Technical The upholstery thread to end all threads

Here is a visor for a 37 Chevy (@vtx1800) and one for the Pierce Arrow I did. My battery charger for my camera took a crap. Soo, I need to buy a new camera. We will see if it lasts tomorrow for a tutorial.

 

The major problem in covering sunvisor`s is they are too thick. So you strip them down to just the board. Cut 1/2 inch off the main board where the binding will lie.

 

Take waterproof panel board and cut it 1/2 in bigger than the board you just cut. Glue it onto the sun visor. Remember, glue it on opposite sides of each visor. Soo you have a left and a right. Glue the foam backed headlineing to both sides of the visors. This can be found at Hobby Lobby or Hancock fabrics. You could use 1/4 inch scrim backed foam but I have always used the headlineing material. Then glue your head lining material to the visors. Tuck the material in the visor where the binding won`t cover it. This job is a pain. Don`t press on the visor too much, or you will create craters in the foam. Then the visor will look lumpy. Stitch around the visor to hold everything in place. Stay close to the edge.

 

Originally, the factory used double edged binding. I use single edged carpet binding. You can also use singled edged convertible top binding. Sewthe binding on. You can see my flat foot with one side chopped off. Go slow and pull on the binding a bit. You will break a needle if you get to close to the edge. Trim off the excess on the backside. This is why you stay close too the edge in the above post, Otherwise, you first stitch might show.

 

My camera battery died. But you get the picture. The raw edged binding side of the visor goes up against the headliner when folded up. The finished edge of the binding is what you see all the time when folded up. This style is the hardest to do with inside curves and outside curves. Put your chrome tips on the ends of the binding and you are done. That is the hardest to look good. Finding the right ones isn`t easy. Find the biggest one you can.

 

If you can`t find binding to match. Make your own out of the visor material. Just glue it and fold an edge over. These are off a 38 Chevy. Homemade binding looks big and bulky.

 

Hope I am not high jacking the thread. But it's been a number of years since I have upholstered anything, the company that I use to get all my supplies from in Milwaukee is gone now. I am looking for a foam supplier that handles different grades of sculpturing foam to build up my framework for comfort and support and to be able to shape the contours I want. Any sources in the southern Wisconsin/ Chicago area that you might know of. Thanks Larry

 

Man! That's great Jim!!!! Thanks much for taking the time to share all that with us....it truly is a mystery and very few upholsterers seem to be able to do them so they look right. That's a treasure right there to share the secrets of a job done right.

 

Did active Foam go out of Business. They carried everything. --------Thanks @drdave

 

So, the wife and I decided to do a test run on a door panel with some scrap material. Figured it would point out the things that would eat our lunch pretty quick. It did.

I have decided that welting is of the devil. It was easy enough to make, I just don’t know how to get it placed correctly. It sticks out too far. Then, I don’t know what to do with it when it ends.

Don’t make fun of me. This was my first attempt ever at a door panel.

I have the upmost respect for good trimmers. It is gonna take me years to get decent.

Keep in mind we didn’t staple it etc. it was just to see if we could actually construct one. It will all gets stripped back off when we decide to do the final version. We didn’t staple anything, just for ease of removal.

 

Cut a V notch in the panel. Tuck the welt thru it. So, the edge is even with the rest of the material.

 

Here’s a seat I did for my 41 pickup using a piece of vintage embroidered ivory vinyl I found on evilbay many years ago
Someone cut it off a mid century wagon wheel couch before scrapping it
Glad they saved it and I was able to incorporate it into my truck seat

 

Ohhhhhh….that makes sense.

 

So how long of a tail should it have?

 

Enough to wrap around the panel and be hidden when installed. Also, leave off the last pleat on either side. The cover gets funky when trying to wrap around the panel. It also looks funky with a super skinny pleat. Has anybody tried a set of visors yet ?

 

It will be a few years before I'm far enough into anything to be ready for visors, but you can bet that's the way I will be doing them.

 

Curious what these tips are called, and where can they be found?

I don't do a lot of upholstery, but I generally make my carpet binding. After you glue the edge over, hit them down flat with a rubber mallet. The lumps go away and they flatten right out.

 

So, let me ask a dumb question. When you are putting welting up against say a pleated panel, what foot do you use? Do you use your regular foot or a welting foot? Just wondering how to get the welting tighter on the panel? (so that the welting sits flush and not hanging out)

 

I find them on sun visors from the 70`s automobiles. They are a bit bigger than the others. I would like to find a source for them as well. I use over a hundred (maybe 200 +) yards of binding a year. So, making it would be a pain in the rear. I used 2 yards today. Regular vinyl is not durable when used on carpet.

 

I have found it easier to sew the welting onto the outer band first. And making it (welt) as you go. Then flip it over and sew it onto the pleated panel. Use a welt foot. You will find that you sew closer to the welt, thus hiding your first stitch line.

 

Sounds like I need to do more scrounging when I hit the self-serve junkyards for those clips.

I do upholstery stuff for myself and occasionally some simple stuff for friends. (I'm still learning) I just found a local place that has 300 yards of single edge binding for $70-ish dollars. That's about a ten lifetime supply for me, but I'm thinking I might grab it anyway. Thanks!

 

Alot of these I`ve had to reorder. More than once. 70 ish, do the math.

 

This thing is too cool. I find myself looking for 1950's couches on the web now.

 

I hear where you're coming from, but I only do my own stuff, and I only really like Black carpet. I'm a hobbyist with no customers, so one roll is worth it to me not to hassle with the time it takes to make enough for a whole car.

I'm pretty sure it's probably nicer then the stuff I make, too.

 

Thats gorgeous

 

If you call on your phone and talk to a real person, you can also buy it by the yard.

 

So, I need some input. I am Mocking up the door panels for the roadster and I have a weird deal. I drew out the pleats etc and temped the panel in place. Because of the angle of the door, the pleats and the smooth area look crooked.
Here's the practice panel we made.


Do I stay with my measurements and say screw it or do they need to jive with the door aesthetically? I am in the aircraft business, so everything is always either in tolerance or bad.

it’s an optical illusion but it drives me crazy.

Also, I was trying to make the smooth portion tall enough to clear all of the weird hootis that are in the way. It looks too tall to me. It’s 6.50” now….

The panels are actually longer, but the body is channeled over the frame 6" so You can't see the full panels with the doors closed.

Input please.

 

If it looks right, it is right.

If it looks wrong, well…..

 

Go with the angle of the door. Nobody sitting in the car will be sighting along the top and looking outside or people looking in will not be doing the same.
Put a seat in it and most of the door panel is blocked from view.
Other options are parking on a hill or getting bigger front tires.