makes great covering but it also requires more filling and smoothing before it's applied or little blemishes will show through. It'll also take the skin off your knuckles if your handles are the type that don't have a cup behind them.

I'm not one that's bothered by pets (got plenty of my own), beer, smoke, etc.

[Aspidites]

Duct tape will generally remove the rat hair from the tolex.

[Codger]

Originally Posted by knappymer

+1

Thanks for the details. Think I'm gonna give it a try on my SWR Workingman's 15 combo.

I did one and it came out okay. I tried the heat gun but settled on something called varnish stripper to soften the adhesive.

[Fred Mott]

You know how kids are, he thinks he's got a great idea and he can save some money. I'am all for him doing it, maybe it will teach him something. He,s a good kid and he is dang good with making things from wood.

[Fred Mott]

Hey maybe you can take to a salon, and have somebody give one those body wax like they do to remove hair.

[Rick Auricchio]

Be careful if you use a heat gun. A few seconds too long and you'll start burning off the carpet, which will smell terrible and probably catch fire.

Most carpet is made from plastic materials, so it could melt all over the place.

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I'm curious why you guys are so against fur. It's never bothered me much except for whenever I've jammed at a friends place who had a dog that shed. Past that, it does what it does.

Leaves, dirt, and everything else stick to it. Let's not even get started on what happens if anything gets spilled on it. Ugh, I hate carpeted cabs.

[murphy]

I love rat fur....doesn't tear easy like tolex....and protects cab from nicks and scrapes

[rpsands]

Rat fur has really grown on me over the years (heh). It's tough and cheap and even if it looks mangy no one can tell once it's in a dark club.

[luvpbass]

Much of our PA gear is covered in the stuff. And while it does hold up well to the road, it also absorbs the smell of cig smoke from bars. I usually spray fabreze on it after we unload, but it only partially masks the odor. at least tolex can be wiped down to remove the stink.

[JdoubleH]

Originally Posted by Fred Mott

You know how kids are, he thinks he's got a great idea and he can save some money. I'am all for him doing it, maybe it will teach him something. He,s a good kid and he is dang good with making things from wood.

I was going to ask how good he is at woodworking... And how much plywood you have on hand...

With the heat gun, make sure he's got plenty of ventilation.

Back when ratfur (genus: ozite species: indoor outdoor sub. charcoal) was the newest thing (late 80's) , we put it on with flooring adhesive and a notched trowel. Some shops used 3m spray adhesive, but the flooring adhesive gave a longer working time to get it tight and is much more permanent. The spray adhesive will remove easier. Depending how long it's been on, the flooring stuff could be a nightmare. I hope it isn't .

Awesome thread title, btw!