truck bed liner - to replace Tolex on a wood case

[bloke]

I just had my first experience with (any type of but - in this case: specifically: AEROSOL) truck bed liner.

Depending on where you get it, it's $2X - $40 a can, so you don't want to screw up.

We removed ALL of the old $h!tty Tolex from an old contra-alto clarinet case (as there are NO replacement cases for these, there was no choice other than to "save" the original case).

You have to really shake it up (a couple of minutes). THEN, you have to pull this special RED BUTTON out (that's embedded in the lid of the aerosol can) install it on a stick on the BOTTOM of the can, and mash in REALLY hard to puncture the seal of a separate portion of activator chemical INSIDE the can (because - if the two are mixed ahead of time - that crap would harden in the can - in an hour or so - before it ever would get used).

As far as "how it worked out for us", it worked well, and offers a good textured appearance.

The thing is this: It was BARELY enough to put one good coat on a contra-alto clarinet case complete exterior, so - for any sort of TUBA case - you would need SEVERAL cans...but there's a "kit" (with rollers included - just like rolling paint on walls and ceilings in a house) which is ALTERNATELY available for sale...but - though more is included - the "kit" thing costs much more.

It might (??) be best to just clean off all the Tolex, sand off the Tolex backing glue from the wood, and TAKE IT TO A BODY SHOP that is owned by nice people (family-owned/small town/etc...), and who charge reasonable prices.

Hey...DON'T FORGET to mask off ALL the hardware, ALL the hinges and (easily overlooked) the little top edge of the BOTTOM HALF of the case that tucks in UNDER the top half of the case. (Too much build-up there, and a case might not close!)

I've never had good luck putting NEW Tolex on old cases...The contact cement just doesn't seem to work as it should (regardless of how expensive, and how well I follow instructions, or the temperature/humidity, etc., etc...) and - well... - there's all of that friggin' hardware to trim around...THUS: truck bed liner, instead.

[tofu]

.

[LeMark]

I've done that on a fender bass amp, turned out great. I made my own bass cab one time and used the roll on stuff and liked the results even more

[bloke]

If the Tolex is holding up pretty well on most of the case exterior (and it seems to generally hold up pretty good on those 1960s Besson cases), I believe I would try to feed some Titebond II glue between the Tolex and the wood on the parts that have failed. Maybe thumbtacks or staples (bigger staples, like people use to staple handbills to telephone poles) would hold it down while the glue is drying.

To reattach interiors, we’ve had the best luck with a hot glue gun.

We also used Titebond II - prior to the truck bed liner and masking - to re-glue any failing seams on the wood case. It's really an amazing brand of carpenter/wood glue.

[bloke]

Here's the after of the Amp with the spray on

[LeMark]

Hey, I found the before Pic too!

[bloke]

Based on ignorance, for a short time I was exploring the differences between truck bed liner and undercoating (suspecting that undercoating might be cheaper and go on thicker).

Undercoating takes way too long to firm up, so it's a nonstarter.

[the elephant]

The best stuff is Rustoleum Truck Bed Coating (rattle can) which provides an excellent, sandpapery finish rather than the lumpy Herculiner finish.

Undercoating is no good for this, as you are discovering.

You will want to round the corners of body panel joints or it will crack and peel off along the seams. Bedliner is not very good on hard corners.

Avilable at Walmart for cheap.

[LeMark]

I wish that bass cab I built wasn't in my 120 degree attic, or I would take a pic of it. the roll on coating looks great

[bloke]

Have you tried/compared the more costly stuff to R'oleum (the stuff which requires mixing activator, just prior to application) ?
Body shops use the more costly activator-mix-in stuff...

I would tend to believe that the roll-on version of the body-shop-grade stuff (ie. "kit" - as Mark probably bought) works even better than the activator-just-prior-to-use aerosol (that I used), but I just didn't want to spend more than $3X on a plastic harmony clarinet case's coating...though (since for a customer or - with two more of those to eventually do - to sell) I do wish for it to hold up (at least: longer than aftermarket/redone Tolex would).
This stuff has done WELL...and (as one of the long glued edges was subtly misaligned while drying...and we didn't notice until after it was glued...and not even until after we coated it) a rasp took that edge down nicely, and the bed liner didn't even hint at trying to chip off (while rasping).

I like economizing (obviously), but will probably (first) try the Rustoleum version on something of mine - rather than on something that I'm considering doing-for or selling to someone else. Over the last decade (as I previously sang their praises), I've become less-and-less impressed with Rustoleum products - though (I suspect...??) their products have become more-and-more crappy due to draconian bureaucratic reg's, rather than their desire to "cheap out" (as their pricing has skyrocketed, as their reliability has declined)...and paint strippers have become "jokes" (as anyone who's bought them recently has noticed).

[the elephant]

The rattle can stuff is EXCELLENT. The finish is very nice and grippy, but not "rubbery" like Herculiner or (the very expensive) Linex.

Keep in mind, I have used most of these products for over twenty years now. ALL of them split at sharp corners. I am serious about you sanding down edges on cases or the panels will be separated in about a year of crying them due to flex and the sharpness of the corners. I have a LOT of experience with these products through my Jeep shop. A LOT. I have applied various roll-on or spray-on products on at least 200 vehicles and other applications since about 2000. It is nearly impossible to remove if you botch it or it starts to peel. You need a powerful heat gun, metal woodworking scrapers, and HOURS to undo an application.

The Rustoleum works the best, long-term, and I can show you many photos of various brands I have had to remove or apply, to see the textures as well as how they flake or peel up after some time.

Round all your edges — 100% — trust my experience with selling, applying, and removing this stuff.

Good luck! When done right this is a very nice solution. I have put it on about a dozen smaller cases, but never a wooden tuba case, again, due to the inherent flex at all the panel edges. I have sprayed it on several MTS and Yamaha cases, which have rounded edges, and these still look very good, if not rather "ballistic". (I used marine fiberglass kits to repair cracks, then applied the Rustoleum in the can. Good product. It is cheap. Get a can and test it out on plastic and wood.)

[bloke]

This is what I bought, just fwiw...

I don't know this publication, but maybe (??) you do? (' seems to be Jeep-owner oriented, etc...)
Is this a legitimate review, or an ad?
https://4wdlife.com/raptor-bedliner-review

[the elephant]

Those are all “sponsored reviews” but they have blasted some products, so I think you’re fine. I will read the link later tonight.

[greenbean]

I could probably put a coating of this stuff on the bottom bow of my Eb to keep it from sliding around on my lap!

[bloke]

I could probably put a coating of this stuff on the bottom bow of my Eb to keep it from sliding around on my lap!

Please don’t mess up your tuba like that. Just spray this stuff on the fronts of all of your pairs of slacks.