Sprucing Up Tired Looking Tolex for Noobs

[voltergeist]

I've seen some truly idiotic attempts at making old Tolex look "better", so I'm throwing this out there for the noobs.

1.  Clean it
        -household cleaner, rag, elbow grease
        -Proper cleaning includes removal of corners, handles, and badging to clean under them
2.  Glue down tears
        -DO NOT USE STAPLES
        -Use contact cement (VV's Tolex glue appears to be the adhesive of choice, but other water-based contact adhesives can be found at any hardware store)
3.  Touch up with paint and/or marker
        -In areas where the Tolex is missing, color the wood black with black paint or a Sharpie
        -Areas where the surface of the Tolex is scraped away and the fabric is visible, color the fabric black with a Sharpie
4.  Armor All
        -Generous application of Armor All works miracles on tired grey-looking Tolex.  Make sure it gets in all the little cracks and crevices in the Tolex surface.  Wipe it up.  Repeat if necessary.

DO NOT USE SPRAYPAINT
I saw somebody said they used shoe polish.  I don't know if this "works", but I would not recommend it.
       

[Ledbetter]

I use terry cloth, mild soap and warm water, and 303 Protectant instead of ArmorAll.  Good post.

[The Real MC]

Armorall for cleaning the tolex.

3M weatherstripping adhesive for tears in the tolex.  Besides being a strong adhesive for wood and rubber/polymers, it is the color black so no need to scrape off excess.

Tolex is a petroleum product.  Shoe polish is designed for leather/cloth and will not work on tolex.

[voltergeist]

I don't recommend Armor All for initial cleaning for two reasons:
1.  If any tears need to be glued down you don't want to do it after they've been made slick with Armor All.
2.  Some Rhodes are very dirty, better to clean with a cleaner initially, then put the shine on with Armor All as a final step.

That said, if the Tolex doesn't need repairs and isn't filthy, one can go straight to Armor All.

[bolero]

fwiw  I don't like using armor all on tolex

1. it makes it slippery as heck, and hard to manhandle a slippery, tolex covered piece of gear up & down stairs etc
2. it's very difficult to remove

I just clean it & keep it's dry texture, easier to hold onto!!