Anyone ever refinished a bass in Tufcab?

[Paul S]

Just curious what it might look like.  Best guess is disgusting but it would certainly be easy  

[Waddo Soqable]

I'm thinking an extreme version of the finish on the US made musicman Subs

[Paul S]

1 minute ago, Waddo Soqable said:

I'm thinking an extreme version of the finish on the US made musicman Subs

 

That's how I imagine it, too.  Could be interesting!  Then again, could be horrid.  I wonder how much difference the grade of roller would make, like when painting emulsion.  I've never used the stuff, mind, so have no firm idea how the texture can vary.

[King Tut]

I’ve thought about doing this to a cheapo, embedding stuff in the paint and turning it into a goth/steampunk type thing. Actually as typing I remembered it wasn’t tuffcab I was thinking about but a heavy duty non silicon based sealant. Can’t remember what it’s called now but used some recently to bodge a fix on a sink waste. Well impressed with the stuff!

[Waddo Soqable]

It's likely formulated to dry to it's particular wrinkly texture, I'd prob use one of the little foam type rollers.. Hmm. You've got me interested now! 

[BassBunny]

I refurbished a bass cab with Warnex Structure Paint using a foam roller and the finish was superb. I think it would work really well on a bass guitar body.

It's the stuff a lot of audio companies use on PA speakers and it gives a finish not unlike Tolex. You need to build it up in thin layers, I think I did about 6, but it is so easy to apply and the roller washes out in water.

I think I did a post on the refurb here. Funnily enough Thomann also list the HK version, which is in grey but pretty sure it's the same stuff.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/warnex_strukturlack_1kg.htm?glp=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAqt-dBhBcEiwATw-ggNTM5hBHgvpHgrx6dGVWCyyHHuW6Ran8wilRFuRNNSfCrBwUPFY7-BoC1RcQAvD_BwE

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by BassBunny

[Woodinblack]

I refinished a cab in tufcab, and if you accidently bash against it with something, the something hurts afterwards, so not sure I would like it on a bass!

[Paul S]

I'd be very interested to see some pics of the finished, er, finish if anyone has the time and could be bothered.  

 

Edit  - for clarity, I mean anyone who has tried to achieve a flatter than normal finish.  I have owned Barefaced cabs and know what it is like when applied 'normally'.  I seem to recall reading that someone had managed to get a linen type finish, probably one of the serial cab makers on here  

Edited January 6, 2023 by Paul S

[Aidan63]

definitely depends on the roller and how many and how thick the coats are, with a smooth foam roller slightly thinned and not overworked you could get a finish a bit  like the US MM Subs

[BassBunny]

3 hours ago, Paul S said:

 I seem to recall reading that someone had managed to get a linen type finish, probably one of the serial cab makers.

That's pretty much the finish I got with Warnex. I'll try and find the pics I took of the finished cab.

This is the best one to show the finish I managed to get.

Edited January 6, 2023 by BassBunny

[3below]

4 hours ago, Paul S said:

 

That's how I imagine it, too.  Could be interesting!  Then again, could be horrid.  I wonder how much difference the grade of roller would make, like when painting emulsion.  I've never used the stuff, mind, so have no firm idea how the texture can vary.

On the two cabs I built I got quite a 'Tolex' look just by dabbing the Tuffcab on with a kitchen scrubbing sponge.  I am quite impressed with it how it has stood up to use on my BF cab.

[Paul S]

I think this may have moved up in my head from 'silly idea, wait for someone with facts to dismiss it' to 'actually, I think I'll give it a crack!'

 

Hmmm............... 

 

Won't be for a while, I have too many plates spinnning at the mo.  But how bad would a 50s P bass look with this finish?   I bought a bitsa that had been given a fairly clumsy relic job that could be a candidate.  I mean, what could possibly go wrong?  Vintage style bass with modern textured finish?  Could look amazing.  Or absolute sh!te.

[Waddo Soqable]

I'm also liking the idea of this more and more, I've got a squier P bass that I don't much care for the shiny black poly look of... I wonder how well it'd stick to 'ruffed up' poly? 

[Paul S]

Like the proverbial to a blanket, I reckon.

[PaulThePlug]

How hard is it to remove if ya don't like it?..

[Paul S]

5 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

How hard is it to remove if ya don't like it?..

 

Good question.  Heat gun and a scraper?  No idea.  Presumably it is tuff, so maybe not easy.

[Waddo Soqable]

I'd think if it's designed for band type use speaker cabs it's going to be pretty tough, I'd somehow think it'd stick best to bare wood though, if I do it I'd likely get the poly off with a heat gun first, it wouldn't matter if the wood got slightly scorch marked either as it's being "buried" under tarmac kind of 😊

[Paul S]

56 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

I'd think if it's designed for band type use speaker cabs it's going to be pretty tough, I'd somehow think it'd stick best to bare wood though, if I do it I'd likely get the poly off with a heat gun first, it wouldn't matter if the wood got slightly scorch marked either as it's being "buried" under tarmac kind of 😊

 

OK, so when are you going to do it?  I'll probably not have the time to get stuck into something like this until late spring.  Must say, though, that the more I think about it the more it appeals.  I had a go with rattle cans once and the end result gave a similar finish to Tuffcoat   This would saave all that undercoat, grain filler, sanding and polishing malarky   

[Waddo Soqable]

Before I pull the Sq P bass apart, I really should do my mad headless Rick project, inspired by @Bassassin of this parish in his fairly recent thread along similar lines.. I have the necessary parts and just need to dissect old Ricky (don't worry it's not a real Rb.) and crack on with it.

I'll be in imminent danger of not having a bass that's in one piece at all if I'm not careful, ☹️  ( I've also got a stingray lying in bits not really going anywhere) 

Rest assured I'll be scoping out where to buy the Tufcab stuff (and the equivalents) shortly, who knows if I destroy the finish on the Headless Rick in the progress of its butchery, it may even end up Tufcabbed itself! 

[King Tut]

The finish can be quite rough and sharp depending on how it's applied, so probably best to practice on some scrap before you start on the bass.

[Waddo Soqable]

Just looked at where to buy the stuff, seems 1kg is a bit under 30 quid Inc postage, from Blue Aran which seems to own Tufcab.. whereas the German stuff is 30 quid plus a tenner shipping so the Tufcab appears to be the best bet £wise.. you have to pre order the small 1kg size apparently.

.. according to the label on the German stuff 1kg equals about .8 of a litre, so certainly enough for a few coats on a bass body I'd think

[Dan Dare]

If you do it, wear old clothes when playing. I should imagine Tufcab will fray your duds quickly.

[Paul S]

12 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

If you do it, wear old clothes when playing. I should imagine Tufcab will fray your duds quickly.

 

Sadly they are the only type I have.  Man at Mencap  

[Maude]

Look up Raptor butt liner, fnar. 

 

It's a super heavy duty textured coating designed for pick-up butts. 

Pretty much indestructible and irremovable, but although it has a very coarse texture the peaks are rounded, not sharp, so it's actually smooth to run your hands over, if that makes sense. 

Highly textured but semi gloss and tactile rather than matt and rough. 

Can be applied with a gun or a roller. 

[Waddo Soqable]

29 minutes ago, Maude said:

Look up Raptor butt liner, fnar. 

 

It's a super heavy duty textured coating designed for pick-up butts. 

Pretty much indestructible and irremovable, but although it has a very coarse texture the peaks are rounded, not sharp, so it's actually smooth to run your hands over, if that makes sense. 

Highly textured but semi gloss and tactile rather than matt and rough. 

Can be applied with a gun or a roller. 

Do you mean bed liner?  Seems to be called that in UK, seems to be available in rattle cans too