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Hello furniture upholsterers extraordinaire,

I would certainly appreciate any resources, such as books or web sites, that would help answer my questions. And resources may be the easiest way to respond.

What is the history of decorative tacks on furniture?

Maybe more specifically, I see furniture with ant trails of decorative tacks, neatly touching each other. I see furniture with decorative tacks that are spread out - sometimes this looks really good, and sometimes it looks like there weren't enough tacks to make an ant trail.

I am having more and more interior designers have me replace decorative tacks with double welt cord. These are not antique pieces.

Is there a rule of thumb for antiques? Does a certain time period or style tend to have ant trails and another time period or style tend to have spaces between the tacks?

I know I'm mixing up a lot of things here. Maybe I can break it down into two areas: 1. What about antiques and decorative tacks? 2. What about non antiques and decorative tacks? Are there any rules of thumb for when and how to apply them? d

Is it nothing more than a matter of taste and style: whatever the customer wants?

I know that I haven't even asked about the styles and sizes and shapes.

Thank you.

Gene

Hey Ben,

If you do a SEARCH on this forum for both machines. You will find an incredible amount of info.

This past December a colleague needed the money more than a second sewing machine. I paid her asking price for a Juki lu-562. This is the same as a lu-563 but has a smaller bobbin. This lu-562 still has 99.999% of the original paint on it. This means it was rarely used. I'm the 3rd owner. Even with the cost of a full physical, I'm still close to the cost of a new Chandler or Highlead.

I got lucky in that my machine is in excellent condition.

There's also a lot of info on this forum about servo motors. I've learned that most so called 'servo' motors are simply variable speed motors. Sewing automotive and cardboard you may was to make sure you get a motor that has top power when it starts, and that it does not need to 'pick up speed' in order to get to full power.

There are great finds out there in used machines, but if you want to make sure you do not go wrong, you may want to consider buying a new Chandler or Highlead from Bob or Gregg on this board. I have read only positive things about both of these guys.

Good luck,

gene

Great pictures even for us professionals out here.

As janycee38 said, awesome work, and thanks for sharing your pics!

gene

PS. Kodydog, it's not spam. Just think of Farmer Fran from The Water Boy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3wuSO59OdM

If there's an empty 5 gallon bucket in there I bet he's claiming he's got a bathroom on board and therefore it qualities as a second home. I'd say it's furniture upholstery.

gene

Keith told me about using a chisel and I do use a chisel now if my ice pick doesn't easily remove the button.

Sofadoc: I think it's been a few years since the last time I was not able to reuse wooden plugs. I find that it's so much easier, especially if it's a unique shape, such as a decorative mushroom shape, or if it's an old chair and the hole is an odd size. And no trying to match the stain.

June, I always wondered where the phraze 'bung hole' came from. It still amazes me how much of our daily language comes from boating.

gene

Hey Keith: LED cup holders for your chairs???

Hey DBR1957: What happens when I bend over to pick up the scissors that I dropped on the floor?

Gene

Be careful that you don't damage the wood or finish and you can add steam to those plugs and it may loosen up the glue and they will pop out easier. Tape off the wood real good first. Be careful of the wood and finish if you try this!

Also, pry the plug on the bottom of the plug so the little dent that you make will be on the bottom, and put the plug back in with the same orientation. If you do chip off some of the wood, it may come off as one piece with the plug. I use an ice pick. My regulator is only used on fabric, stuffing, etc. Nothing that could bend the point. (Yea I know, I'm a real wuss about this.)

You do need to take those plugs out and unscrew the back. Once you do that you will be able to see that they used chip strip across the top and then pulled the fabric down. It's really rather easy once you know how it works.

Also, that chair would have been awesome to have matched that pattern on the top of the back of the chair with the front panel that comes over the top.

Hey, has anyone missed a nights' sleep and you're drinking a lot of coffee the next day and you look at fabric just like this fabric, and all of a sudden your eyes get a bit more focused and you see that the fabric you are looking at is a solid?

Good luck.

gene

So this guy asks me about reupholstering his boat. I tell him I don't do boats. I did suggest that he might want to think about fixing the hole in the bottom of the boat first, though. What do you think? I don't do boats. Was that good advise?

gene


Actually, I saw these picks on the net and thought there were kind of interesting. I hope someone had insurance or deep pockets.



<a href="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/yacht_completely_destroyed-001.jpg"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/th_yacht_completely_destroyed-001.jpg"; border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>


<a href="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/yacht_completely_destroyed-002.jpg"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/th_yacht_completely_destroyed-002.jpg"; border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>


<a href="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/yacht_completely_destroyed-003.jpg"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/th_yacht_completely_destroyed-003.jpg"; border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>


<a href="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/yacht_completely_destroyed-004.jpg"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/th_yacht_completely_destroyed-004.jpg"; border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>


<a href="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/yacht_completely_destroyed-005.jpg"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/th_yacht_completely_destroyed-005.jpg"; border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>


<a href="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/yacht_completely_destroyed-006.jpg"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/th_yacht_completely_destroyed-006.jpg"; border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>


<a href="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/yacht_completely_destroyed-007.jpg"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/boat/th_yacht_completely_destroyed-007.jpg"; border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>

Not working for me. The last two days it said a maintenance problem. Today it just sits there and doesn't do anything.

I think the Russians got tired of this board and went over to photobucket.

gene

My butt after I sat on some decorative tacks.

Unfortunately, all the exotic hides I've ever worked with had the first name of Faux.

You had me going there with the bull field mice.

I bet that snakes skin seat was awesome looking.

I'm still waiting for a source for new born baby panda pelts.

gene

I have two sewing machines now. One is self oiling. The pan is full of oil. The other sewing machine is not.I have to oil this sewing machine myself every time I sew. The pan is used only to catch an occasional drop of oil falling out of the machine.

On this second sewing machine, I lined the pan with a heavy plastic. I tilt the sewing machine back, and pour my coffee into the pan. I have a really long straw that comes up through a hole I drilled in the base of this sewing machine. It works great! I can actually take a drink of coffee while I'm sewing.

And there's no chance of spilling coffee on my work unless I happen to think of one of Mojo's, or Big John's, jokes and I laugh and choke on the coffee and it comes spewing out my nose all over the fabric that I'm sewing.

I figure that the occasional oil drip will just help things stay flowing freely inside my old digestive track.

For next winter I'm thinking of adding a small heating element that will sit right under the oil pan.

gene

Here's the original post that got this post started: http://www.stripbit.com

I will give credit where credit is due. Absolutely awesome!

I worked on 8 dining room chairs today. I cut around the bottom edge with a razor blade knife. I pulled up a bit of the fabric on the bottom of the frame, stuck it in the slit, and away I went. It works exactly like the video.

I did have a machinist friend with a metal lathe make mine.

I had to work at it a bit a few times, but it definitely saves a lot of time. It leaves a few staples sticking up that are easy to pull out.

Also, I used my cordless drill. It put a lot of torque on it, so I think I will try the electric drill the next time.

YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL. THINK OF LEANING OVER A LATHE MACHINE WEARING A TIE.

gene

Remember those 'solar powered clothes dryers' that were sold for $29.99? You got a clothes line and some clothes pins.

I suggested once using the dryer to dry the cat after a bath. My wife did not think that was funny. I could only surmise that she was concerned that the lint trap might not be able to handle any excess cat hair.

gene

Two things I notice about this joke:

1. It was funny.

2. This is the first time I have seen someone use the word "besotted".

gene


"Take me to the river and wash me down
Just take me to the river
And put my feet back on the ground"
(I like Delbert McClinton's version the best)

Wind turbines don't work in low wind conditions and they shut down during high winds. Would someone tell me again why we are paying so much tax dollars for wind turbines???

gene