I always sew mine. If glued it can cause some unwanted wrinkles. Especially if you are using a foam glue like Du-bois 301 foam glue, or misty foam glue. These adhesives do not harden so they are good for gluing foam to foam without getting a hard glue line that can be felt under a cover. This type of glue can be separated with heat (At least the stuff I have used). If you use this for sew foam then it can possibly separate and re-stick causing some nasty lumps.

Think of panels you cover, you float your material on some parts, and glue solid on others. In some areas the material needs to move independent from the sub straight and other times that would be a hindrance. In reality gluing sew-foam would be fine for some parts but not others. I just sew mine to lessen the confusion.

We have all seen the factory stuff that is foam backed (like foam back headlining) That is not actually glued it's flame bonded. A process where a large machine has a flame bar. The material is passed under the bar and the foam on top (or vice versa) then it is sandwiched between rollers immediately after. The flame slightly melts the foam permanently adhering to the material. This method can still cause wrinkles depending on the flexibility of the foam. flame bonding

I'm using a Mitsubishi LU2 4710. It's really more of a factory or production sewing machine, but man this thing is awesome. Servo motor with needle position sensor, auto back-tack, auto thread cutter, auto foot lift, adjustable walking height, etc! I bought it used for around 2K. the new ones are really expensive.

If your are looking to replace your main machine, I would definitely look into a servo computer controlled machine. Though maybe not the Mitsu. its an awesome machine but the manuals are poorly translated, parts are pricey and a bit harder to find. There are plenty of manufactures making these machines. Although you will pay for the quality of a production machine, they are made to run all day year round. In my 7 years with my machine the only part I've ever replaced is my feed dog, and it was probably a 10 year old machine when I bought it.

For an additional machine the double needle long arm would be an awesome addition. I would love to ad one of those to my arsenal as well as a double needle post bed for french stitching. Personalty I would go for the post bed first. Though the flat bed would have cut my time in half sewing a full yard of 2.5" double stitch diamonds yesterday.

I'f you have been thinking about the double for a while now I would go for it. You probibly find yourself saying the same thing as Naseem

i wish i had done it years ago — Naseem Muaddi

If your interested in computer servo stuff I made a vid for the previous forum to show some of the functions Computer, servo machine

I made a piping/ welt cord jig. I just got so sick of making them by hand. It took a while to get adjusted the way I wanted but it works pretty good. Then I googled piping folder and found a bunch I could have just purchased on line. Should have asked that google guy first...>:)







https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BytCpiMoF584UWtyenVoVFhPcVk/view?usp=sharing

when I worked in aviation we used 3m PB912 (i think), Keyston bros landau adhesive, and the dap weldwood landau. From what I remember there are no regs. on what glue is used for interior soft parts.

I'm thinkin a pool table, dart board, hot tub, flat screen on the wall, and a small bar in the corner. Hell I'd never leave the shop! (Y)

Hey Chad. I was in a similar situation. Though I'm in a larger area, and I got fired from my job in aviation. I'm not a good employee.
After being let go it took me a while to build up a customer base. What really helped me keep the doors open was fitness equipment. Weight bench pads. Luckily for me there is a small manufacturer in my home town and I now do all of the upholstery for that manufacturer. That is what paid the bills while I built up a customer base in cars.
I guess what I'm saying is check out any local gyms this equipment is used and abused. Or any place that has fitness equipment, the local YMCA or High Schools. There will always be a need to re upholster the pads.
Restaurants, School buses, or construction equipment, basically anything that gets rough treatment.
A lady I worked with years ago started making horse blankets or covers (I'm not really sure. I know nothing about horses) she made pretty good money just doing that part time

I rob hinges out of the junk yard. Piano hinges work well in many situations, but with a little fab work its fairly easy to modify newer auto parts to work really well in old cars. If the hinge is hidden than anything will work, just head to the hardware store. the options are abundant.

The nice thing about getting hinges from the junk yard is many of them are sprung, or have really nice hidden designs. Just take an hour or two and head to the junk yard and check out center councils, seats, door handles, rear seat armrests (people love those in their 50's pickups). The designers and engineers for major auto company's have already designed awesome, functional parts for the same uses that we need them for. Ya just need to modify it a bit to make it work for you!

I just pulled a rear seat out of an Audi today. The flip down armrest in the backrest has a compartment like a center council with really nice cup holders. The seat cushion has hidden pop out cup holders that would work awesome in a small T bucket bench seat. It took 1 hour of my time and cost me $25.00 If I fabricated it myself that would have been... umm... I'm thinking 12 hours so in reality more like 25ish. I actually don't have a use for it yet, but I will soon enough. I could spend hours at the junk yard just looking. I don't know maybe I have a problem.. glue fumes??
I'v tried many times to re-invent the wheel, on occasion I have been successful. Most of the time what I need has already been invented, I just need to find it and its normally in the junk yard.

Another thing I have been using recently are magnets. Neodymium or rare earth magnets, they are very powerful and easy to hide. Rather than Using a knob that you turn to unlatch a compartment in a trunk storage area. Or a cabinet style fixture to keep a door closed, just hide the magnets under the material. Its invisible and works very well.

The Fish tank is a good idea!!

For me... I am a 1 man shop I do have a facebook page. I check it at least once every 7 or 8 months. I basically only have facebook to be able to show pictures to my parents friends. They keep asking me to make CD's or other random things so they can show their friends what their son does for a living. It's kind of funny. Even my insurance guy had no idea that someone could make a living customizing old cars.
" You want insurance for an automotive upholstery shop?? What is that?" -- Some people are just oblivious.

To the point. Finally after several years I am so busy, if I did any advertising I would never be able to keep up with demand. I don't even have a sign on my shop. That would only draw in $100 - $300 jobs. Don't get me wrong, when one of my established customers brings a $60 job I do it for them. But I know they are telling their buddies about me and I'll get the complete interior's. That's how I make a living. WORD OF MOUTH!!! The best advertising you can get.
When I started out I wanted to have employees and run a big shop. That's when advertising comes in handy. I no longer want that. I have found my niche, I'm comfortable I can pay my bills and have a little extra at the end of the month for ammo (hobby), I'm happy. I feel no need to stretch myself any further and take the risk of expanding and hiring people. I am glad that many of my fellow Hog ringers do, it's just not for me. In my situation advertising would only bring the customers that I don't want.. In my area there are very few people that have $$ and are on social media or on line (Most of them use still use flip phones). That's why I'm basically off line. I want the high dollar jobs (for my area). The rest really doesn't interest me.

Ha ha that's good. I did a headliner in my fathers crossfire. It was a huge pain in the butt for me and I've been doing this for 17 years. Though a lot of women do have more patients than men and are more than capable...but if it was my wife she would be asking me how to use the screwdriver.....please don't tell her I said that!

On the subject of the crossfire, I was at the junkyard today getting some rear seat armrests parts to fab into old cars. There is a crossfire in the yard with a good headliner board if anyone is in need, I'll pick it out of the car and ship to ya. prob 15 for the part and maybe 30 to ship?? Let me know I wont charge anything, I'm at the yard all the time anyway, I'd be happy to help out any of my uph. bros and sisters on the Ring.

I used an electric knife for years and finally broke down and bought the Bosch. I should have done that form the beginning, its my go to for foam. I do have an electric straight knife like the picture in the first post but I almost never use it (for foam anyway). Its a large powerful machine but a bit awkward to use, especially with a chain-mail glove. I do use the blades however, they work awesome for smaller freehand work. I'll add a pic. its basically an 8" razor blade. If interested you can buy them here http://www.allbrands.com/categories/1915, or just do a search for 8" straight knife replacement blades.

I do like using the band saw, but I would love to have the pin wire saw. Though I don't have the room or the $$ for that. I cant seem to find a price on it now but I think it was around $25K. I do plan on building my own some day. A replacement blade is $155 from Skandia.


Here is a video from Skandia showing some of the capabilities. With the wire you can cut in any direction. The table tilts making angles easy. I used this saw while working for an aviation company. We also had a vacuum board to hold foam in place while cutting. It is an awesome setup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p0J2FqoebI

ditto!

Ditto what Naseem said stay away from goof off.

If your trying to remove glue, or some other things for that matter. I find that landau glue/adhesive does the trick. Dab it on with your finger, let it tack up a bit then rub off before it sets.

Jim. I did explain why I think it feels like a union situation in the 2, & 3 sentence of my reply.

Pay this organisation $ to supposedly represent me. While at the same time imposing rules for me to abide by weather I agree with it or not. — Andy Laird

That was mainly responding to the ASA example you provided above. I'm not saying its the same thing as a union. But Unions do squeeze out the little guy. You play by their rules and pay them to represent you, or you cant work in an area they control. (That can happen with any association.)
There are other associations that have done the same thing. Not to the extent of the union example, but without the association badge (training certificate) it can be near impossible to get your foot in the door or start working in that field.

I'm using "Unions" generically to try and point out some of the possible negatives of any origination.
I should not assume that others will have the same negative experience with unions, or even see them as a negative in the first place as I do. I'll try my best to keep that in mind in the future. Comprehension or processing the information discussed is is not hard, & I have no trouble with that. Where I struggle is putting my thoughts into words. I'm an upholstery guy not a writer. So I'll do my best to explain why I feel the way I do from now on.

I have a family member who is self employed in an occupation that is far more unknown and obscure than auto upholstery. They are a member of a guild which approx. 4,000 members world wide. This person has the training certificate form the guild, which is the only way to do business with 90% of the retail locations that sell the items being serviced. To get started in that line of work you need that guild badge in order to build up a customer base. The customers ask the retail locations to recommend a technician, and they will only recommend a certified tech. with the badge.
This particular occupation has nothing to do with safety, or complying with state or fed. regulations. It is much more of a skilled artistic line of work. In no way should anyone need to be certified to be in that line of work. But it is now its hard to get your foot in the door without it. This guild started as a way for people in the same line of work to learn from each other, and have some kind of representation with manufacturers. It never started with the idea of trying to keep new people out, but rather to bring them in and help them grow in their profession. Either the people that head the guild got greedy and want it this way (not likely), or the industry just naturally went that direction. To me that is a big turn off.

Eventually the free market will correct it. If there is a need for goods or service, there will always be someone there to fill that need. As long as there is a way to profit form it. That "profit" weather it be $, a sense of obligation, or pride. Supply and demand free from any intervention by a government, price-setting monopoly, or other authority is the key. Maybe there is a need for this service or trade association. I wish you the best in that endeavor... heck you may even convince me.

But for now..

We have a place to exchange ideas learn and grow from one another right here on THR. Thanks to the awesome work of the Mauddi brothers. You are the best!

It looks really nice.

Is that floor the Epoxy stuff? How well does it hold up to scrapes and gouges form a floor jack or the like?

Awesome! thank you soo much for the replies. It's very helpfull!

Okay after fiddling with it for a bit longer I now have the irons to an acceptable fit. Mainly a matter of stepping away for a minute then back to it with a clear head.

Thanks for the tip Steve I hadn't thought about separating the trim stick and adjusting the irons to it. It was one of those face palm moments, why didn't I think of that before. I actually saw your suggestion after I finally got it lined up, but I'll definitely remember that for the next one!

After researching this particular car I've been unable to determine if this car should have a front bow windlace. 90% of the pictures I found online show no windlace??? I did find a few pictures with a front windlace. I would assume it does use the front windlace, but my assumptions are not always correct. What is proper for the car, with or without? Again this is a 58 corvette.

Well... Hmmm... count me out!!!

This association / that association, for me It all seems tooo close to a union type of situation. Pay this organisation $ to supposedly represent me. While at the same time imposing rules for me to abide by weather I agree with it or not. Hey why not grow this origination into something really big. Get all of the suppliers to sell only to those businesses who are members. "If you don't agree you don't do business"
Or maybe we could even employ some lobbyists to push our ideas on congress, and get some new laws passed to keep non-members from doing business. I know this is a far-fetched, skeptical way to look at things, but I'm very politically minded. It's just how I think.

I do see the advantages of some of the things mentioned above, but I'm far too independent to abide by any rules set by some association. Honestly my customers could care less if I'm part of some association. I could possibly see it if I planned to have a large shop with several employees. Or if I was working on new high tech. cars and dealing with SRS (airbag stuff) or some new newfangled safety thing I've never heard about . I do believe in being certified for that type of work. But that's just not for me. Besides, The Hog Ring is already giving us some of the representation mentioned above!

Look at how shop owners in other industries benefit greatly from being part of a supportive network of like people who contribute knowledge, buying power, and opportunity, and you begin to realize that there are much better ways to grow your business than the way many of us have been doing. — Jim Nishida-Adams

I've worked for a couple of companies that were ISO xxxx certified. The only time they met those certified standards was the week before and the week after inspection. Then it was back to business as usual. But without that "certification" they lose the ability to do business with a large % of the rest of the country.......

you begin to realize that there are much better ways to grow your business than the way many of us have been doing. — Jim Nishida-Adams

.... Until It's the Only way to grow your business.

With that said, I mean no offense to anyone. These are just my opinions. As always opinions are like our backsides. Everyone's got one and they all stink!

When I first started I thought about having small tags made up to sew into the covers, like the motorcycle seats. I never got around to it and honestly haven't felt the need to do so. My customers do all my advertising for me. Word of mouth is very powerful!

Though if I ever find an embroidery machine for a reasonable price I'd think about a small LC like my profile pic....... Hmmmm now you've got me thinkin again....

The best way to get your business out there is to do quality work! Then let your customers spread the word!

Hey guys the site looks great. Quick question. Is my previous account and profile gone? I tried to log in but it said my email was not in the system. If I make a new profile will I be conflicting with previous posts and replies? Just want to check before I fill in everything again.