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I have an old TKL hard case with fabric lining that is pulling away from the shell case. Any recommendations for a glue I can use to fix this? It appears they used some sort of double sided tape to attach the fabric to the case rim, but the tape has crumbled and degraded over the 20+ years I’ve owned it. The neck and lid area of the case are fine, but the entire body section is loose and curls in on itself when you put the guitar in.

I found a post in the archives that suggested Aleene’s glue from a fabric/crafting store, but it didn’t work for me. The glue stuck to the crumbly fabric tape, but had zero adhesion to the case covering. Clamped overnight with flexible cauls and it pulled right away when I tested it the next day.



Anyone else have experience with this? I’m selling the dobro that goes in it and I’d like to get the value that the case adds, but not if the new owner is gonna be calling me a week after I sell it angry that the case I sold them is falling apart.


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I’ve always used a hot glue gun for case lining. You can use 3m contact cement but you have to tape the surrounding area that is not to be sprayed.


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Call up TKL and ask them. The cases have a lifetime warranty against defects.

I've had success with Barge Cement from a tube, though spray might be a better choice here. And yes, mask. It's a contact cement, so it's applied to both surfaces, allowed to dry. You only get one shot when you stick the two surfaces together. Leave the case open for a day or two to give enough time for offgassing.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I've repaired cases and even completely replaced all the lining in a couple of cases using Weldwood Contact Cement. It is one of the strongest contact cements and it is brush on so no masking required.

Weldwood

Customers ask me to fix their loose case linings sometimes and I tell them go talk to a specialist - both of my grandfathers were upholsterers, one in fine furnishing and the other in custom auto trimming and I can imagine them rolling over in their graves if they saw me splashing glue around and fumbling with fabric lining like a hapless apprentice

Gluing some loose lining is not quite like reupholstering a sofa. I try to be a full service guitar repair guy. I will clean and make small repairs on customers cases on every project.