Messages

Thanks for the kind words, Chris. Yes, I have done quite a few of the types of seats that have the strips of u channel to sew to the covers to refasten. I have been able to sew the originals back on with a #22 size needle and 92 thread. And I use a very narrow foot to do this to try to get back to the original holes. Machine: Juki LU563. An idea what I do sometimes. The principal is, if the plastic strips is sewn to the covers, there is no allowance to adjust the cover if needed. The plastic strip dictates where the cover goes, so one has to make sure it is sewn back on the new cover properly and the patterns are done precise. What I like to do if possible (if possible meaning hardware on the bottom side of the cushion is not in the way, and cushions is what i am mainly talking about and backrest can be more challenging) is to either make the vinyl longer and find some where to hog ring the vinyl or on the flat piece of metal that the plastic fastens to, drill some holes (maybe 1/4") about 4" apart and hog ring the cover to the holes. A principal I use is, I want to fasten that cover the way I want to and I am not concerned how it looks underneath the cover - I am concerned with what the cover looks like that is seen. When looking at a seat, observe it like when it is in the vehicle. That is different when looking at it on the bench.

Rick

Hello. If using screw in snaps, drill next size down from 1/8" drill bit. This would let the screw really bite into the metal. A dab of 5200 in the hole would also strengthen. Another option would be to pop rivet the snaps. As far as making it taught enough, especially if using Sunbrella (as it stretches when water pools), I would recommend support poles as needed. With support poles, then vents could be incorporated in the cover. This is important to get a little air circulation under the cover and extract the heat build up. This principal helps with mildew. Three things promote mildew - water, dirt and heat.

Rick 

Hello, my customer bought the covers from Year One. I do not think they up-charged him for Legendary. I really does not matter. A set of covers that has a lot to be desired on quality control before they are shipped is wasted money. And from the forums he reviewed, PUI has had these type of complaints for years. So in reality, they just don't give a damn. I would say any 3rd party that sells them (having to assume they have heard the same thing) does not care either.

Rick

If it was me, I would get a set of ready made covers. If you do, let me suggest to find out who is really doing the covers (because most that sell kits do not make the covers themselves). Do not get covers made by PUI. I just tried to install a set from them on a 68 Charger. Horrible set of covers. We set them back and got a set from Legendary. Much better set of covers. I think Distinctive Covers are good also.  I do not know if SMS makes covers or not. If you do get covers, be sure to really look them over to make sure things are done properly and dry fit them first.

Hello. It is not stated to what extent of the interior needs to be done. If a complete interior, there is kits with ready made original covers and such that can be purchased. If just sections, yardage might be able to be purchased here - https://smsautofabrics.com/

Rick

Hello. Dealing with the cushion sections, a lot of time the cushions have a hinge on the front to be able to pull the cushion up to access storage and keep it in place. Then there is usually a pull strap at the back to pull up the cushion section. I have also seen heavy velcro used to hold a cushion section in place. As far as vinyl, myself, I am a proponent of Spradling Softside marine vinyls. If quilted pleated vinyl is to be used, then a matching plain vinyl in the same line would be used. Hope it works out for you..
Regards
Rick 

Hello Chris, Good for you that you got a backhoe and got after it. It is nice to do something new to break the norm. Talking about appreciating watching professional work equipment, I just watched for the past two days my son get after it on my property with a mini-excavator and a bob cat with several attachments. He is a foreman for a pipe laying crew for a large construction company in Tampa. He also is a professional operator for the large excavators and other large equipment.  To watch him manipulate that mini on taking down trees, digging holes, and I mean large ones to bury large piles of old construction material and clearing was rather eye-opening. Then take the bob cat and grade, lay a rock bed and clear with it. He had a construction sized dumpster delivered and it is now ¾ full. What is really nice is he likes to ride dirt bikes. He bush hogged a nice wide path around from the middle to the back of the property to build a track. With the big pile of dirt he had from the hole to bury the construction material, he built jumps (one having an old boat on the place, turning it upside down and using the v-hull as the base) and banked turns. Me? I just got me a beer and a cee-gar and enjoyed the man my son has become.

Rick

For me.. I am carrying on a tradition from my Dad.. Old Timer pocket knife

Regards..
Rick

A barber chair needs to be with a pool table

Mojo, thank you for the kind words. Chris and I have had quite a few conversations over the years on upholstery. In the 40+ years I have been doing the craft I have seen a lot. At this stage, I am getting more and more on picky and choosing my work. The main thing I target now is the marine soft upholstery. I have found that it is the least in aggravation and easiest to do.

65Buick, a couple of things about marine upholstery. After doing different aspects of the pure side of working a piece of material to accomplish a project - measuring, cutting, fitting, sewing, installation - things start to become relevant. When doing an upholstery project - I call it the theory of upholstery - if a car, furniture, boat, golf cart, etc. - if done properly it will fit - if that material is not fit, sewn and installed properly it won't. Some marine upholstery can be a challenge. Barrel bucket Captain's chairs and flat facings in seating sewn with multiple colors with curved seams sewn together to lay flat. Here in this part of Florida, we have pontoon boats and the large curved backrest for the couches can be another challenge.

The other aspect of marine upholstery is applying the proper materials and principals to deal with the outdoor elements. In Florida, exposed marine upholstery that is not taken care of will take a beating. Customers need to know to keep the upholstery clean and covered. I use what I consider the best marine vinyl's available and still they have their limits if not protected. Sun fading and dirt with heat and moister that promotes mildew. Time and time again, if I get an inquiry for a major boat upholstery project, I will ask them with the money they are investing do they have a way to protect the seating. A cover for the boat, under a canopy or in a garage. Something.
When doing marine upholstery, other proper materials need to be used, stainless steel staples, stainless steel hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, t-nuts). If wood is replace, proper treatment of wood to withstand water that will rot wood. Another aspect I address is water barriers on the foam and water extraction with mesh in the upholstery. If original foam is used, I treat it with a mold mildew killer.

In upholstery, what I have found is different aspects of upholstery projects carries their own nuances. Paul can deal with materials for a furniture piece that will not work in marine, autos or medical.

Another area I target is medical. It might not be as busy as marine, but it is ok. But, pay attention to the areas of concern with medical upholstery and address it to the customer. When I bring these things up with an office manager or doctor, they really appreciate it.

With a proper outlook, you can stay busy with customer pay's projects.

And Chris was right; I do not promote myself to marinas. For me, I am busy as it is and I don't like putting all my eggs in one basket. All it takes is a change in management and you can be asked for kickbacks or lose the account all together. And it is more difficult to pick and choose the projects. One would have to do what is required.

I hope it works out for you and if you need, call me anytime if you have questions. My phone number is on the contact page of my website.

Regards
Rick

Paul, if you ever want to try what Darren is talking about, ask Keystone about "K-Tex". I think it is about $10 yd. I use it for quite a few things..

Rick

This could be get interesting if it becomes available to the upholstery industry.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/this-lab-grown-leather-could-hit-retailers-next-year

Price, quality, non-waste, designs...

Rick

Hello. I do not so any sewing that involves the seam that has to blow open for an airbag to deploy properly. I have worked on seats that customers has taken out for me to put a new ready made set of covers on (Katzkin Covers) that had airbags in the backrest sections. The makers of the covers would be the ones with the liability (I would hope) on the seam working properly. I also do not unbolt or bolt back in seats out with airbags in them. I hear of a couple ways to make sure the bags don't deploy, but I don't need that possible grief. The issue of airbags, like Mojo said, is very, very touchy when it comes to liability. I can share this on how sensitive it is. My wife wanted a new Mazda SUV back 6yrs ago. It had cloth seats, so we inquired about having a new set of leather covers installed. The dealership said if we did, we would have to sign a waiver of liability for the airbags. They said the airbags might not work as efficiently as needed since the leather covers weighed more than the OEM cloth covers. WOW!!! If one wanted, a lawyer might be able to come up with a waiver of liability form for a customer to sign. For me, late model auto upholstery is something I don't need the grief from. Not only the airbag issue, but the mechanical side of it on how complex auto seating is becoming (our SUV has AC that blows up my butt through the seats). There is to much other types of upholstery to do...

Regards
Rick   

We should be ok as long as we are on the west side of it... it looks like it is inching closer to the west coast going up the state, so we may catch some strong winds. As far as the gulf, when it goes north of us, the winds will swing around to the sw and then some coastal flooding could happen. Mike may catch it worse than anyone on here. I am thankful I am not on the coast in the northeast part of it when it comes ashore. That ne part with the eyewall is not the place to be. I am hoping that if it does go up the spine of Florida, the land will work over the eye. What is something we can do while electricity is on, is watch the progress of the eye with the different weather radars. 

Stay safe...
Rick

Floyd, I think I understand your inquiry. As far as freight, I always try to incorporate the materials I stock with material orders for a particular job. That way the freight is charged out to the job and not to the materials for stock (this especially works with a flat rate delivery fee for freight). If not, then I would approach it this way. As an example, if I was ordering 10 yds of whatever for stock and it cost $5 yd and the freight was $15, then the cost for the stock item went from $5 yd to $6.50 yd to charge out. Now, where the spread sheets really kicked in is how to charge out the materials that can't be charged out per a unit. Example of these materials would be a 1lb cone of 92 poly thread. I do charge out SolarFix because they give measured amount information on the bottom of the cone (whether a promo cone, 8oz or 1lb) so the math can be done on a running yard of SolarFix sewn to the cost of the cone (with another important step needed to get the proper calculation cost). But, how to do this charge on a 1lb cone of poly? Or, how about chalk, or marking pencils, or cleaning fluids, or razor blades, or machine oil, ect, ect. So, what I did was categorized my materials in three different categories. The first category is materials specifically purchased for a job. The next category is materials that are stocked that can be charged out per a unit - sew foam, SS staples, snaps, embossed welt, ect. The the last category is the materials for stock that can't be charged out per unit - like the materials given before as examples. So, I take the total cost of all materials bought, then run percentages on the three different category's. What the numbers showed me is that the materials that I don't charge out per unit was 7% of the total materials cost. With that, when I give a estimate, I will fill in the spread sheet for the estimate and I have it set up that it will automatically add 7% to the material cost. Same thing done with the average amount of time I spend on the admin side of things for a job. I got that number and now I just plug that in the estimate at a particular rate per hour.

Hope this helps...
Regards
Rick