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I have been away for a while. Kinda drifted off while I was dealing with the cancer in early 2019 and lost the website until very recently. I don't see a lot of activity anymore. Is there still anyone out there who wants to talk to me again?
 

Does any one have a lead on a source  for original interior fabric for a 58 Oldsmobile super 88. This car is a survivor. By that I mean it is all original and it looks like it just rolled off the line. Because of that I think the owner would spring for the $$$ to bring it in from the states if we have to.

Thanks, Darren.

So just got home and had a chance to catch up here. I finally broke down and paid for internet in my room in the hospital but couldn't find the board to log on. What else is new with everyone? I was out of the loop for a month.

Not upholstery related, but wanted to give my friends here a heads up. Canadian football league division finals back to back today on TSN starting at 12 central. Check your local provider.

This is how we do it up here; 3 down football on a larger field with deeper end zones and our balls are larger and likely frozen---especially for the western final. Supposed to be colder than a mother in law's kiss in Calgary Alberta this afternoon. This is going to be some GOOD football! Check it out.

i didn't want to thread jack Gene so starting a new thread. those tables in the video he shared are killer, but 'doc points out that they are pricey and I was concerned about the amount of "wobble" you see in the video.

I;d like to brain storm here and see if we can't come up with a proto type that could be built in the average shop at a reasonable price.

Conventional thought would be to make like a mini scissor lift or maxi motorcycle lift. Instead of air how could we use an electric motor and worm gear like a power recliner, or and ATV winch? I think that hydraulic would get real pricey real quick with reservoirs, pumps, yadda yadda.

I am going to work on a different approach. I am thinking of four telescoping corner post, and a cable system like a pop up camper.

Happy Canada Day to any other Canucks reading this.  Weather is perfect here at the bottom /middle of Canada , I broke the budget and bought a beef steak (the price of which has gone nuts up here) to BBQ , and am not going to "putter" past 4-5 this afternoon.

To all my 'Merican friends here, best wishes for your 4th ( Independence day, right?). It's a work day for us so may not have time to post that morning, before I head into town. Try not to shoot each other ,eh. Pay the $5 and watch the fireworks downtown LOL.

This too is non upholstery but a massive fire here in Brandon has made the headlines of our nation weather network (and others) and i wanted to share with my friends here ( I don't face book LOL).

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/weather/manitoba/brandon

So Saturday I was working sales on the RV side of the business and it was "Mat tag repairman" dead. My boss went to town to do some personal business and called to let me know that down town was on fire. I followed it on the radio. There were 4 separate fires that required the assistance of fire departments for the local armed forces base and at least 4 other towns, some as far away as 50 miles.

The area involved is in the original part of town. It is the northern edge of the business section. Both Christy's Office plus and Massey Manor were/are classified as "Historic Buildings". Collyers (sp) and the boxing club were in an old frame building east of chrysty's. The beer vendor/defunked night club were on the ground floor of a 5 story hotel (also vacant) a block south and 2 blocks east of the original blaze and 1 block south of collyiers.

One of my friends/co-worker lives 1 block south and 1 block east of that fire. He called a couple of times yesterday with updates. As of 8 PM crews were still on the ground "mopping up". 

Hi gang. Way outside the lines here, but you're the only group of 'Mericans I know and some of your states have legalized pot. Our second generation moron prime minister has decided to legalize marijuana.   I know some of your states have done the same. I have only 1 issue with that. How do your people assess and deem someone technically "under the influence" if they have smoked a bit of weed? If I have had a beer or two the cops take a road side breath analysis and if I fail we go the cop shop for a breathalyzer test. If i am over .08 I go to jail. How do you measure thc and what is the allowable limit in your state? My government has yet to provide clear direction on that.

Hi all. just seeing why my avatar has changed. thank you so much PB!!

This isn't really an Upholstery crisis, but I want to hear from all of the rest who work with wood. (Steve and Keith and Ed etc...come to mind) I am in a bit of time crunch on this one as well.

The floor in that 38' camper I bought last year to rent/sell/turn a profit on, has gone to pot. I know the correct fix is to remove the 12 foot slide out, and  the flooring and all the things on the flooring and replace the wood. If Winnie and I were going to get some personal use out of this and I could recoup the money I have into our '77 motorhome  I wouldn't be asking this. BUT;

Years ago I worked with a guy who was big into wooden boat and in their "forums and magazines" they talked about an epoxy that one could inject to store rotten transoms.decking etc...

Do any of you have experience with these products? Are they a viable option, and where might I find some up here?

I have an opportunity to rent the camper for 5-6 weeks beginning 01 June if the guy likes the photos I am to send on Monday now that we have it de-winterized and cleaned.

Look forward to your help folks. Thanks,Darren

Is any one else having issues with photo bucket? I've been trying for a few days to upload some pics from here to share a white Christmas with those who didn't get snow and cannot get it running. The little "ticker tape" in teh bottom left corner is constantly waiting for this, transferring from that, etc... and it keeps sending me back to log in instead of upload.

We Canucks are used to varying weather, but 30 +or- is considered extreme. Plus 30 *C is roughly 86 F and we call that a hot day. We've been under a system for the last week that has had the temps down to minus 24,-28 etc... the last few mornings. This morning qualifies as bloody cold at -32 or 26 below F before the windchill. With the windchill it's minus 42 or 44 below. It's calm and sunny---but I'm going to wait until after lunch to work on my snowblower.

Shut up Mike; or I'll hex your air conditioner. [grin] I'm sure it's lovely in Florida---but the sledding sucks.

I'm installing hulliner in an old Boler camper and am having trouble with the upper corners. Photo bucket has gone sideways on me but will try to post those pics later.

Any ideas on the best way to form those complex corners??

Thanks.

I got used big time last week and don't really know how to react.

I came into work Thursday morning with 3 pieces of furniture to repair for one of our regulars and 4 camper rentals to hook up/sign contracts/walk through etc...[takes about 45 minutes each] plus my list of "when you get a chance" projects. There was a 20 foot boat sitting beside my shop. I went over to the big shop and before I could sit down at the staff table, the boss informs me that he has promised the guy a custom made travel cover by end of day [4:30] Friday. Two of the 5 guys over in the big RV shop are off sick/inured this week and the third didn't bother to show up Friday so every time I turn around I'm getting called over to help there. Ironically the bean counter comes up to me mid morning Friday and asks " you're here right till 4:30 , right?" so he can cut my cheque. I ripped my arse off and finished the boat at 9:30 Friday night. It has a wake board tower and the guy wanted it to have a ratchet strap in the hem and for it to be form fitted as apposed to just  your average baggy travel cover with 2 poles and boat vents.The boss is adamant that the meter stay running for coffee breaks, trips to town to get parts, the 5 minute help with this interruptions etc ... so I wind up with 16 billable hours into this job that the boss somehow figures is an 8-10 hour project . This is where the kick in the nards comes in.

Nine thirty the customer comes to pick up the boat and is blown away with the cover and impressed to no end that I stayed and finished it for him. Then I handed him the bill and all hell broke loose. Turns out that when he was talking to the boss before he brought the boat over and said that the other shop had quoted  $850-900 where we comparable in price? and the boss said oh yeah we'll be right close. Our bill came to $1692 and change. the boss had never mentioned price to me, just that it needed to be done by Friday night and that the guy expected top shelf product. The boss was outside cell service at his cottage and I have no authority to change bills. It's now after 10:15 PM. I volunteered to knock off the 5 hours I stayed late to finish the boat, the boss comes back to get some repair parts and we finally compromise on a price. The customer is PO'd, I feel like a heel and the liquor store and smoke shop are both closed so I settle for paying c-store price for a pack of smokes and head home. No "atta boy", no "boy did I mess up", etc.. from the boss and no mention of any compensation for my extra effort.

Just because every open wound needs some salt---he phones me at home last night as I'm grilling supper. He's been after me to take him to the gun range to sight in his new rifle for a couple of weeks now and just called to let me know he was back home and that he had his cottage all ready for his company on the long weekend. No he didn't come right out and ask---but you know why he mentioned it. I think I'll set him up at the 200 yard while I try the iron sights on my .54 black powder from the 300.

Y'all know I'm a techo-retard. I THINK I have my new e-mail updated in my bio. (cross fingers/roll eyes). If not it is djhenry64@gmail.com .

So I had a call from a guy last week about re-doing the seat out of a 1950 Chev/GMC truck. he said it had been redone once and was in decent shape. Today his wife dropped off the frames and told me they had thrown out all the padding and the old covers. I remember my buddy's  '51 being sissal over burlap, but cannot remember how it was attached to the frame. I think the back was just a zippered "bag" that fit over the frame and padding. I don't see the usually steel rods that  one would normally hog ring to anywhere.

The customer is only interested in getting a seat in the truck and getting it running so Dad can take it for one last spin kinda thing.

My plan (so far) is to hog ring vintex (herculite, what ever you call it in your area) over the springs and build it up with cotton felt over a layer or two of unideck.

Seat frame top/bottom:





Back frame bottom/top.






As always; any and all help is much appreciated gang.

Thanks , eh.

So I guess I didn't starve out of making shoes long enough ago to consider myself "experienced". maybe some old timers like Paul and Dennis have run into this type of recliner before, but I haven't seen one in the 21 years I've been at this;







There is no "control" for the mechanism (no levers, no springs, etc...) it's just manually forced into the position of choice. It is padded in foam and  the fabric is stapled on to the solid hardwood frame(s), but the staples are exactly where you would expect tacks to be laid out and the arms are hand stitched where they cross the fabric on the back of the arms/base. 

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I have never been so happy to see the backside of a grain truck as I was when this beast left the yard today.



It's a Peterbuilt that Cancade (large local company that builds truck boxes etc..) converted to a grain truck for a customer. Originally the tractor had been built for a sleeper so they covered the outside of that large opening from the outside and had a window installed. They also ran a piece of angle aluminum across it side to side about half way up to (upside down BTW) and then dropped it off Thursday afternoon for a panel to make it look professional.  I don't know why the guy who was supposed to do the upholstery quit on them but I have had to catch up to his deadline [read diaper in my face " why isn't done---How much longer?---Need to have it by impossible---blah blah]

You would be surprised how little room there is in there where I couldn't remove the air ride seats and the passenger seat does not lean forward.



Because the window was already mounted I had to "Just tuck it in under the rubber", which had me twisted up like Gumbee from coffee until well after coffee. Six hours of that was too  much for my back. I want to soak some marbles in liniment and just  roll back and forth on them in the tub.

For all that I got one compliment from the co-worker who parked it outside.



Mike; you're doing the next one---Chris will come help you.

No this isn't a re-run of the old Tetley tea commercials---pity. LOL

I was just checking to see what the windchill is going to be tomorrow morning when I walk over to get my license back and had to laugh at this

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/videos/Gallery/see-the-most-canadian-coffee-run-ever-in-a-blizzard/sharevideo/4748532312001

I could see it for a large double double and a box of Timbits to share with the dogs, but for a bottle of water?!

So I got voluntold to work our booth at ag days [10 acre indoor trade show for farmers etc...] this year because the boss and his lady friend (no involvement in the business) are in New Orleans ordering our stock for this season at a huge show. I've got enough second hand knowledge about hitches and truck accessories etc... to field alot of the questions and enough common sense to fess up if I can't find something in a timely fashion in the milk crate full of catalogs we take with us, so normally working a show is no big deal. this show I had so many red herring questions and thick headed people that I have come home with a head ache every night.

Even with my socks off I couldn't count the number of times per day I had to explain and price out hitches and truck accessories to Hutterites. They don't "own" vehicles. they live communally on colonies and one guy is in charge of all there vehicles!!!It's like every soldier with standing orders asking about pimping out her Majesties ( or Uncle Sam's) deuce and a half.  NO--go get the Sgt. from the motor pool---we'll talk!

I spent 15 minutes flipping through every catalog we had looking for very specific accessories for a '94 ford truck. When I couldn't find any one carrying those parts for older than 08, the guy says " yeah I couldn't find anything on line either". I'm glad they made me turn in my pacestick! Stupid poopsicle.

Another big draw to our booth is the super glide hitch which automatically moves your 5th wheel back when turning so you don't take the rear window etc.. out of your truck with the 5 1/2' box. We have a little video loop that plays beside it so people stop and ask alot of usually dumb questions and then after the demo go " cool thanks", or I should tell my brother about this thing, maybe he and I could build one". That got real old, real quick.

The capper is my boss with his selective math. You work for an hour on his stuff -----5 minute job/ you work 5 minutes on a paying job--------that's an hour. Same with sales. If in the last 12 months someone mentions seeing us at the show or having done business with us at the show-- he sold it at the show. His goal for me for these three days was $30K. I've been here 6 years and have never seen him sell that amount. He has slipped a decimal if it was a good year. Day one we sold 1 item for $14-95. We had 2-3 transactions the last two days. Monday ( and the next couple of weeks) I get to hear about what a great salesman he is and how I ruined the show 'cause I couldn't sell life jackets on the Titanic. He would have cleared out our entire inventory and taken deposits on the next shipment. Another poopsicle saved.

Thanks for letting me rant guys/gals. I owe you.