Tolex difficulty

[a1terrier]

Hi everybody.
Just on with first valve amp build, Cab is fine, kit components fine and dont forsee any major problems. The main thing that worries me is attaching Tolex especially to vents in cab top. Is it possible to do without patching or will Tolex stretch enough? Thanks.

[cminor9]

doing tolex is the pits. Take your time with it. Also, save some scraps for the corners of inside arcs (like a vent hole or control cutaway.) If you dont get why now you will soon enough. Some recommended heating tolex with a hair dryer to let it stretch and mold a little bit, but I havent tried it yet. But don't pull on it to stretch it. Many tolex adhesives act as a solvent, and if you try to stretch it it will bubble, at least did for me. Rather than stretch it, lightly put it into position and then starting in the center, apply pressure to work out bubbles and gaps. Going around radiused corners in this manner will stretch the tolex a little bit, but that seems to me to be ok.

Personally, I hate doing tolex and have been trying to think of good alternatives. I have covered two heads and two cabs now, and I am just starting to become happy with my results. But its far from perfect.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Never try to stretch TOLEX. You'll be sorry later.
You can use a hair dryer to get it warmed up in order to work with it easier.
I never use any spray glue found in a can... they all stink when it comes right down to being a good adhesive.
You can us a good water based contact cement used for applications such as plastic laminations (Formica/ Wilson Art... etc)
Like many others who find this part distasteful, once I found someone I could trust to do a good job covering cabinets and in a timely fashion, I stopped doing my own...