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  I am recovering all the upholstered pieces in an older RV for a customer. I was ready to cut out the back of one of the swivel chairs in the dinette area when I noticed one side of the old fabric was higher than the other. I checked the frame and the foam padding is higher on one side than the other. Then, I compared to the unstripped companion chair and it is also higher on one side than the other. Both are higher on the left than on the right, so it's not a mirror image thing.  The owner knows of no reason why they should not be symmetrical and I don't either.

  There is enough "give" in the high corner that I think just making the new cover the right shape will pull it down enough so it's not noticeable. Before I do, I wanted to ask if anyone else has had the same issue and opinions on whether to reshape or not reshape.

Ed


 

Let me start by saying I am not a boat person. After 21 years in the Navy, I have had my fill of boats and the sea.  However, the project presented to me today looked simple enough and I agreed to take it on even though it is boat-related.  It is a bumper that the boater straps to the dock piling to keep his boat from scraping.



18 inches wide and 30 inches long, construction is a snap, just a sock with some webbing sewn to one side.  Problem is I'm not experienced enough with marine fabrication to know what materials to order.  The owner is no more knowledgeable than I am, all he knows is "these things get wet and they dry out almost instantly". Since they will get wet, I hesitate to use a waterproof fabric, afraid that will trap the water inside.  But I can't seem to find a UV-resistant canvas that is uncoated. 

  The foam is only 1 inch thick but very dense. Feels just a little softer than my wife's garden kneeling pad.  Is closed cell foam the answer?

  Looking for suggestions for outside fabric and inside foam.  I want these things to last and not come back for repair in a year.

Thanks,
Ed

I have been doing upholstery since the early '70's, but mostly furniture and cars so I have almost zero experience with snap fasteners. I went to fit my first and last boat cover yesterday morning and install the snaps.  When I removed the cover after installing the first 16 snaps, four  of the sockets  stayed with the boat.



I didn't have any trouble installing the snaps using the tool that came with a previous package of snaps and a button press. Although, looking at this photo, it doesn't appear to make a nice, even swedge all around the circumference - that could produce a weak connection.



I have another tool that makes a flatter swedge but no larger in diameter.



I am using standard action nickel buttons and sockets from Rochford, items 1825 and 1830.
Are these snaps strong enough for this type of work?
I am installing the snaps in boat cover fabric and  canvas binding.  Should I be using the long buttons instead of standard length?
Would stainless snaps be stronger?
Any advice? Thanks in advance.  I don't want to have to go replace a handful of snaps every time they remove the cover!

Ed