If you are not mass producing or selling the item as a factory "knock off", I would not worry about litigation. In fact, this is the information I got from a GM as well as Ford factory rep. back in the early 2000's in regards to repairing/replacing leather panels in late model vehicles.

Sewing through ABS is not much different than sewing through panelboard. Proper setup of the machine and needle is an obvious must. A warmer plastic sews better than if it's cold. Good luck!!

Mike, would you mind sending me an email address that we could send information to you? You can send it directly to me at cmcdonaldatwyotechdotedu .Thanks!

I will make sure your info is put in our data base of employers.

I am an instructor at WyoTech and can tell you that I can't train them fast enough. The students with talent have jobs before they graduate and we have several larger shops that come to our career fairs to recruit. We will be adding another 10 seats to our class size by this fall or winter however. Good luck!

Pricing has been difficult for many trimmers as there is no real guide to follow. I can say that some of our work is priced by the hour, based on the local market. Some of our work is priced by our expertise as in no one else can do the job. I would suggest for some of the simpler jobs, such as the cushion in the photo, base it on the time it would take a journeyman to do and base the hourly rate on what Auto dealers in your area charge in their service department. Mark up the material 100% and see if it is worth doing. I would charge about $250 for this here in Wyoming.

Hey Rusty, there are several ways to attach armrests. They design of the panel and door typically dictate limitations. Things like inter-locking plates attached to the door and back of panel/armrest or an L type bracket with screws placed through the hand grab areas are a couple of common applications. Another method I like is to make the insert area separate, add a couple of screws through that area and then install the insert over the top, using neo magnet to secure the insert. Getting creative is part of the fun of doing this type of work.

You have directions in the book Russ, we call it channeling. These guys show good examples.

Good deal Buddy,
I hate some of those "aftermarket" feet.

Did you ever get this problem resolved? I tend not to visit this site very often, was just browsing through this morning and saw your post.

It can, especially if it gets wet. Try using a bit of baking soda and give the material a little cleaning with it, that usually kills the acid.

Nice!

Just a little project from the students here at WyoTech Laramie they did a while back.

I used waterproof stickers for years inside of door jams and bottom of bike seats. They were peel and stick and there was a space to date the job along with the logo and shop info. Relatively inexpensive and discreet. I am personally not a fan of tags or other elements taking away from the clean lines of a nice job.

I can really appreciate the time and effort put into this project. Not a big fan of the frilly effect but nice job overall!

Thanks Nadeem, I've been missing the inside scoop about our profession that used to be had through print (Auto Trim News) but I have really enjoyed this site since you brought it online. As an Instructor, I don't get to be involved in the day to day of dealing with trim shop issues so this gives me a chance to stay up to date with some of the issues fellow trimmers run across so that I can share them with students. Thanks again!