Lining an old case.

[varney]

I have one of the old hexagonal wooden concertina boxes which doesn't have any kind of interior lining. I have some nice red velvet material which I'd like to use but I wanted to ask the best way to go about the job. I tried glueing a test piece of material to some scrap timber with PVA but find the velvet turns hard when the glue dries. Do I need to water the PVA down or use a hide glue? The velvet is not the real heavy type of fabric but seems to have a pile of the same consistency as other old case linings I've seen.

 

 

Can anyone offer advice on the best way to measure up and glue lining into one of these old cases.?

 

Thanks,

Michael.

[Theo]

When gluing fabric (or felt) to a hard material I find its best to apply the glue to the harder surface only, use only a thin film of glue, and then the fabric will stick without absorbing much glue and therefore getting hard. This technique works with pva, and with gum arabic based adhesives like this liquid glue pen from Staples. The latter is also easier to clean up than pva, and can be removed with water, even when fully dried.

[varney]

When gluing fabric (or felt) to a hard material I find its best to apply the glue to the harder surface only, use only a thin film of glue, and then the fabric will stick without absorbing much glue and therefore getting hard. This technique works with pva, and with gum arabic based adhesives like this liquid glue pen from Staples. The latter is also easier to clean up than pva, and can be removed with water, even when fully dried.

 

Thanks Theo,

 

I tried that and it worked perfectly. I think I put a little too much glue on the first time and rolled the fabric down too hard so that it absorbed a lot.

 

Any suggestions on how to cut the fabric to fit best? Do you fit the bottom piece in first then then cut a long strip to line the interior leaving some proud of the top edge to trim away?

[Theo]

Do you fit the bottom piece in first then then cut a long strip to line the interior leaving some proud of the top edge to trim away?

 

It's not a job I've attempted but that would be how I would try. Also you have to consider how to make joins between cut edges. Simplest would be to overlap the edges, that guarantees no gaps, but could leave an unsightly ridge if using a thick material like velvet. You can make an accurate butt joint by overlapping the edges, then cutting through both thickness in the overlap zone, you then have to lift the top layer, discarding the trimmed edge, and then pull away the trimmed edge of the lower layer before carefully fitting what was the top of the overlap back into place, where the cut edges should butt closely together. Even better if the butt is along a corner.

[Steve_freereeder]

I've made a couple of concertina cases and a melodeon case. Each time I lined the interior with plush type fabric. Here's my method for accurately gluing the fabric to the box:

 

1. First cut carrier pieces of thinnish cardboard (cereal packet thickness) for each interior panel of the box i.e. sides, base, lid and lid-sides. Make the card pieces a couple of mm slightly undersize.

 

2. For each card piece, then cut a piece of the chosen fabric slightly over-size (about 1 cm all round).

 

3. Glue the fabric to the card, mitre the fabric corners, turn the fabric edges over the card edges and glue them down. I used a latex-based glue (e.g. 'Copydex') to secure the fabric to the card: apply the glue to the card - allow to become tacky for a minute or two and then lay the glued card flat on to the reverse side of the fabric. Press down gently, taking care not to press so hard that the glue seeps through to the plush side of the fabric.

 

4. Once all the card panels are covered with fabric, you can then begin to assemble and glue them on to the interior of the box surfaces. I used an impact adhesive (e.g. Evostick) to secure the card carrier sheets to the wooden sides of the box. The card-backed fabric has sufficient rigidity to allow the panels to be accurately placed. Glue the sides first, followed by the base and the lid interior. The plush fabric is thick enough to hide the joins between panels.

 

5. For a concertina case, if additionally you have blocking inserts to keep the bellows firmly closed, you can cover the blocks with fabric in the same way, and glue them in place before fixing the fabric-covered card panels. But to accommodate the blocking pieces, the card panels will need to have suitable cut-out sections made prior to cutting and gluing the fabric - a slightly more fiddly job.

 

 

6. Allow the box to dry out and air thoroughly (a couple of days) to get rid of adhesive fumes before permanently storing the concertina in its new case.

Edited July 25, 2010 by Steve_freereeder

[OLDNICKILBY]

It will help to cut the "Velvet" on the cross to reduce fraying and I find that Car Boot sales are very good places to get the Velvet from old curtains, well washed and fairly lint free. Border paste is quite good but apply only to the box NOT the fabric

[Lawrence Reeves]

I prefer using a contact type cement. Spray version from 3M used by car upholstery people is pretty good. Make sure to spray the inside of the case, and the back of the felt. Let it almost totally dry and then put in place. Press out the bubbles, and then use a single edged razor blade to trim.

[varney]

Excellent tips folks. I'm much better equipped to go at the job with all this great advice.

 

Thank you,

Michael.