Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Good one, Elys! My sisters practically live at the fabric store - I'm gonna put in my order for plain cotton!

I pull a length of surgical tubing over all my stand contact points, based on Mr. Hall's recommendations a long while ago. The yellowish/beige rubber stuff. Works great, and it's not expensive here. No marks in 3 years. I even did my Rockstand (maybe no need, but those chances I don't like to take).

Elys, it does take a bit longer for the plasticizers in the foam to work its horrors on conversion varnish...but I'm sure you'll keep us informed!

jingle_jangle wrote:Elys, it does take a bit longer for the plasticizers in the foam to work its horrors on conversion varnish...but I'm sure you'll keep us informed!

Your point is good, and so is Dean's and by extension John Hall's:

No material like cloth, however thick, is going to stop the migration of solvent plasticizers from penetrating that barrier material and going into the finish eventually, as long as you leave the offending OEM material intact underneath.

All they can do is slow down the migration.

Surgical tubing probably slows it down much more than mere cloth - even multiwrapped Ace-bandage style strips like my wife recommended. But even surgical tubing will not stop it - just slow it down.

After discussing this with John this afternoon via email, I have come to the somewhat radical opinion that less is more.

Meaning, I am going to completely strip the resilient material from the portions of my stands that contact the finish, or even come near it, down to the bare powder-coated steel.

This is the only way to completely stop it.

I am then going to put surgical tubing in place of where the old resilient material was, ensuring that the manufacturer of the tubing certifies that tubing as free of solvents or other solvent plasticizers or ingredients.

Then, and only then, I am going to show my enterprising wife, armed with her high-end Bernina and a roomful of fabrics, the following website that John turned me on to today:

http://www.axehugger.com

When she has had her fill of ideas, I am going to ask her to cover that plain and pedestrian tubing with something tasteful and classy based only on the most conservative ideas from the site (NOT the furry stuff and NOT the fringes!!)

She will then be happy, the Ricks will be happy, and I will relax about having these lovely Rickenbackers otherwise exposed to the potential long-term horrors of outgassed solvents damaging their precious original finishes forever.....

I just got a pithy comment from my wife that said, basically, what was I thinking when I likened her idea to an Ace bandage She was going to surprise me with COLORS. I just said "Gosh, I am sorry dear, and I can't wait to see what you had in mind".

Of course, she is always right, even when she is not

By the way, did you notice that the wonderful people at that web site use RICKS as their models for the furry things? What class, what good taste, that they use Ricks

elysrand wrote:...models for the furry things? What class, what good taste,...

Tribbles?

jps wrote:

elysrand wrote:...models for the furry things? What class, what good taste,...

Tribbles?

Worse, by far....

What the!!????

Taste has departed the planet. God, what could they be thinking??? Or is this just for Halloween?

jingle_jangle wrote:What the!!????

Taste has departed the planet. God, what could they be thinking??? Or is this just for Halloween?

Ooof! I fear these may persist into November. Those rainbowey ones are definitely not ST:TOS. Roger C. Carmel at least had only solid Sixties colors in the grain bins of the Enterprise....

I just had a look at that site! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !

Sorry, I did neglect to mention that I remove the foam bits before pulling on the surgical tubing. It is pretty much the important part of that mod.

FURRY stands??

"...are those real tassels, I mean Mexican tassels, or are those Sears tassels?....."
-Frank Zappa 1973