Vintage amps, speakers and guitar cases made of Tolex, Rexine or vinyl cloth can be beautifully repaired with super glue, baking soda, and some of our groovy Rub ‘n Restore® color. This method is also great for repairing gouges in plastic or fiberglass. Beware: collectible items may be devalued by a repair, no matter how flawless.
This video demonstrates on an old record box found in a Los Angeles alley.
Video Contents:
- 0:08 – What are Tolex and Rexine?
- 0:39 – Super glue and baking soda epoxy intro
- 1:08 – Color the surface
- 1:42 – Dry the color
- 1:54 – Apply super glue
- 2:26 – Catalyze with baking soda
- 2:45 – Sand with 320 grit wet-or-dry
- 2:55 – More super glue
- 3:09 – More baking soda
- 3:14 – More sanding
- 3:23 – More color
- 3:34 – Contraindications: don’t use this method for flexible upholstery, leather, or vinyl
- 3:54 – Finished result!
I have a guitar case that unbeknownst to me was covered with some pretty tasty tolex. Mice chewed on it. The case is still fine but I’d like to repair the irregular sized patches of missing black tolex. It’s only about a $150 case so I don’t want to go crazy repairing something that could be replaced, but I’ve never done any kind of repair like this before. The tolex has a slight texture to it and is very thin. So do you think this might be worth saving and if so, how?
Try the method demonstrated in this video. If it’s a large surface area, you could try a flexible filler, but it does best with a fabric patch substrate, not wood or composite.
I came across an EVH 5150 Amp that sadly has a burn mark from a candle on the top. Is this something that can fix it?
A hasty googling of this model amp turns up a new version at Guitar Center made of “MDF [medium-density fiberboard] with a plywood baffle”. So plain ol’ wood filler might be the way to go, but this method would also probably work.