Double Bass Coloring Fan Belt Bumpers

[mchildree]

For you guys who've installed bumpers made from V-belts....what did you use to color them?

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Wow!! None of that made any sense whatsoever to me!!

 

[mje]

They're already black... what color would you want to make them?

 

[B. Graham]

How did you get them to stick?

 

[mchildree]

Bumpers for the sides of your bass, Bruce....some luthiers have used auto v-belts (fan belts, etc.), cut into small sections. The belt I have is sorta black, sorta gray. If you want it to be "none more black"...whatdya use to color it?

 

[mchildree]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137754&highlight=bumpers

There's the whole story...

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Bump! Hmm...I would just worry about spoiling the look and wouldn't trust myself or my low level of "craftsmanship"....

 

[John Sprague]

Hey Mike,
The same stuff they use to blacken fingerboards should do it. Now there's lots of pontificating to be said about what dye is the right dye etc., but I visit alot of violin shops, and one well-respected maker and shop owner said "Well I've got this here wide black permanent magic marker". Should do the trick for you.

 

[Ron Lacey]

There's [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]for the "wide black permanent magic marker".

 

[mchildree]

Hey Mike,
The same stuff they use to blacken fingerboards should do it. Now there's lots of pontificating to be said about what dye is the right dye etc., but I visit alot of violin shops, and one well-respected maker and shop owner said "Well I've got this here wide black permanent magic marker". Should do the trick for you.

Hey, that works for me! Who am I to argue with a well-respected maker and shop owner?

Thanks Guys!

 

[christ andronis]

Mike...a can of flat black (if that's your preference) spray paint will do the trick. Just let them dry for 24 hours or so.

 

[Nick Lloyd]

hair dye and leather dye work as well. be very careful and patient when applying it... use a small touchup brush.

 

[mje]

I've used a Sharpie more than once in touching up the Tolex on an amplifier case... or the scratches in a cheap fingerboard ;-)

 

[Paul Warburton]

This really isn't rocket science...I came up with this idea maybe thirty years ago. The beauty of it is that the rubber acts like a shock absorber when you lay the bass down.
A good hint is to leave the pieces of the belt in a vice over night so that you have the curve of your bass where the bumpers go matching the inside curve of the belt pieces for a good fit. The fit is important, and it depends on if you have outside liners or not where on the side of your bass you install the bumpers.
My Bohmann has triple purfling including purfling on the very edge of the top and back, so it was very important for me to protect the edges where you actually lay the bass down.
Anything that brushes on black or the markers will do for coloring...I think, as Nnick says, the best color is found in your local Tandy leather supply.

 

[Paul Warburton]

How did you get them to stick?

Do a search using the word bumpers and you should come up with a whole bunch of ideas in terms of glues to use to stick 'em on.
I use hyde glue. As always try not to get whatever you use into the seams.

 

[B. Graham]

All I've been able to find thus far are v-belts that are notched; more of a later model offering. For you guys that use them, what make/model car did you buy a v-belt for that wasn't notched. At least I'm assuming no one is using a notched belt.

I don't have outside liners on my bass, and need something a little taller than what I browsed through at Advanced Auto Parts.

Thanks.

 

[mchildree]

Bill, I found a belt for a riding lawnmower that wasn't notched and seemed to be a bit taller than an auto belt, as well.

 

[mje]

I was just at Rob Wilson's shop... he sent out one of his apprentices for a fan belt, and he came back with a belt with a very attractive notched pattern. Looks sort of like a carved piece of ebony. I'm going to try to find something similar for my bass.

 

[Jim Henderson]

Big Mike,
I used an old V-belt from my jointer motor. It had a high enough profile to take care of protecting the Cleveland, Kay and Juzek edges with no problem. Kudos to Paul for "inventing" this terrific protective device. I used contact cement to attach them and a magic marker to color them. Hope this helps.
Jim

 

[mchildree]

Yessir, that helps! Thanks everybody for the replies. I had a belt in-hand and then noticed that the back side wasn't completely flat, so I need to find another. No big deal, though. I didn't think about belts from power tools...great idea....believe I have an extra band-saw belt around here somewhere.