Re-Tolexing a Cabinet Project

[sickest beast]

So I got a good price on this Marshall Cabinet. Comes with original speakers and all.

I'd like to re-cover it in new tolex. Any tips?

[mustbampeg]

Duratex, ftw. Nice cab, BTW.
My .02

Randy

[sickest beast]

Duretex? is that the spray on stuff that lines the beds of pickup trucks?

If so, then no way. I won't use that stuff.

I want the cabinet to look original.

[JMac4strngr]

I haven't watched the whole video at length, but seems spot on.... Check it out.
Shaw Audio Ampeg SVT Re - Tolex - YouTube

[beans-on-toast]

This might help marshall 412 tolex tutorial.

[Crater]

I recently re-tolexed a Crate bass combo. It was originally covered in 'carpet' a.k.a. "rat fur" and my cats had shredded it off on the corners...

I order my tolex from Mojotone supply, and it arrived promptly. I had some trouble getting all the old glue off the cab, but after a while I just gave up and left some of the glue residue on there. Luckily, it didn't cause any problems when I applied the tolex. I filled in some to the larger holes & rough areas on the cab with plain old carpenter's wood filler putty, I used Elmer's brand. The Crate cab has rounded edges on the front, and since it's particle board, the edges can be pretty rough. It only took a few minutes to smooth that out with wood putty and then sand it smooth.

You'll need a large flat area to roll out the tolex, measure it, and cut it. The old adage "measure twice, cut once" definitely applies here.

For the adhesive, I used Weldwood contact cement, in the flammable flavor. Whether you get the flammable or non-flammable type, be sure and have plenty of ventilation, because both types are toxic to breathe. Use outdoors or in a garage with open doors if possible. Follow the label instructions for the contact cement. You apply a light coat to both materials, the cab and the tolex, then let it dry, about 5 - 10 minutes. I used some cheap disposable paint brushes to apply the contact cement.

Once the contact cement is dry, time to apply the tolex. Position it carefully and lightly. If you don't apply pressure you can gently lift it off and re-position the tolex to get it in place.Make sure there's no wrinkles or bubbles, start from the center and work outward towards the edges. Once it's in position, you can press it down to finalize the bond. The best tool for this would be a little hand roller, but I just used my hands.

I glued the large flat sides of the cabinet first, and left the bits that wrap around the cab edges on the front until later. Same procedure - apply contact cement to both surfaces, wait 'til dry, then stick it down. Use a utility knife (with a new sharp blade) or exacto knife to trim as needed.

[mustbampeg]

Originally Posted by sickest beast

Duretex? is that the spray on stuff that lines the beds of pickup trucks?

If so, then no way. I won't use that stuff.

I want the cabinet to look original.

Duratex is a professional grade speaker cabinet covering. Do a search here on talkbass and you'll find several people who have used it, including myself, with fantastic results.

[sickest beast]

Originally Posted by mustbampeg

Duratex is a professional grade speaker cabinet covering. Do a search here on talkbass and you'll find several people who have used it, including myself, with fantastic results.

I've seen it. I was just kidding about it being used for pickup truck beds. lol

I really don't like the look of it. I also don't like the idea of it being permanent. I can always re-tolex if I want to. I also don't mind if it gets a little beat up. Just not this bad. I don't need it to be perfect forever. I want that nice soft beautiful tolex feel, not rock hard duratex.

[sickest beast]

Originally Posted by beans-on-toast

This might help marshall 412 tolex tutorial.

This is nearly perfect. Thank you.

[sickest beast]

Originally Posted by Crater

I recently re-tolexed a Crate bass combo. It was originally covered in 'carpet' a.k.a. "rat fur" and my cats had shredded it off on the corners...

I order my tolex from Mojotone supply, and it arrived promptly. I had some trouble getting all the old glue off the cab, but after a while I just gave up and left some of the glue residue on there. Luckily, it didn't cause any problems when I applied the tolex. I filled in some to the larger holes & rough areas on the cab with plain old carpenter's wood filler putty, I used Elmer's brand. The Crate cab has rounded edges on the front, and since it's particle board, the edges can be pretty rough. It only took a few minutes to smooth that out with wood putty and then sand it smooth.

You'll need a large flat area to roll out the tolex, measure it, and cut it. The old adage "measure twice, cut once" definitely applies here.

For the adhesive, I used Weldwood contact cement, in the flammable flavor. Whether you get the flammable or non-flammable type, be sure and have plenty of ventilation, because both types are toxic to breathe. Use outdoors or in a garage with open doors if possible. Follow the label instructions for the contact cement. You apply a light coat to both materials, the cab and the tolex, then let it dry, about 5 - 10 minutes. I used some cheap disposable paint brushes to apply the contact cement.

Once the contact cement is dry, time to apply the tolex. Position it carefully and lightly. If you don't apply pressure you can gently lift it off and re-position the tolex to get it in place.Make sure there's no wrinkles or bubbles, start from the center and work outward towards the edges. Once it's in position, you can press it down to finalize the bond. The best tool for this would be a little hand roller, but I just used my hands.

I glued the large flat sides of the cabinet first, and left the bits that wrap around the cab edges on the front until later. Same procedure - apply contact cement to both surfaces, wait 'til dry, then stick it down. Use a utility knife (with a new sharp blade) or exacto knife to trim as needed.

Thanks for the tips. This definitely sounds like something I can do.

I'm concerned because of how deep this cabinet is (it's a full 4 inches deeper than a regular Marshall 4x12), whether I will have to order an extra large piece of Tolex in order to get it to fit.

[sickest beast]

Originally Posted by JMac4strngr

I haven't watched the whole video at length, but seems spot on.... Check it out.
Shaw Audio Ampeg SVT Re - Tolex - YouTube

I skimmed through... looks pretty good. I'll watch the whole thing in a couple hours. Thanks for the info.

Does anyone know any Canadian tolex and speaker cabinet accessories dealers who could sell me some tolex, corners and grill cloth???

[sickest beast]

thought it might be about time for an update on the progress of my project...

here is the cabinet, totally naked, all holes and gouges plugged with wooden dowel and wood filler, all old tolex glue has been sanded off (lots of work!!!)


ready for tolex!

here is a view of the inside of the box, the foot well holes, and caster cups have been removed and filled.

[sickest beast]

here is the top of the cabinet, sanded smooth:



here is the baffle board. it needed a lot of work. holes were filled with dowel and wood glue. it was sanded, a few pieces were replaced, and then finally spray painted flat black:

[sickest beast]

here is the cabinet with the baffle board slipped in, dry fit. just to see how it looks:



I'm going have to get a sheet of plywood to cut out a new back panel. The one that came with the cabinet is some nasty particle board junk that can't be sanded to get the glue off.

[will33]

Didn't watch hose videos but when you're cutting your seams, lay both pieces down on the cab so they overlap. Make a single cut through both pieces. The seam will then line up perfectly every time.

[sickest beast]

Originally Posted by will33

Didn't watch hose videos but when you're cutting your seams, lay both pieces down on the cab so they overlap. Make a single cut through both pieces. The seam will then line up perfectly every time.

I've been practicing with paper, and then some spare vinyl fabric I found laying around the garage.

My tolex is in the mail, should be here in a week or so.

[sickest beast]

BTW, I'm only going to have one seam.

One large 4 yard piece will be cut from 56'' to about 28'' wide will cover all 4 sides, and my one seam will be 2-3 inches from the bottom left hand side.

[Clammy]

Cool! You get the original Marshall elephant grain tolex for it? I just bought a 1960B cab for a ridiculously low price, but the tolex is BEAT, and I was thinking about a re-tolex job... on the other hand, I may just leave it looking ratty and full of mojo, hehehe...

Cheers!

[sickest beast]

Yeah I did, I'm going for 100% authentic, because I want it to match up with the Super Bass I'm getting. I was even able to save the JCM800 Bass Series badge at the bottom left hand corner. Part of why I had to reconstruct that area of the baffle board is that the badge is permanently secured, and to remove it, it needs to be destroyed. I knew I'd NEVER find an aftermarket JCM800 Bass Series badge, so I tore the screws out, wood and all, then simply replaced that small piece of wood on the baffle.

I'm thinking of going as far as having a new serial number badge on the back side made. The previous owner carved his initials into it, it's ruined. If I cut a small piece of aluminum myself, take it to a trophy shop and had the serial number engraved (cheap enough to have done) then I'd order a waterslide decal with all the Jim Marshall Built in England etc, stuff. It just might work out. This will be the last thing I do, if at all.

[beans-on-toast]

Looks really good so far. I can appreciate all the work that went into cleaning up the cab as you've done!