Technical The upholstery thread to end all threads

Sounds like a solid starting g point. Thanks for the tip, ty

 

So what is a standard size piping to buy? 5/32"? any particular place to buy pre-made?

 

My mom’s parents had something similar to that but it was used to put soles on shoes (footwear that is).


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Got my seat bottom done and back in. I've learned a couple of things, the hard way of course, that will make the next one nicer. But this is good enough to use and see if the dog eats it.

Problem one, I bought premade cording at the fabric store. Instead of the usual nylon tubing inside it just has foam, so it lacks the rigidity for a straight line. Probably made clothing, purses or whatnot.

Second, as I mentioned earlier, my machine only has the standard pressure foot (feet on both sides of the needle), which made it very difficult to keep the cording from slipping off of. What I needed, and later bought, was these 'zipper feet', left and right. So they do not bear down on the side of the seam with the cording (or zipper).

I matched the only remaining vestige of past upholstery that was in my heap when I got it, the door panels, which are in decent shape. Still needs headliner and carpet.

 

Hey, it looks good to me. How many guys can say they did their own interior?

 

Thanks Root. I figure I'm like most guys, learned mechanics as a teenager to keep stuff running, then picked up bodywork and paint to get them looking good. Interior needs were met with junkyard seats, parted out cars etc.. Only much later in my life, and by coming across a flea market sewing machine did I take any interest. And with only sporadic attempts the learning has been slow. It is rewarding though to know you did it yourself.

 

Anyone know what the standard size is for buttons on the pleated/tufted interiors? I ordered 1/2" and when they showed up, they look dinky. Now I am thinking 1" may be standard.

 

Size 22 is standard for automotive.

 

Did these buggy seats about 20 years ago. Size 22.

 

This is an 80 Kenworth I did a partial on. Mainly just cleaned up what was their. And redid a few of the panels. The buttons are size 30.

 

When my dad done the diamond button tuck interior in the touring car I rode 275,000 miles in the back seat of the buttons were about 1/2” diameter and in 1979 when he did it they looked perfect not to big and not too small I still have a piece of that interior for a pattern to use


Chrome don’t get ya home

 

Thanks!

 

I just came across this thread today. I’ve been upholstering for 50 plus years. Mostly automotive, but a little of everything. Sewed up my first headliner at 15 on my mother’s old Singer for my 57 Ford and have been hooked ever since. Do mostly my own stuff and a few close friends small projects now. Retirement is great! Will start on my project 49 Ranchero interior next week starting with the headliner from scratch.

Someone asked about cording earlier. I prefer 4/32” for auto trim. Most auto trim in the 60s and 70s used 3/32” to surround inserts and 4/32” around the outer surface. 3/32 is hard to find anymore. I consider 5/32” for furniture. I use the foam core welt cording and make it all. The extruded plastic cording works for marine upholstery, but kind of cheap looking in auto trimming. Even though the OEMs used it.

I have had a Consew 206RB-1 for about 30 years. Works great and still has a clutch motor on it. I’d switch to a servo motor in an instant if mine quit, but I can feather it down to one stitch at a time so I keep at it.

For those on FB check out the Hog Ring group. They also have a website. Great info and shows a lot of great work by some very talented people. Also check out the Upholstery social group on here. Although it isn’t too active anymore there is lots of great info in some of the early threads.

Here’s a thread on making door trim panels I did on the Suedes site a few years ago...

http://www.suedescarclub.com/smf/index.php?topic=1403.0

This is a great thread...I’ll keep watching.

Jake

 

Thanks for chiming in Jake. We have a few experts on this thread, but there is always room for more. We have a lot of questions and I think sometimes we are wearing out our resident experts.

 

Not sure if this is the right thread to ask this, but I am putting in a more modern rear seat. The seat bottom is held in place with the loops and slides into clips on the floor. What have you guys used to hold these seat bottoms in place?

 

Used "fat" pins like on earlier cars and made and attached a receptacle to the front edge of the seat bottom. They sell repop Model A lugs; but easy to fab something to your own needs. Kinda like in the pictures but different.

 

I use the hood pins like what`s used on drag car hoods. Comes with nuts and big washers as well. And they are chrome.

 

Is there a standard stitch length used on vinyl upholstery?

 

For sewing pieces together I use 5 stitches per inch. For quilting in 1/2” foam 3 stitches per inch. As I get more thickness as in 4 or so thicknesses I make adjustments to try keep it about 5 per inch. The strength in vinyl is in the backing. Too short of a stitch weakens the vinyl. Extremely small stitches will cause vinyl to tear.

 

@stanlow69
a lot on here would benefit from some one taking videos of you working and explaining what you are doing as you go about your work. - (you know - a picture is worth a thousand words type of thing).

Many thanks for all your input for this thread.
.

 

So what welting foot would you use with 4/32" cord?
Oh and what's up with not reducing the fractions down to 1/8"? Just curious.

 

Probably to be consistent, all sizes would be graded in x/32". Like sensible systems such as metric usually works.

 

I would say G-son is probably correct on the fractions.

I have a 1/4” welting foot on my machine for all sewing except windlace and sewing around the edge of visors. I have a windlace foot for that and some altered plain feet for visors. I keep the 1/4” welt foot on for all flat, quilting and all around sewing. Works fine for all sizes of regular welting.

 

Thanks. I have a 1/8" and a 1/4", so it sounds like I am ok.

 

For being 51, I am not a tech guy. I still have a land line and only use my flip phone when out of town. And a big thanks for @jakesbackyard for chiming in. I know what I use but can`t rattle off the fractional dimension of items. I just know what works and looks good. I always sucked at math. I blame it on not being able to hear to good and finally getting hearing aids at the age of 34. I think I`m learning more on this thread than you guys. A space pen and servo motors. On a different note, the servo got me thinking. Can you put a two directional electric motor(or another option) on an industrial sewing machine with out costing a fortune. I have an old long arm with out reverse. I have a speed controller($20) on my router. Still think it would work on a sewing machine a lot cheaper than swapping the motor with a servo.

 

So, when doing tuck and roll, what do you use for an underlayment foam? 1/8 closed cell? I have ABS panels and was going to glue the 1/8" to that.

I have the muslin fabric for the actual backing of the vinyl. I need to order some, but I wanna make sure I don't end up with a bunch of crap I don't need.

 

Here’s another diy for you...except I pretty much use the pink backed sew foam now in 1/2” and 1/4”. It’s a backed foam available from most suppliers.

http://www.suedescarclub.com/smf/index.php?topic=1714.0

If attaching to abs use adhesive.

 

A reversible motor won't give you a machine that will sew in reverse. The motions of the needle and hook have to remain the same while the feed motion is reversed. Home type machines had reverse at least 60-70 years ago as all that was required was to reverse the motion of the feed dogs. Things get a lot more complicated on a compound walking foot where the needle feed, the feed dogs, and the presser foot all have to reverse while the actual sewing motions that make the knots remain the same.

The cheap speed controls are made to work with brush type motors as are common in handheld power tools. Home sewing machines with the motor mounted on the machine also use brush type motors which is why they can use the cheap little foot pedal control for variable speed. Commercial machines with a clutch use induction motors, and that type motor won't work with a speed control made for brush type motors.

 

Muncher..thanks for that explanation. I have an old singer industrial without reverse, a great machine. I was curious if it could be added. Now I know.

 

You never know until you ask.