Tolex + Saddle Soap = :-)

[Rhodesplyr]

Over the years, I've tried a few different products on aging Tolex to try to improve its looks. Like others, years ago, I bought into the Armor-All idea before I knew of the evils of silicone oils.

Having recently bought a Farfisa Compact Duo in need of major repair--and major cleaning, I decided to try saddle soap, a suggestion I'd read online. It worked wonderfully--seems to restore a bit of natural sheen to the tolex without giving it that greasy look like Armor-All.

Then I tried it on the grey tolex on the outside of my Vox Continental, a victim of Armor-All treatment. It was a dull, whitish grey; I think the Armor-All residue had turned into a chalky white substance in the grooves of the pattern. Propert's Saddle Soap lifted all that off and made the tolex look more like new than it's looked since I bought the Vox around 1990. And unlike the other stuff, after several days, it shows no signs of fading to dull gunk.

[Resonator Guy]

I use a little goats milk soap and a Lee Valley fingernail brush on mine and that leaves it looking very nice. No left over silicones or chemicals of any kind.