The Amp Garage

New guy to the forum here. I am in the process of building my first cabinet and am going to learn how to Tolex.

I have a question; it looks like from what I can find on the interwebs most seams are over lapped or in some cases piping is used. Is there a reason why you can't cut a good flat seam with a razor blade like when mitering an outside corner? I'm building a cab to resemble a typical 50-ish cabinet with the speaker in the front and controls in the back and am wanting to wrap it in two different colors.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Fender was famous for putting the overlapped seam on the bottom of the cabinet.

The trouble with cutting it clean and butting the two pieces together, it always seems to spread apart over time.
That is why I think they did the overlap seam.

I was wondering if it might shrink. Unfortunately I just can't do a simple single color for my first try, I have to jump off in the deep end. I already ordered my materials! This could be interesting real quick. I battle with an acute case of doityourselfism.

Unfortunately I just can't do a simple single color for my first try, I have to jump off in the deep end.

Hey, a good shrink can cure masochism
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that said, the way to have overlapping ends is to superimpose both, cut through all the way (so both at the same time) to the wood (and slightly into it) with a very sharp blade, which guarantees both cuts match, discard the bottom scrap piece and match them perfectly edge to edge with finger pressure.

If you use water based adhesives (vinyl or hide glue) they will stay put; if using strong solvent based contact cement, it's common that continuing evaporation makes adhesive contract and slightly pull open the slit, showing the wood below.

In all black cabinets,no big deal, they first paint a strip of black paint under the expected cut area .... not sure what you'll do in a dual colour one.

Sincerely I suggest you start with black tolex cabinets, then go on.

As already pointed out, it is possible to cut and butt as you suggest. I did this successfully about a year ago and it is holding well. Very sharp razor blade means new or nearly new. Not all vinyl materials are equal as some have somewhat bulky underside and these are a bad choice as is the wrong type of adhesive. Also you want a product with little or no stretch. One thing that doesn't work to cover your tracks is a black Sharpie, as the color is always wrong. Black is not always black.

Phil_S wrote:As already pointed out, it is possible to cut and butt as you suggest. I did this successfully about a year ago and it is holding well. Very sharp razor blade means new or nearly new. Not all vinyl materials are equal as some have somewhat bulky underside and these are a bad choice as is the wrong type of adhesive. Also you want a product with little or no stretch. One thing that doesn't work to cover your tracks is a black Sharpie, as the color is always wrong. Black is not always black.

I fabricate countertops and have 5 or 6 different 'black' magic markers for laminate edge touch-ups. I'm hoping the experience I have with gluing laminate helps gluing tolex. I think I may try the waterbased stuff and try a matched seam; I doubt I'd be the first person to screw up their first cab!

Great site here, glad I found it. I'm learning a lot and hope to some day try a simple amp build.

I've not been brave enough to attempt to mate 2 different colors yet, I have overlapped them with success though.

That looks good from here Bill. I'm still trying to lay this all out in my brain. My tolex and grill cloth just arrived today. I just realized that the cab I built has a face frame about 2" wide so I have some more figuring out to do.

@ billmoore: hey!!! that peavey job certainly looks good
Plus it must be the most patriotic head I ever saw

@ elk: your experience with countertops will certainly help, at least with choosing a good adhesive and spreading it evenly, a problem for beginners.
Post some pictures when you're done.

FWIW I'm tolexing a batch of 7 head cabinets, I used strong solvent based neoprene in 4 of them, corners are perfect but after a week seams have opened oh so slightly but already visible, you can definitely notice them; while the 3 I did with white PVA glue have invisible seams (no kidding) ,also after a week (and presumably forever ) but corners had to be held together (while drying overnight) with a couple staples (which I pull later.

So there's no perfect adhesive.

Or to be more precise, there is one, both sticky and not contracting: hot hide glue applied with Potdevin machines, the Industry standard, but beyond reach for the homebuilder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hRJqwhUCPQ

look at 1:50 and become green with envy ... such as I do

Thanks, Juan, also appreciate the tip with PVA glue!
The little Peavey belonged to my nephew, (who is no longer with us), so I wanted to do something special with it. He had tossed the amp out of his truck taking a shortcut down a mountain, so the (sawdust) cab was trashed.

Ouch!!
Sorry about your nephew

I forgot one last tip: since PVA has NO tacking whatsoever, it *may* slip/slide open a little simply because there's nothing forcing it to stay there ... or it may stay from the very beginning, so it's a sensible precaution to check at, say, 5 minutes later and again after 15 minutes, just check the job.

If seam remains invisible , meaning Tolex is perfectly edge to edge, fine; if not, you can slightly brush both sides together with your fingers.
Anything after 1/2 hour, PVA is 90% dry and will stay wherever it is.

Also check that you have no bubbles under the Tolex.

PVA is no perfect by any means, but I had to experiment with it for safety reasons.

Not the least being that my original Tech partner since 1969 got unexplained lung cancer 4 years ago and lasted 3 years ... he never ever smoked by the way but both of us have breathed any and all nasty Industrial chemicals you can imagine.

Oh well.

The way I did it is very easy, I overlapped first, used blue tape and made a hinge, cut through both using a square, removed the extra underneath, and glued it up. Came out seamless. I think I first glued and allowed to set up ~3/4 of the first piece, say white, then did the red with the tape hinge. Use a knife with break off blades and break them off often. Anything straight is easy, it's the f'ing corners that are hard.

Not sure I would have chosen white & red next time.

That looks really nice, rp!

Thanks. Ain't seen it in three years. Lent it to a cuz, think I need to go see about it!

I have 2 sister in laws, both have one of my practice/bedroom amps. I don't have a lot of money in either one, so if they want them---------.
(They are great girls!)