Anyone know of a good supplier that carrys Metal Flake Vinyl ???? I need to order several yards to do two different cars.
Contact "Stitch" @ 847-309-4634. He is one of the VooDoo Kings and can get just about every color ever made. I'm looking at a sample chart right now with 12 different colors on it
Naugahyde.com is the manufacturer, they have pics on their site, but they only sell through dealers like Burch: http://www.burchfabrics.com/default.htm Another source, i found them on ebay: http://www.yourautotrim.com/zoglvi.html
I found it for less than half of what Zodiac by Naugahyde costs. Same colors, same quality, just a different name. I used it to upholster my '34 and it is nice stuff. If any interest let me know and I'll give up the info. I'd give it up now but am on the wrong puter.
We use it a lot and sell it. There is a difference between Automotive Grade and Marine Grade.....which we use both of depending on the project. The Marine grade is MUCH more fade resistant. Zodiac is Marine Grade. There are many automotive grades by different names that mostly come from the same manufacturer but are branded differently through different distributors. The Automotive stuff looks fantastic, even better in some colors than the Marine I think, BUT is more hit or miss in regards to durability. We've done some experiments with them to see how they fade. In a roadster, on a motorcycle seat, and in a car that's in direct sunlight a lot, the marine grade is a safer bet. The sun here in Texas is pretty intense. we had one sample of blue metal flake automotive vinyl that faded to silver in 2-3 weeks of being outside. I mean no blue left, silver. They won't warranty it either. If it's not going to see a lot of DIRECT sunlight, you should be fine either way. That is a reason the marine grade Zodiac is more expensive.
John, check it out, it's called Sparkel (that's the way it's spelled). It is labeled as marine vinyl and is handled by Interior Mall, Inc., 2103 Fort St., Barling, Ar., 1-800-590-5844, www.interiormall.com. I got samples of it to compare with Zodiac before I bought it and it sure looks of the same quality to me and was $16 and change per yard.
Good info, thanks. Thats what happened to the red vinyl I got. A few weeks in the sun, and the red faded to an orange color and the flake turned silver. I probably had automotive instead of the marine grade.
Outlaw52, Do you know what brand the one you used was? The one that faded the worst for us I think was called "Glitter". Some batches don't fade as quickly or as bad as others.....perhaps something to do with the amount of UV coating they put on it.
If you have a Hancock Fabric store around you they have the marine grade vinyl for about $7 a yard (50% off). The last time I was there they had green, gold, and red and I bought all of the gold they had for my 51 Fords inserts. It is not as hard to come by as you would think.
I had mine done by jimmy at Three r's in greenville SC and the first thing he warned of(even though its marine grade was fading) He recommends a clear layer of uv window tint on your windows to help with any fading. I havent had a chance to get mine done yet so I hide it in our basement lol.
Joyo- Thats awesome information, I would have never thought about it. Good thing I leave that stuff to Sean!!!
Naughahyde vinyl is the stuff you want. It's not cheap, but extremely durable. What color you need? I've got a roll of chracoal gray. I could cut off a few yards for ya. Acrochicken- Let's see some more shots of this bitchin' van!
Checked Hancock Fabrics because they were local, they don't carry it any more. Guess I will have to order it online. Thanks for all the info.........
No problemo.....and just to make sure I was clear, they ALL fade over time with exposure to sunlight.....just like anything I suppose. The UV on the windows is a good idea. With the right marine stuff in most applications it will be fine.