Читать книгу The Upholstery Bible - Cherry Dobson - Страница 10

As a beginner you will need the basic tools to strip your project of its coverings, tacks and staples. But before this you must consider your workspace. Take into account the area you work in including the walls. Develop a workroom plan so you have enough space to lay out and cut fabric as well as somewhere to store your materials. You will also need to have your furniture on trestles or an adjustable bench at the correct height for you to work comfortably. Make sure you have an adjustable chair to minimize backache.

The following pages illustrate the tools and equipment you will need as a beginner, but also tools and machinery for professional upholsterers. Many upholstery tools are the same as they were a century ago, although today they are available in different shapes and sizes. It is up to the upholsterer to decide which tools they find the most useful, as most people have tools they favour and others they seldom use. The basic tools that you will need in your tool box, are: a wooden mallet, a ripping chisel, a tack- or staple-remover, pincers, sharp scissors, a webbing stretcher, a magnetic hammer, regulators, a tape measure, needles, pins and skewers. A more experienced or professional upholsterer may also need: an industrial sewing machine, a buttoning machine, a glue gun and an electric or pneumatic stapler.

FINDING AND ACCESSING FURNITURE

Furniture that is suitable for renovation can come from a variety of sources. The auction room, antique shop or eBay are the most obvious places, but usually the amateur begins with a piece they already own. Before buying furniture to upholster, examine it for woodworm (small bore holes in the wood) to check the frame is solid. The shape and style of the chair usually indicate its age and quality, although faults can be hidden under a layer of upholstery. Normally, a good quality chair is made from a hardwood like mahogany, walnut or rosewood, which can be seen on the legs or any other show wood on the chair. The shape of the chair legs is also a telling feature – they should be substantial, and not spindly in appearance. The back legs should be made from the same wood as the front, and have an outward or ogee (double) curve. Castors should be made from brass, with china or brass wheels.

Upholsterer’s Tip

Don’t buy cheap scissors – buy the best quality you can afford. Because they will be used in your workroom for a variety of cutting and trimming tasks, it is essential that you keep your scissors sharp and in good condition. You will need a minimum length of 20 cm (8 in.) scissors for trimming, and 25 cm (10 in.) scissors for cutting the fabric.

TOOLS: THE BASIC KIT

1 A wooden mallet is used in conjunction with a ripping chisel to remove tacks. Use a wooden mallet or a barrel-shaped wooden mallet. Do not strike the chisel with a metal hammer because it could damage its handle.

2 A ripping chisel has either a straight (a) or cranked (b) shaft and is used to lever out tacks. It is used in conjunction with a wooden mallet. Do not use a sharp-edged chisel as you will damage its sharp end when levering out the tacks.

3 A tack remover is used to remove tacks and dome-headed decorative nails used on leather upholstery. It is particularly useful for removing temporary tacks when adjusting the tension of fabrics. Removers may have wooden (a) or plastic (b) handles.

4 Magnetic hammers come in several types – the most popular is the two-headed hammer (a and b) with a magnetic head at one end for picking up and holding tacks, and a larger head at the other end for hammering. A hammer with a rubber end (c) is for hammering tacks into soft or fragile woods.

5 A slot and peg webbing stretcher is used to stretch the webbing tightly over the chair frame. As an alternative use a gooseneck webbing stretcher, which catches the webbing close to the frame.

6 Staple removers come in many types. The blade puller (a) is best for removing staples from fabric and soft wood; and the pronged-end types (b and c) are better for prising staples from hard woods.

7 Sharp scissors are a must. Keep two pairs – a general pair for cutting twine, rubberized hair and wadding, and the other solely for fabrics. Scissors should be a minimum length of 20 cm (8 in.) for trimming; 25 cm (10 in.) – or more depending on the size of your hands) for cutting the fabric. It is essential that the fabric scissors have sharp tips so that cuts can be made accurately.

8 Pincers are needed to remove tacks that have lost their heads. They can also be used to pull out stray staples, or remove the nibs of staples that break off.

9 Staple guns vary from the flat-bedded hand-tacker, to the preferable pneumatic or electric gun with a nozzle. Make sure you use the gun's correct-sized staple. The gun should be able to fire staples of the following lengths: 5 mm (3/16 in.); 10 mm (3/8 in.); 13 mm (½ in.).

TOOLS: THE BASIC KIT CONTINUED

1 Regulators come in several lengths, with a sharp point at one end and a blunt end at the other. The longer length – the 20 cm or 25 cm (8 in or 10 in.) – is used for distributing hair evenly under calico, and the shorter 15 cm (6 in.) is very useful for applying top fabric, because the blunt end helps to form neat pleats and tucks.

2 Double-pointed needles are used with twine to form a stitched edge. Needles with a bayonet tip are used when a cutting edge on the needle is required.

3 Skewers are available in two lengths: 7.5 cm (3 in.), and 10 cm (4 in.). They are used for holding fabric in place before it is sewed or tacked down. Pins are available in 2.5 cm (1 in.) lengths, and are also used for holding fabric in place.

4 Large curved needles are used for attaching springs and sewing bridles into hessian. The smaller 7.5 cm (3 in.) curved needles are used for slip-stitching top fabric; and the larger 10 cm (4 in.), or 12.5 cm (5 in.) curved needles for any stitching involving heavier fabrics, such as hessian.

5 A tape measure and metrestick (or yardstick) are used for measuring the chair and estimating how much fabric is required. A soft tape measure, shown here, is used for measuring the fabric components on chairs, and a metrestick is used for measuring and marking fabric prior to cutting.

6 Wax chalk (not shown) for marking fabric for cutting. Wax chalk does not rub off too easily.