a tip for restoring tolex

[sebtones]

hi guys, i have a tip i picked up a while back while cleaning out my car, alot of you may already use it but if it helps someone then good! ive found that quality car dashboard cleaner,particularly armourall(if you have it in the US?) is amazing for bringing faded, tired old amp coverings back to life. used once a year(following the directions on the bottle) it really can make a massive difference, making tolex look like new and keeping it like that.

[Enzo]

Oh yes, we have ArmorAll here. Thanks for the tip. It does make amps and most things shiny and bright.

Me personally I hate the stuff, I think of it as spray grease. When I bought my truck, they went through the cab and wiped everything down with it, and the steering wheel was slippery and greasy for a month. Looks good on tires.

[sebtones]

yeah, you just have to make sure you wipe of any excess after a minute or so,then theres no residue and the tolex looks like new. i never had any issues with greasiness/stickyness and the like.

[Sir Cuitous]

Careful with Armor All. I have read that they reformulated it a few years ago because of its reputation for hardening surfaces (which eventually crack). My brother is a car and truck enthusiast, and I can tell you what I have seen with my own eyes. It cracked just about everything he used it on including tires. After about 6 months the evidence was overwhelming and he stopped using it. There are plenty of similar anecdotal accounts online. If they have reformulated, hopefully it has been improved. Anyway, there are many other vinyl cleaners and protectorants to choose from.

[sebtones]

interesting, i did one amp around 10 months ago and its held up fine, an early nineties model and the tolex still looks like it would of the day it was bought. looks like the reformulation worked? im glad i didnt use any of the "original formula"!!

[gbono]

There are many products like armor All out there that seem to work well for restoring Tolex. I found that the products (Black Magic, Tire Black, etc) for restoring tires seem to work the best but you need to really clean the tolex first. New corners and handle hardware don't hurt either.