Guys - I'm working on the door upholstery on my '54 Kaiser and in the process of re-doing the arm rests. Using vinyl, I'll have to use an adhesive to hold the material in, while dropping the top part back into the plastic shell, since it all has to be tucked in and tight enough to look right. What would you recommend? Friends have suggested Gorilla Glue.
HRP is right on the money, I did armrest over the summer as you described. I used the 3M heavy duty spray from one of the crafty stores. Worked great, spray both pieces then let them sit for a bit, you may need a heat gun or blow dryer to move the vinyl, start in the center and work out, take your time and I'm sure they will look great! KK
Yup that's what upholsters always recommend. Spray adhesive can sometimes let go if the interior of the car gets too hot. Every upholster I have ever talked to about adhesives say that the spray ones are use at your own risk.
My pal Dave uses the 3M adhesive on a lot of small parts when he doesn't want to clean his spray gun. Most of us don't need a 5 gallon bucket of adhesive or have a spray gun dedicated for spraying glue,especially for a small job. Dave does a lot of interiors and to my knowledge doesn't ever have a problem. HRP
Just make certain to use the FLAMMABLE product, and heed the warnings on the label. It comes in containers as small as a pint, so it's much less expensive than the aerosol stuff.
Apply it to both the back of the vinyl and to the metal. Wait until it is tacky, not wet, not dried. Once tacky and you go to put the two together, get it right the FIRST TIME, because there usually isn't a second chance,lol.
You can buy it in small pint sizes to 5 gallons, and use a BRUSH. The 3m aerosol can come apart in extreme heat. Not uncommon for us to have a few days here every summer over 120 degrees and the landau glue holds up on panels where the 3m comes apart.
Yeah,I suppose the temperatures are considerably warmer in Arizona than here in South Carolina during the summer. HRP
I used contact cement for my rubber seals on my AD. I bought it at Home Depot and it's in a old fashioned brown glass jar.
But it's a dry heat. Of course when a chrome seat belt buckle touches your leg, a scar is a scar. I'm sure the 3m will work on most stuff, but extremes test product's limits.
This stuff won't stand up to the temperatures generated inside a closed car in summer, not the unheated garage in winter. Use the Weldwood contact adhesive in the blue can stuff.
This stuff is the bees' knees. I brushed it on, it holds great. I divided it into glass quart jars and, after a couple of years, at least one of the jars is still good. You can get it here: http://www.yourautotrim.com/noname37.html. It's under $30.00, plus shipping and you can usually find a discount code-15% right now. You may not need a gallon, but, honestly, you're really going to save $10-15 bucks by buying spray cans and then have it come apart on you? Who wants to redo any part of an upholstery job for $15.00? Do it right, do it once.
Yes, there is a large difference between spray and roller grade contact cement. Spray grade will be much thinner to make spraying easier. I would not try thinning roller grade.
I've been using 3M rattle can for close to 20 years. 77 is a fine spray with medium hold. (Great for most fabrics, where you don't want glue to come through). 90 is a spatter spray with more aggressive hold. (I'd use this for vinyl to metal contact). Walmart has the best price around here, Homer Depot about $1 more per can.
I go threw 10 of these 5 gallon pails a year. The Weldwood cement will work, but not quite as good as the adhesive. It is a little more runny. Takes longer to set up. Your upholsterer is your friend. He will sell you some. Why does everybody have to buy stuff on-line. The contact cement is available at every hardware store and lumberyard.
The two upholsterers I know of in the area are crabby, slow and expensive. They are not amenable to small jobs. I'd rather buy fresh stuff and be sure of the delivery. We are talking $30. here people. 3M 90 spray lists for $12.99 at Home Depot so you'd get 2 cans or 35 ounces for basically $26, or a gallon of Weldwood for 4 dollars more. Guess, as with everything in hot rodding, it's your choice.
I, by no means, meant to imply that that are. Just explaining why, in my neighborhood, I am buying this stuff online.
The pails I buy have a hazardous materials logo on them. My salesman hides them in his truck incase he were ever was to get pulled over by the DOT. U-Pull-It wouldn`t even take the empty can full of scrap-metal. Because of the logo. I just paint the cans now. Because of the logo, they are expensive to ship.
The Jalopy Journal
