Messages

Chris,

I bought some of that material from Rochford to try for a motorcycle a few months ago but haven't tried it yet.  I was going to just use it with no material on top.  It looks like a car cover that I used to have to cover my '66 Mustang Conv.  I hadn't really thought about a top material, since I was thinking about packing the cover to use on trips (taking up too much space).  I was thinking about for my Ural with the sidecar, but guess it would work on a two wheeler too.  I don't usually cover my Road King on trips, but it'd be nice not to have to wipe off the dew in the mornings.  I may make a small cover just for the seats and windshield.

That's a first to me Mike.  Did it get fixed?

You guys are killing me! :P

I think we should start a competition for who can come up with the best coffee holder/set-up and post pictures of it.

Gene, I like your oil pan/coffee cup idea.  The oil is basically just mineral oil so it should give your digestive tract a nice little boost!

Thanks guys... :D and gals!

OK, let me answer some of your responses.  First off, sounds like I need to get another stapler for marine and/or plastic seats....Suggestions?  But, my pressure is around 80 psi and is shooting them all the way in.  I actually had a problem with too much pressure causing the staples too cut through the vinyl on another job, so I dialed it down a bit.

June, the staple you're looking at in the picture is one I wanted you to see for comparison.  They had used that bigger staple in some stress areas and only when they were stapling through the vinyl AND the welt cord.  Basically it was just where they were putting a little more strain pulling on the welt and needed extra hold.  Not sure, cause I've thrown them away, but I think the other staples were about the same size as the ones I'm using now.  You are definitely correct on them being bigger.  I was hoping that I could get away with just using extra staples in the stress points.

After, reading what you said about not pulling too tight, I think part of my problem may be technique.  I was pulling pretty tight to make sure that the back was pulling any wrinkles out.  I'll try it without as much pulling.  I didn't think about the bottom holding it down.

OK, now one more question.  This seat has slots molded in the bottom for the bolts to hold it down.  I didn't remove the seat from the boat, so I'm thinking that the way the bottom is made will allow you to pull it up from the back in order to access the bolts.  Is that right?

this is the bottom side of the seat bottom.  It had a piece of plastic stapled to it so the you could grab it and pull it up to access the bolts...I think.  Is that right?


It also had strips of vinyl sewed to the bottom so it could be pulled throught the slots and stapled to the bottom.




I was working on this late last night, and when it wasn't working right I just decided to post my questions on here before going to bed.  Ya'll have saved me again....THANKS! ;D  I'm going to go try it again.

Just an after thought.  I have a larger staple gun that I use for woodworking.  I know I don't have any SS staples for it and not sure if I can get SS in that size, but I wonder if I used some of those bigger staples for the initial hold and then followed up with the SS in the smaller size??  Would that be OK, or should I just stick with the 3/8" stainless I have?

Thanks a bunch for the help.

OK guys, I wanted to report back on this and also ask for some more help.

Right now I'm doing just the one seat that was damaged, but I feel certain that he's going to want the others done when I finish with this one.

Here's the problem I've got.  I finished sewing everything together and started to staple it down and my staples aren't holding! ???

I'm using a BEA stapler with SS staples 3/8 crown and 3/8 length.  I thought that the staples I pulled out of it were the same size, but mine don't seem to want to stay put.  What do I need to do?  Do I need a larger stapler or just longer staples? 

These are hard plastic seats.







These are pics I took as I tore it down.

You can see in these pics the area that's giving me trouble, (Well, it's where I started)  Don't know if you can tell the size of the original staples or not, but there was a couple of areas that were a larger size.  The staples close to the staple puller were a larger gauge and longer.  They were only in a couple of high stress areas.

I think most of the them were the size I have now....but not sure.  What do you guys recommend?

HH-66 is actually a vinyl adhesive that melts the vinyl. The vinyl needs to be fairly new also.
A marina I know just tried to patch some tarps over covered slips and they didn't hold because
the material was to old. Brushing HH-66 on Sunbrella or canvas will show up pretty and make
a nice top look terrible.

For sealing seams in Sunbrella, dip a foam paintbrush in 303 Fabric Guard and apply liberally.
Works great! Plus, it coats the thread with UV protection.

That's good to know.  I know it's been discussed on here in the past about having problems with seams leaking. 

I don't do marine tops, but thought the link would help.  Good to know that the 303 will work better.

Here's one.  I've bought marine vinyl from them in the past.  Don't know if they ship overseas.

  http://www.yourautotrim.com/plsucl.html

June

June,

Do you know of anyone that sells thick felt?  Like 1/2, 3/4, or 1" thick?

There are times when I thought a job was absolutely great and the customer nit-picked something that actually made the top stronger. Other times when I thought maybe I could have done something to make the canvas lay just a little better the customer thought the job was perfect. You just never know.

It's cases like this that make me want me to add the following to estimates.

"We promise to perform the described for the price stated. Fit and finish will be comparable or exceed the canvas articles currently intalled on the vessel and the neighboring boats in the marina. However, perfection is in the eye of the beholder. If you desire a perfect job, then services will be billed at $XXXXX/hour in 1/4 hour increments for all time dedicated to these services including but not limited to travel/conference/design/procurement/production/installation until it is perfect in your eyes"

It's funny how differently two people can see the same thing!

I've been keeping an eye on him.  I was thinking that maybe he just didn't have good English??  I just sent him a private message welcoming him to the board and asked a couple of general questions.  If I don't hear back from him....he's outta here!

Rich, that looks GREAT buddy!

I'm working on my first boat seat now.  Hopefully I'll post some pics in the next few days.  This seat has 20 pieces to sew together! :o  This is my first puzzle! ;D

I patterned it and added 1/2" seam allowance like I normally do and it just wasn't fitting together right.  They had used a 3/8 seam allowance.  I know that shouldn't have made a difference, but I wound up just taking the old cover apart and using it for a pattern using the 3/8 selvage.  It's going together pretty good now.  Hopefully it will turn out as good as yours!

BTW, they used 1/4" scrim on the bottom and back, and 1/2" scrim on the sides.  Since I don't have any 1/4", I'm going to use 1/2" all over.  Hope it looks OK.  I think it should just make it a little fuller looking.

I am working on recovering furniture. The machine was given to me for this purpose for the college. I just don't know what it can do yet. I had it "kinda serviced"  now I have a big project and no prewound bobbins in the right size, weight.  Been searching the web. Working with only two bobbins now, tension is all wrong every time I try to work with it.  :(
Thanks for the information on the machine.

Gregg; Thanks for letting me know what it will or will not do.

Upstate;Tthanks for the down load on the manual, nice to know there are willing to help people out there.

Just wanted to give you a heads up...You can trust Greggs advice on machines, he won't steer you wrong!  I bought my machine from him.  If you are trying to do upholstery without a compound feed, you are going to constantly fight to get even marginal results.  I got rid of one similar for that very reason.

Even if you got your machine for FREE, it makes no difference if it's not designed to do upholstery work.  If you want something that will work and do you a good job, call Gregg.  Sell your machine and get a reconditioned or new machine from him that will do what you want.

I know this is probably not what you were wanting to hear, but you'll pull your hair out trying to upholster without a compound feed, especially if you're just getting started.

Just my 2 cents, YMMV.

I just saw a video that Sailrite has on YouTube where they use HH66 to seal a seam and make it waterproof.  They're doing it on a vinyl coated truck tarp type material, but I wonder wouldn't it work on canvas or sunbrella type material too??

Watch the video and tll me what you think.  I know several of you have had problems in the past with sunbrella boat covers leaking.  Maybe this is the answer?

Hope it helps someone. ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdQ-_fvyEY

Thanks to everybody for the advice.  I knew I could get some guidance here! ;D

Well, I see the problems you're pointing out and I definitely don't want to underbid the job and wind up eating it!  Looks like Mike and June are a good ways apart on price....Mike about $750 and June about twice that much.  So, I'm thinking maybe somewhere in between??

Before I give any quote, I'm going to try a couple of local shops too.  I know how much prices can vary by region.

I'd love to give this job a go, just for the practice, but I don't want to get into it and like June said happened to her, have it bite me in the butt by underbidding.

June, I see exactly what you're talking about with the foam sticking out around the edges on the seat bottom.  I would never have even thought twice about the foam being attached to the vinyl! ???  If I'm understanding you correctly, you're thinking that when I pull the covers that all of the foam will come off with them?  Would that mean that I'll need to replace all of the foam?  These seemed thicker than just having sew foam on them.  I haven't taken one apart, but it looks like that's what I'll have to do to be sure.  I think the flip up pedestal fishing seats are the thinner sew foam like you said.  I can see in the picture where the cover snaps on, in order to remove it....I guess for cleaning or replacing??

Mike, if I'm understanding you correctly, the price you gave was only doing the vinyl work and didn't include replacing any foam or wood?

I'm sorry to say that I didn't look at the pedestal seats close enough because originally he was only thinking about replacing the rotted wood on the bottom of the driver's seat....until the wind blew it out and scuffed up the vinyl.

Just a couple more questions.  What would you guys guess, or how should I figure how many yards of vinyl to order?  I'm thinking about a yard of the tan color, about a yard of the grey, and about a 1/2 yard of the red per seat.  Would that put me close, then add a couple yards of each...just in case?

Mike, I see you only use Seabrook.  What is the reason?

June, do you have a preference on vinyl?

Oh well, I'm not going to underprice this because I feel sorry for his mistake....then it would become my mistake!

Thanks again.  I'll keep you guys posted and hopefully I'll be posting some pics in the "Green" Room and not in the "JUNK" Room! :-[

One technique that is supposed to help is when you walk into the shop, before  starting work, put 10 things away.

_{Or so I'm told.}

I seem to get too many things going at once, and without a big shop to work in, things get cluttered quick! :o  I gotta build me a shop! ;D

Problem is, when I started back to work I'd have to move 20 things to get to the 10 I just put away! :'(

Hey Bobby:

    It's been said before but new member:yuanyu50222  has left a "cleanup on aisle five".

Yeah, that mess has already been mopped up! 8)