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Topic: Cleaning / Restoring Tolex |
Joe Calabrese
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 29 Jun 2008 10:00 am |
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All,
I have an older Peavey Nashville 400 or I will when Ken is done with the chassis. While the amp is apart, I was going to give the cabinet a cleaning. The tolex is in great shape (no tears or chips ) but it is dull and there is lots of what I believe to be old dust and dirt in the crevices of the tolex itself.
Recommended cleaning procedures please ??
Or, if it doesn't come up as good as I'd like it to, what is a good resource for ordering new tolex or even someone that re-covers amps professionally.
Thanks in advance,
Joe
_________________
Peace,
JC
http://www.obsmusic.com/
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=124287 |
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Ken Fox
From:
Nashville GA USA
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Posted 29 Jun 2008 10:39 am
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Joe,
I use a plastic bristle cleaning brush (looks like an old shoe brush), a pail of warm water and 409 or Fantastic.
Spray the Tolex and get some water on the brush and scrub away. Use a damp terry cloth to get the dirt and soap out and do it again.
I even remove the grill board assembly and spray it with the same 409 or Fantastic and use the brush. A quick rinse with the garden hose, sun dry it and it looks great. |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 29 Jun 2008 11:12 am
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Once cleaned, STP Son of a Gun is what a bunch of vintage amp dealers use as a "secret weapon".
Brad |
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Casey Lowmiller
From:
Kansas
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Posted 29 Jun 2008 1:20 pm
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I use the thick blue-paper shop-towels, a well worn tooth brush and the Wal-Mart window cleaner that is comparable to Windex.
I scrub & scrub until clean. After that, use STP Son Of A Gun like Mr. Sarno suggested. That will make an amp shine like new!!!
You can STP an amp and it will look better than it did when it left the factory...and that's a fact. You'll be amazed at what that product can do for an old amp.
Happy scrubbing,
Casey
_________________
Known Coast to Coast as
"The Man with The Plan" |
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Jude Reinhardt
From:
Weaverville, NC
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Posted 1 Jul 2008 5:14 am
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I use Armour-All Low Gloss. I think the STP Son Of A Gun and the original Armour-All make the tolex too shiny. The low gloss was developed when people complained that the original Armour-All reflected too much light when used on auto dashboards.
Jude
_________________
"If we live in fear of banjos, then the banjos have won".
"Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have Peanut Butter". - Kruger Bear |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2008 6:55 am
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"comparable to Windex. "
Windex surprised me with it's ability to clean durn near anything, and without leaving any residue. But Windex is for around the home stuff. I've stumbled on to something even better. It's an auto glass cleaner called 20/20 Perfect Vision Auto Glass Cleaner from Eagle One. Stuff is AMAZING! Even gets rid of smoke residue. I was trying to clean my filthy, grease covered stove top(lots of stir-frying here) All the products made for that job weren't doin' squat. At my wit's end, I tried the Eagle One stuff. Works like magic, cuz it's for cars. Ya know, splatted bugs, bird doo, road tar. Try it! |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 4 Jul 2008 7:38 am
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| The STP stuff does do a great job after cleaning. I used Armorall the first time around, and it was OK also. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 4 Jul 2008 10:20 am
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| Quote: |
I use the thick blue-paper shop-towels, a well worn tooth brush and the Wal-Mart window cleaner that is comparable to Windex. |
Make sure it has no ammonia in it. The type of aluminum used on Fender control panels will corrode due to aluminum exposure - I don't know about Peavey's panels, but I would not take a chance.
409 or Fantastik (or orange cleaners, which I use mostly now) do a great job; lighter fluid will remove sticker residue (what even it won't can be removed with nail polish remover used sparingly - not so much because it will damage anything ...it's a real fire hazard.).
I have used Armor-All for years. The regular stuff looks like a NEW amp if you follow the instructions and let it soak a while - that's the way you get a consistent finish. Otherwise it looks odd because it'll be REAL shiny in some areas but not others. The satin finish is OK, but to me looks like a dusty amp.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Bill Bassett
From:
Papamoa New Zealand
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Posted 6 Jul 2008 8:56 am Cleaning
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| I like the Garden Hose solution. Might want to take it apart first. (Just a thought) |
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