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How To Tidy Up Minor Scuffs On A Tweed Amp

Y

yeltneb

Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2016
Messages
40
Hey!

So I have a lacquered tweed amp and it has some minor scuffs on it. A couple of these have broken through the laquer so that the tweed is exposed and is at risk of starting to fray. I’m looking for any advice on how I can tidy them up a bit? They are only really small and I was thinking about testing some clear nail varnish but thought I’d check here first as I guess I’m not the first person to do this. Any advice appreciated.

*oh and I’m aware that a lot of people really like how tweed amps look when they are a bit beat up but I’m not quite ready for that to happen to this particular amp yet
 
corpse

corpse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,880
What they did in the early-mid 60's to fix this was paint the entire amp in heavy black urethane.
Don't do that.
 
Professortwang

Professortwang

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2009
Messages
761
I would try shellac lacquer. Try it on the bottom of the cabinet first. You can get it anywhere, they make an amber tint thatI have used on entire cabinets that worked out fantastic.
 
PaulLaRue

PaulLaRue

New member
Joined
Jul 2, 2003
Messages
268
"Shellac lacquer"? Never heard of it? Do you mean Shellac made by Bullseye? It also comes in clear & amber but is not Lacquer. Dries extreamly fast [alcohol based].

Shellac or Lacquer is a good touch up for tweed. Shave any lose fibers away and just brush or spray on the clear coat.
 
Professortwang

Professortwang

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2009
Messages
761
Wow tough crowd, yes I meant Shellac by Bullseye that you can get at any home improvement store. The amber tint works very well on tweed cabinets. I also tried a polyurethane finish based on recommendations in one of Gerald Weber’s tube amp repair books. I wasn’t pleased with the result and it was more difficult to apply than Shellac. Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug. You can buy the resin flakes and mix your own or buy Shellac from Retailers that carry Bullseye products. There may be other companies that I am not aware of that make a similar product. I’ve read two different accounts about what was used on original Fender tweed amps: Laquer which is plausible because it was being used on guitar bodies at the time and Shellac which is also plausible. I’ve seen many reissue tweed Fender amps that don’t have any finish on them. They don’t wear well and look bad from the beginning in my opinion. Will at armadillo amp works would be a good person to talk to about cabinet repair and restoration. I’ve done some cabinet work however my area of expertise is electronics.
 
renderit

renderit

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
10,966
Jeez.
Shellac works.

One coat.

Let dry.

Not dark enough?

Second coat.

Let dry.

See how that works? Most I have seen use about 2 coats to simulate old.

I have a couple that were supposedly 3 coats and they ARE slightly more ambered.
 
A

agogetr

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
451
i use elmers.
i,m also writing a book '101 ways not to do things'
i would venture to say the shellac bugs would give a big thunbs up for elmers
 
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