Case Repair

[Pat S]

A couple of my instrument cases have been liberally patched with black duct tape. The cases are structurally sound, but the duct tape looks cheap... heck, it IS cheap. Does anyone have experience "re-skinning" a wooden instrument case? What sort of products/glues/tools would I need? I don't mind experimenting... these cases couldn't look much worse!

[Dan Schultz]

ohiotravelbag.com

[bigtubby]

Allied Supply sells "Case Repair Tape" which is nicer than duct tape and looks much better. Their description:
You asked for it! After much searching we found a cloth tape that
does an excellent job of repairing band instrument cases. It is
wide enough to wrap around the case edge. One roll is enough
to bind all eight edges of 19 trumpet or 15 alto saxophone cases.
2" x 60yd. (51mm x 54m) roll

They only sell to dealers and repair shops so you might have to ask myself or one of the many other repair guys here to order you a roll or two. Part #'s
A664 Black Tape
A665 Brown Tape

[Dan Schultz]

...... sand down the case, mask over all of the hardware, and spray the entire case with truck bed liner....

I'm going to give that a try one of these days. Sounds like a great idea.

[Minkrott]

You can buy Tolex by the yard on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-TOLEX-STY ... 0390727775" target="_blank" target="_blank
And here is a YouTube video on installation.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QGTd-UOU3l ... GTd-UOU3l8" target="_blank" target="_blank

[Dan Schultz]

....Tolex......

Thanks for those links. The http://www.reliablehardware.com website is awesome!

[Pat S]

Very helpful! Thanks to all. Any special tricks to get the tolex to cover a curved edge? As I wrap the portion of the case that holds the bell, I've got some curves to deal with!

[jacojdm]

I'm going to give that a try one of these days. Sounds like a great idea.

Bed liner (or something like it) has become a very popular option for guitar/bass amps and PA speaker cabinets. Especially those that see lots of handling by touring sound companies. Because it doesn't tear, it holds up much better than Tolex or the black or gray "rat fur" on so many speaker cabinets. There even exist roll on products (Herculiner, for example) that, while not as heavy duty as the spray on types, can still provide better proctection and durability than Tolex.