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This guy wants a Bimini top. What do you think?

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/fcboat1-550x368.jpg

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/fcboat2-550x366.jpg

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/fcboat3-550x409.jpg

It's Friday.

gene

Almost Friday or almost funny?

I can't believe you can drive in Canada without wearing a seat belt!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ueg7Q7hO7U

Gene

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/Wing%20bakc%20chair%201-10/jzz8d3.jpg

Does your bed irritate you? Are you unable to get a good nights' sleep because the mattress is old and worn, or because there are busted springs? Does your bed bug you?

Just joking!!!

This thread is actually about the Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, the insect we call a bed bug.

Bed bugs are in the news a lot today. Unfortunately, it is difficult to know if there is an actual increase in their numbers and locations, or if it is just another manufactured issue by our Federal Government trying to increase jobs and alarm the peoples. I won't be surprised if there is a new tax coming down the pike on bed related items to help fight this dreaded plague.

Anyway, I do not have a problem with them and I do not know anyone personally who has. Everyone seems to know about someone who knows someone... I have not had any customers inquire about it.

However, because it is in the news so much, I have been wondering:

1. Anyone use Sterifab or other product?

2. Anyone use Sterifab or other products on a regular basis?

3. Do you spray your shop to kill bed bugs? Before or after every job? Once a week? etc.

4. Do you offer a service of killing bed bugs by wrapping furniture in a plastic bag, spraying, and allowing it to sit for a prescribed length of time?

5. Do you use your spraying as a selling point to customers? With bed bugs in the news, I'm wondering if it would be a good selling point to let customers know that my shop is a bed bug free zone?

I hope that my initial attempt at humor, and this topic in general, does not bug anyone.

Thank you,

Gene

A family member gave me an old boat seat cushion to fix. The foam has turned to black powder. The cushion was made by sewing the top panel to the boxing with welt cord. Welt cord was then sewn around the bottom of the boxing. The foam was put inside the cover, then a piece of wood, or something, was put on the bottom of the foam, inside the cover, The bottom welt cord was stapled to this board that was inside the cover.

I have no idea what this material could be. It is no longer there, or it turned to powder also.

I'm going to put new foam in the cover and just stitch the thing closed without the staples. I am just interested in knowing what that material might have been. I certainly have not seen this technique in furniture upholstery before.

The foam and whatever the board was that was stapled into is all black powder, so I didn't think that a picture would be of help.

Thank you,

Gene

Now that we have 51 percent of Americans paying zero taxes, (and most of them still get money back on their tax returns), we certainly have no need to get rid of Labor Day. But, do you think they will be changing the name to something else?

How about "tax day". We will be getting the largest tax increase in our history in a few months.

Gene

A homeowner buys an expensive sofa. The fabric frays within a year. It is defective. The store calls the manufacturer and the manufacturer wants an upholstery estimate.

The store calls you and asks you to work directly with the manufacturer. You sent your estimate to the manufacturer. They say the work is approved and you will be getting the fabric.

You told the manufacturer that you need 1/2 of the estimate before you pick up and reupholster the sofa. You need the final amount paid before you deliver the sofa.

You get the fabric but no check for the 1/2 deposit.

You refuse to pick up the furniture until you get the deposit.

It seems that the manufacturer is hoping that pressure from the store will get you to do the job, then you can wrestle with the manufacturer to get paid.

When you do the job, the homeowner is happy, the store is happy, the manufacturer is happy, but you, who had nothing to do with this problem in the first place, are unhappy because you did all the work to make everyone happy and you have not been paid.

Have anyone else had these kinds of situations?

I am not going to pick up the furniture until I get a deposit check, and I will not deliver until I get paid in full. Does this sound OK to you? Am I being too unrealistic in dealing directly with a manufacturer? Am I being too strict - cutting off my nose to spite my face? I do not want to damage my relationship with the store, but I guess more than that, I do not want to reupholster a sofa and then have to wait and wait and fight and fight to get paid.

Thank you for your replys.

Gene

NO!!! I'm not talking about the female equivalent to the 'couch potato'.

I cannot find the web site, but, there is a web site that sells bags of different sizes to move furniture.

The bags have a big zipper and many handles on the outside. You set the bag on the floor, unzipped. Put the sofa or chair on top of the bag. Zip the bag up enclosing the furniture. Then you grab which ever handles are most convenient for you to use.

Does anyone know if these are sold here in the good ol' USofA?

What type of material would I use if I make these for myself? It would need to be tear proof and not scuff any wood frames.

I love the fact that you do not need to extend your arms when you carry furniture with these bags. You can tilt the sofa 120 degrees, or 33 degrees if you want, in order to get it out the door, much easier than with your arms stretched out and the cushions falling all over the place.

Thank you,

Gene

Hello,
I have a friend who has a friend who has a friend who has a neighbor who knows someone who owns a Cambria VW convertible.

There is a seam over the back most rod that is coming apart. It appears that it was glued. I didn't know that they glued convertible tops.

Is there an adhesive that is available for the do-it-your self, not me, -er that can repair this seam failure?

Thank you,

Gene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXNJ3aIV5Uk

Check out this video. At 5' 20" he shows pictures of how he makes his own buttons. I can only imagine how long this takes. Does anyone else make their buttons this way?

He cuts out round metal discs, drills two holes in them to put the pull through string, then glues a backer board on, then glues the fabric on to that, then stitches around the fabric so he can pull it closed around the bottom side of the button.

Fascinating, but wow do I appreciate my button press!

Thanks,

Gene



Thanks,

Gene

Howdy,

I know it's not Friday, but: I am tired, I am relaxed, I have Mr. Carlos Santana playing, 'Europa' at this point in time. Is that not an awesome song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MRE2K3x-AY

Gene

Hello,

What's the best was to seal a cut in a vinyl jet ski seat? The previous owner put a piece of tape over the tear and stapled around the tape.

Is this a 'do it yourself' project or does a pro need to do it to get it done correctly?

Thank you,

Gene

All of a sudden I was unable to upload anything to other web sites, including photobucket.

I just updated firefox and java and there are no more problems.

Gene

I'm making one of these for my shop.

Gene

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/259.jpg

I have never done a boat cover. This guy wants me to do one for him. I told him he doesn't have a leg to stand on. I said how about we table this idea until the winter when I can have more time to figure out what I need to do.

It's interesting. I was always told that sticking gum on the bottom of a table is rude. For this guy, it could actually save his life.

All he needs to do is buy a sticker and get a life jacket and he will be Coast Guard approved!

Gene


http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/111.jpg

I know. I should be at work but I've got soooo many things to do here at home!


The teacher gave her fifth grade class an assignment:

Get their Parents to tell them a story with a moral at the
end of it.

The next day, the kids came back and, one by one, began to
tell their stories. There were all the regular types of stuff:
spilled milk and pennies saved. But then the teacher realized,
much to her dismay, that only Skip was left.

"Skip, do you have a story to share?"

Yes ma'am. My daddy told a story about my Aunt Karen . She
was a pilot in Desert Storm, and her plane got hit. She had
to bailout over enemy territory, and all she had was a flask
of whiskey, a pistol, and a survival knife.

She drank the whiskey on the way down so the bottle wouldn't
break, and then her parachute landed her right in the
middle of 20 Iraqi troops.

She shot 15 of them with the pistol, until she ran
out of bullets, killed four more with the knife, till the blade
broke, and then she killed the last Iraqi with her bare hands.

"Good Heavens," said the horrified teacher. "What kind of
moral did your daddy tell you from this horrible story?"

"Stay the hell away from Aunt Karen when she's been drinking."

Do you think an upholsterer owns this farm?

Gene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSBHpJmjk9k&feature=PlayList&p=8A9EA106DA825A92&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=79

I do my Estimates with Quick Books. I either print out my Estimates or email them to my customers.

When I need to make changes to an existing Estimate, I make the changes on the same Estimate with a note at the bottom saying "Revised 7-13-10".

For example, I quote a sofa, and then I add two club chairs to the original Estimate.

Is this the way you do it? Or, is it better to provide a totally new Estimate.

Thank you,

Gene

Anyone do upholstered mirrors? I saw some on the net recently and it looks like something interior designers may be interested in, especially if I make custom sized and shaped frames.

Anyone do anything like this? Any insights into what has worked and what has not and what works better than something else?

Thank you,

Gene

OK. So it's not Friday.

Upholstery is all about details, details, details.

Here's a test to see how detail oriented you are. I'll post my guess on Friday.

Gene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSQJP40PcGI