Varnish Coat for tweed cloth

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 30 May 2001 8:26 am

I recovered my Fender tweed Pro a number of years ago with cloth I purchased from Fenton Music. I opted to put the non-coated side out, and have not varnished it. I am thinking of varnishing it to prevent dirt, stains, etc. I would appreciate recommendations from people experienced in this process.
Thanks,
Lefty
Sho-Bud LDG
Fender Pro

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 30 May 2001 10:18 am

The solution you should use is orange shellac cut about 50% with alcohol. Two coats.
Orange shellac used to be called something like "six pound orange" or something like that. Bullseye makes an orange shellac. Just do not use a clear shellac.
Orange shellac is blonde. A version of this method I learned at the Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue -- www.tdpri.com
Chris Lucker

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 30 May 2001 12:45 pm

I just order a Tweed cabinet from Mojotone. They used to make the cabs for Fender (the replacement ones Fender was selling a couple of years ago!). They recommended Min-wax, honey-pine. It's a finish and stain all in one. Sounds easy enough. I'm going to try it myself. Let you know how it turns out.

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 30 May 2001 4:21 pm

I picked up a can of the Min-Wax today. The chart they had shows only a slight tint. I think the other method that is recommended above may give a more vintage or aged look. At any rate, I'll let you know how mine turns out with the Min-wax finish.

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 31 May 2001 3:30 pm

I've seen tweeds done with the Honey Pine,
& they're a little to "golden" when compared
to originals. The orange Bullseye shellac
is a bit closer in color. The only thing
is it's a bit shiny if you put on too
many coats.

[This message was edited by Jay Ganz on 31 May 2001 at 04:32 PM.]

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 31 May 2001 4:18 pm

Thanks to all for the response. Sounds like one is the old traditional method, and one a new method. I have some scraps and am going to experiment with both to see which I like best.
Thanks,
Lefty