UPHOLSTERY, Upholstery 101 - Seat Covers

[oldcarmike]

Alright, I’m usually good for a few smart-assed answers here on the HAMB, but to assuage my guilt, I’m actually going to be constructive!!! (‘Bout damned time Mike…)

How about a tech piece on the fine art of upholstery? Great, let’s layout some parameters here. This is going to be a basic pleated seat for a ’38 (if I remember right) Ford truck. Nothing fancy, but I’m going to go through what it takes to cover a bare spring & frame set with padding, and finally a cover.

There are certainly different ways to go about covering any seat, but this is how I did this one. If your seat still has padding and a cover in place, keep them!! These will be invaluable for making patterns for the new cover. I was doing this seat job blind – the frame came to me bare and I didn’t have the truck for reference – but having your old cover and padding will help guide you.

TOOLS REQUIRED
You’ll need basic hand tools and few specialty items. I’ll point them out as we go along, but here’s a quick checklist:

* Scissors. Bigger is better here and a good set of professional shears (as we call them in the trade) are essential.
* Hog rings and hog ring pliers. Hog rings are steel clamps that affix the covers to the frames. (In case you’re wondering, they’re called hog rings because farmers would put on in the end of a hog’s snout to keep them from rooting around and tearing up the farmyard.)
* LONG metal straightedge, at least 36”, but I regularly use 60” and 72” ones. I don’t use wooden yardsticks because they warp and I use the straight edge to cut vinyl with a razor blade.
*Spit pencils or grease pencils. These are used for marking materials and the lines can be removed later with water or solvent.
*Pins. T-style or regular push pins will work.

Grab a bubbly beverage of your choice, sit back and follow along while we cover a seat. Let’s go!!