Читать книгу Automotive Upholstery & Interior Restoration - Fred Mattson - Страница 8

CHAPTER 1

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Tools are designed to help you do a better job. Cheap tools are often made poorly and do not operate as smoothly as they should. They often fail prematurely, which can cause damage to your work or injury to you. When a tool breaks it usually is replaced with another, and this frequent replacement gets expensive. For these reasons, off-brand or cheap tools are usually not good choices for the professional. Higher-grade tools made with precision and quality cost you less in the long run because they help you save time working on your projects and achieve professional results. You also get a lot more use out of a professional-grade tool.

It is always a good practice to put your tools away when you are finished using them. You will work more efficiently in a neat workplace, with less time wasted searching for a desired tool. It is also important to keep your tools clean and in working order. As you work on a project, your tools become covered in glue and dirt. Take the time to properly service your tools. Wipe them off when they get dirty and keep them oiled and sharp. With a little care, your tools will stay serviceable for a long time.

Tools can be expensive and take a lifetime to acquire. If you do make a living with your tools, make a habit of not loaning your tools to others as they tend to come back broken or not at all. I know only one thing for sure, and that is, if you take care of your tools, they will take care of you.

As with any specialty trade, upholstery requires some unique tools that can make each job easier to accomplish. Every shop should have the basic tools found in any toolbox (i.e., screwdrivers, socket set, hex wrenches) to perform the everyday tasks of auto upholstery. Upholstery-specific hand tools that are essential to the trade include hog-ring pliers, staple and tack lifters, heavy-duty scissors, and my favorite tool, the regulator. Although not required, a walking-foot sewing machine, foam saw, and steamer are nice to have.

The HooVer Pres-N-Snap tool is the most efficient way to install snaps and grommets in upholstery materials. Not only does it save you time, it installs snaps professionally without crushing or denting the cap. The tool is available at almost any professional upholstery supplier and comes complete with three sets of setting dies.

Most auto trim suppliers have the professional tools you need. Basic tools such as hog-ring pliers and scissors are not very expensive and will serve you for a long time. Entry-level tools range from $12 to $40 per tool, but as your auto trim needs grow, acquiring tools that make the job easier will appeal to you. They will save you time and can earn you more money.

Organizing your tools is not a science but a matter of convenience. Access to any tool should be effortless. Many shops store theirs in overfilled toolbox drawers, and they waste precious time hunting for the right tool. Specialty racking devices are available to help sort sockets and wrenches by size and type.

Keeping all your screwdrivers organized in one drawer can be simplified by just opposing the screwdriver handles: Have the straight-blade screwdrivers point to the right and the Phillips screwdrivers point to the left. This tip alone will save you a lot of time when you are looking for a certain screwdriver.

Specialty tools can be stored in a drawer with similar tools and so on.

Not all tools need to be state of the art. Using a lesser tool may work just fine when you are just starting out in the upholstery trade. For example, an electric knife can be used to cut foam if you cannot afford a foam saw. Another example is a gravity-fed cup gun to spray glue. They work well for most shops and are available at a low cost. A cup gun requires very little maintenance, whereas a pressurized spray pot is great for large jobs and is more convenient to use, but the cost and cleanup are much more substantial.

Sometimes you find yourself needing to accomplish a task and you just don’t have the right tool to do the job. Unfortunately, that special tool sometimes does not exist. Well, you just can’t buy everything, so modifying or fabricating a tool for that specific task is necessary. For example, I needed a long, thin, but rigid stuffing tool. Such a tool is not available in a catalog or online, so I took a simple piece of bar stock that I had in my scrap pile, rounded the end, and polished it smooth to make a great stuffing tool. You will find that the longer you work in the auto upholstery trade, the more creative you become, and overcoming problems soon becomes second nature to you.

Sample Tools List

The list of tools that you use in the upholstery trade can be long. Building a tool set takes time and could cost hundreds of dollars if you tried to get them all at once. Start simply with the very basic hand tools and pick up other hand tools and power tools as you need them.

Please note that the following list is far from complete and not all of them are needed to begin work on a project.

Hand Tools

• Screwdrivers: assorted Phillips, slotted, Torx (The use of a magnetic-tip handle gives you the freedom to carry fewer tools around by providing more variety in a single tool.)

• Hammers: tack hammer, ball-peen, body hammers (A rubber mallet or dead-blow hammer is also quite handy to have.)

• Socket set: basic set 1/4-, 3/8-, 1/2-inch-drive standard and metric, Torx

• Pliers: slip-joint, needle-nose, Vise-Grips

• Allen wrenches: standard and metric

• Scissors: 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-inch; snips, seam ripper (Having several pairs of scissors is a good idea because they do get dull and using a sharp pair makes your work much easier.)

• Staple lifter

• Door panel tool

• Door handle tools

• Headliner tuck tool

• Regulators

• Assorted hole punches

• Wire cutter: 7- and 9-inch, bolt cutters

• Hog-ring pliers: straight, angled

• Rulers: 36-, 48-, and 72-inch tape measures

• Utility knife (Always have plenty of blades on hand.)

• Bench vise

• Workbench

Power Tools

• Walking-foot sewing machine

• Steamer

• Drill motor: 3/8-, 1/2-inch

• Heat gun

• Air compressor

• Staple gun: electric, pneumatic, mechanical

• Glue gun: foam, contact cement, hot glue

• Rotary tool

• Foam saw

Pres-N-Snap Setter

One tool that I could not do without is the HooVer Products Pres-N-Snap setter. This tool sets you back about $130, which sounds like a lot for just one tool, but it does a professional job of installing snaps without crushing or denting the cap on the snap. This alone saves you money by not wasting materials, and it also saves time (i.e., makes you more money) by allowing you to install a snap in just one squeeze, unlike the manual setter that comes free with some snap kits.

Hog-Ring Pliers

Different types of hog-ring pliers are available and each has its own purpose. Originally the hog-ring pliers were used in agriculture to ring the nose of hogs to keep them from rooting and destroying the land. Other uses for hog-ring pliers range from food processing to sealing sausage casing to industrial usage in chain link fences. Hog-ring pliers look like regular pliers but are notched at the tip to hold a wire hog ring while clamping it tight.

A quality hog-ring tool is made from cast iron with long handles to allow for a tight and complete cinch of the hog ring. The professional hog-ring tool costs about $30 to $35 and will last you a lifetime. The cheap hog-ring pliers that come with a seat kit are most likely made from round stock and riveted together. They typically are short in length, which makes crimping a hog ring more difficult, causing the hand to fatigue quickly, and they usually last only a few dozen crimps before they fall apart.

Hog-ring pliers are essential to the auto upholsterer. Several shapes and styles are available to reach into difficult areas. Professional-quality hog-ring pliers can properly install a hog ring with ease and serve you for many years without failing.

Use the steamer to remove wrinkles in upholstery materials as well as to help with pattern making. Professional-grade steamers such as this Jiffy model J-4000 will last a long time in the shop because they are built to withstand the rough service they are bound to see. Interchangeable heads make this model even more useful.

Steamer

The use of a steamer to remove wrinkles and small imperfections is essential to the upholstery trade. Several models of steamers are available for upholstery and each has its own strengths. Some have a dedicated purpose while others use different heads for specific applications. Hands down, the most versatile and durable auto upholstery steamer on the market today is the Model J-4000A manufactured by the Jiffy Steamer Company. This steamer unit has interchangeable heads on a 7½-foot hose and they are great for different applications. The 6-inch flat-iron head is used for general steaming and pattern making; the straight-tube head is perfect for steaming the hard-to-get-to spots on convertible tops.

Door-Clip Tool

Removing door panels is an easy task when you use the right tool. Some people use a screwdriver for this job and end up scratching the door and causing damage to the door panel while they are trying to free it from the door.

A variety of door panel tools are available for purchase and most are relatively inexpensive. The tool works on leverage to lift the fastener from the door. Long and short versions of the panel clip tool are useful to gain access to tight situations.

Getting under the panel fastener and lifting it without damaging the door panel is what this tool is all about. Many different lengths of panel tools, as well as plastic panel tools, are available to accommodate any task. These manual tools use simple leverage to get under the fastener and lift the panel safely from the door. The forked end of the tool is slid under the fastener and then the clip is pried out, releasing the panel without damaging it or the car.

Window- and Door-Crank Tool

It has always been a chore to remove the window and door cranks from a panel, but using the correct device speeds the job and prevents harm to you or the door panel. Early Ford cars used a 1/8-inch-diameter pin to hold the crank to the regulator post. The pin is accessed by depressing the decorative escutcheon and pushing the pin out. Using the correct pin removal tool makes this operation simple.

Using the correct tool makes removal of a window and door crank much simpler. The upper tool is for early GM cars that have a small spring clip. Later-model cars used a larger clip that is pushed out of the handle using the middle tool. Ford used a small pin that is difficult to access without the special fork tool shown at the bottom.

GM cars used a small “C” spring clip in its early models and it is removed with clip pliers. Later models used a larger spring clip and that was removed by sliding the handle clip tool between the escutcheon and the crank to push out the clip.

Headliner Tuck Tool

Getting a headliner to settle into place is a breeze when you use the correct tuck tool. The tuck tool is made of spring steel with a wooden handle. The blade of the tool is blunt and rounded on the corners to prevent damage to the headliner material or molding you are working with and is available with a thin or heavy version to suit the task at hand.

The thin-blade tool can push the headliner material under and into the tightest places, leaving the outside of the headliner wrinkle free and snug; the heavy-duty blade works well for lifting the rubber moldings around the windows so that glue can be applied underneath.

This tuck tool is essential for the installation of a suspended headliner. The wide blade is great for lifting rubber window molding without causing damage. The top tool has a thicker blade for lifting and prying and the lower tool has a thinner blade for tucking headliner material into tight places.

Other versions of this tool are also available and are used in the same manner. Always choose the tool that is right for your specific needs.

Regulator

This is my personal favorite tool of all. The unlimited uses of this long, needle-like tool are remarkable. The pointed end can locate and align trim screw holes in garnish moldings and it can make perfect holes in panels for accent trim to be applied. The flat end is useful for applying glue or tucking material into unreachable places.

The tool is called a regulator because it was originally designed for furniture upholstery. After the fabric was applied over the cotton stuffing on the arm, cushion, or backrest of a chair, the regulator was inserted into the chair from the backside so that the cotton stuffing could be moved and repositioned into the corners, evening out the stuffing. This brought on the term of “regulating” the cushion.

This 10-inch steel regulator is my personal favorite tool. It can be used on every job to help with assembly by locating hidden screw holes, aligning components, and tucking material into tight places.

Regulators are available in different sizes (ranging from 8 to 10 inches in length) and types. They can be found with a plastic or wooden handle.

It is easy to lose these when you are working on an interior because they seem to hide in the most unobvious places. They are not expensive, so I buy them four or five at a time. Once you start using a regulator, you will never be without this tool.

Scissors

Heavy-duty scissors are an essential tool for the upholstery shop. It is important to get the right size scissors for the task you are performing. Many types and uses for scissors exist and making the proper choices will save you money. The lightweight, plastic-handled scissors are not well suited for upholstery use. They fatigue your hand and the blades are too thin for heavy cutting. Maintenance is almost impossible due to the fact that they are riveted together and difficult to resharpen. Although they may be inexpensive, replacing them when they are worn out ends up costing more than buying good scissors in the first place.

Professional-quality scissors are a must for any trim shop. The variety of scissors makes specific jobs easier. From the top is an 8½-inch straight-handle industrial that is used for precision cutting, an 8⅛-inch bent-handle inlaid blade for the sewing machine, a 10-inch bent-handle inlaid for general-purpose cutting, a 10-inch bent-handle wide blade for cutting panel board and heavy materials, and a 12-inch bent-handle knife edge for cutting carpet and heavy materials.

The brand of scissors that I prefer to use in my shop is made by Wiss. The general size of scissors used every day is a 10-inch bent-handle. They work great for cutting leather, vinyl, and panel board. For carpet I use a bent-handle 12-inch knife-edge scissors. They cut through carpet like it was paper. At the sewing machine, I have used 8⅛-inch bent-handle scissors for trimming tread.

Overall I have a dozen or more scissors that I keep in rotation so that I’m always using sharp scissors. The professional-grade scissors last and can be repaired and sharpened to new condition many times. I have three scissors in service now that are more than 35 years old and they still work great.

Staple Lifter

Removing staples and tacks is not one of the tasks that anyone enjoys. Fighting a stubborn fastener only makes it more frustrating. A generic tack lifter is useful but not the go-to tool. The best tool I’ve found is the Berry’s staple remover. Ask anyone who has used one and he or she will tell you that it works. It lifts even the most difficult tacks, staples, and small nails. Its unique wooden handle design just fits into your hand comfortably and removes the tough staples and tacks with almost no effort.

If you ever replace a convertible top, you need a good staple lifter. Tack and staple removers are available in many styles and they all seem to work fine. The best staple remover in my opinion is the Berry’s staple remover. It fits in your hand perfectly and it removes the toughest staples with ease.

Hammer

A wide range of hammers is available, each designed for a specific job. Choosing the right one for the task at hand will give you professional results.

An assortment of hammers to handle any task that comes up. From left to right: dead-blow, interchangeable head, 32-ounce ball-peen, 12-ounce ball-peen, magnetized tack, soft-tip tack, split-tip tack, general body, and wide-tip pick hammer.

You just cannot do every job with a basic carpenter’s claw hammer, and no upholstery shop should be without a tack hammer. The C. S. Osborne Company makes about the finest tack hammer you could ever want. One end is magnetized for setting tacks, and the other end is for driving them in. They are also useful for setting trim pins on stainless and countless other tasks.

A soft mallet is handy for setting wire-on welt and persuading door panel clips into place without marring the surface of the panel.

A machinist hammer (ball-peen) is useful for setting rivets and hammering a hole punch through panel board. I have several sizes and weights of machinist hammers for these tasks.

Because you are working on cars, it only makes sense to have some body hammers for straightening and shaping metal. A wide-tip pick hammer is great for repairing flared-out screw holes in the tack rail of a convertible.

Pegboard

Pegboard comes in 4 × 8–foot sheets and is available in different thicknesses. I prefer the 1/4-inch thick because it does not warp and holds the pegboard hooks better. I also prefer the heavy-duty pegboard hooks instead of the standard hooks. The option is up to you.

Every room has some empty wall space, and by applying pegboard to a bare wall, you can conveniently store the tools that you use every day. This is a low-cost solution to free up floor space, allowing you to work more efficiently. Imagine what tools you would like to have hanging on the wall ready for use on that next project. The wall must be measured to determine the size to cut your pegboard. Make the pegboard as large as possible from the start. Don’t worry if you cannot fill it up right away; eventually you will.

Make a reference line for aligning the bottom of the pegboard by using a long level. This helps you when mounting the pegboard to the wall. Keeping the pegboard straight and even allows the tools to hang right on the pegboard hooks. The use of all-purpose screws to apply furring strips to the wall as a foundation for the pegboard is a good choice. The furring strips are cut from 1/4-inch plywood and they are 1¼ inches wide and run the length of the pegboard. The furring strip prevents the pegboard from sinking into the wall.

Use hot glue to attach 3/8-inch nuts to the pegboard to work as a standoff providing a gap between the wall and the pegboard. This way you do not lose any extra peg holes once the pegboard is on the wall. The location of the wall studs is transferred to the backside of the pegboard so that you know where to glue the standoff nuts. When the pegboard is set into position on the wall, the 3/8-inch nuts should land on top of the furring strip backer that is already on the wall.

Hot glue a 3/8-inch nut over an existing hole on the backside of the pegboard as a standoff so that it allows enough space for a pegboard hook to be inserted. The nut only blocks one hole as a furring strip covers up many. The pegboard is aligned to the wall with the nuts contacting the furring strips. A broad-head cabinet screw is inserted through the hole with the nut behind it to secure the pegboard to the wall. The screws are snugged up but are not overtightened.

Dust off the surface of the pegboard and give it a coat of primer and two topcoats of topcoat paint to protect the surface of the pegboard from wear. White is a good color because it highlights your tools and makes them easier to select. Pegboard hooks are inserted into the holes of the pegboard and tools can now be hung up. The best advantage of pegboard storage is the ability to rearrange the hooks so that the tools you use most often are ready and at your fingertips.

Installing Pegboard

1 Because floor space is always at a premium for storage racks and toolboxes, consider your shop walls a wealth of ample space for tool storage. By using pegboard to hang tools and supplies, you not only gain easy access to them but also find that this is a low-cost storage solution. Pegboard also gives you the freedom to change or rearrange items as your needs change, making it much more useful than a drawer or shelf.

2 You need to know how much wall space to cover with pegboard. Measure your wall to determine the dimensions of pegboard you require. Measure the pegboard and mark where it needs to be trimmed. Cut the pegboard to the desired wall size.

3 The pegboard should be hung level on the wall. Use a long level to make a mark on the wall as a reference baseline to fit the pegboard to.

4 Cut furring strips 1¼ inches wide and the width of your pegboard from 1/4-inch plywood and attach them to the wall with all-purpose screws. Use the furring strip as a backer so that the pegboard standoffs do not sink into the drywall. The pegboard covers over all of this. The length of the mounting screw needed is determined by the thickness of your materials, i.e., 1/2-inch drywall + 1/4-inch furring strip = 3/4-inch material depth + 3/4-inch penetration depth = 1½-inch screw.

5 Before mounting the pegboard to the wall, measure and locate the wall studs, transfer the stud locations onto the backside of the pegboard, and then hot glue some 3/8-inch nuts to the backside of the pegboard at the marked stud locations for a standoff. Glue the nuts over a hole in the pegboard so that a screw can go through the hole and nut. Space the nuts about 12 inches apart.

6 You could use furring strips as a standoff instead of the spacer nuts, but you lose a lot of useful holes if you do. The 1/4-inch pegboard is rigid enough and it spans between the studs in the wall just fine.

7 Without a standoff to lift the pegboard from the surface of the wall, you don’t have enough room behind the pegboard to insert the peg hooks.

8 Use broad-head cabinet screws to mount the pegboard to the wall. Insert the screw in the hole that is backed by the nut standoff and screw it into the wall without overtightening.

9 When the pegboard is securely mounted to the wall, give it a good coat of primer and then two coats of paint to protect it for many years of service.

10 When the paint is dry, you can start hanging your tools up for easy access. Add peg hooks and rearrange them as necessary.

Workbench

Essential to every shop is the workbench, or as some may call it, a cutting table. If you are serious about the trade, you just cannot work without one. Every project touches the workbench and having one that is large enough for your projects is not always attainable. You can purchase a workbench and assemble it, but the store-bought benches lack in size and features due to manufacturing and shipping limitations. They just do not have all the features it takes to satisfy an active upholstery shop’s needs.

Folding tables are useful for some things, but they are generally not rigid enough for most projects. Working on a wobbly surface is unsafe for you and the project you are working on. Some trimmers like a bench that is movable, but unless you have a huge warehouse space, a movable workbench is just not practical. Adding castors on a bench is something of a preference, but the thought of chasing a bench around does not appeal to me.

Some trim shops have a bench that is built around and incorporates the sewing machine. This gives the trimmer support for materials that are being sewn together as well as space to lay out and cut patterns.

The workbench is an essential part of any shop. My design is very sturdy with a lot of room for material layout and patterning as well as assembly of projects. Underneath is plenty of storage room for materials and upholstery supplies.

It is essential that a bench is sturdy enough to stand on its own and hold up to the weight and stress of pushing and pulling. My solution is to build my own benches from scratch to the size I desire and with the features I need.

Some of the features that make my workbench superior to premanufactured workbenches are that it can be customized to fit the individual needs of any workshop. Because the workbench is built from common lumber and hardware, there are no special parts that can break or need to be ordered.

The height can be adjusted to a comfortable level that reduces fatigue and allows you to work longer and be more creative. The legs of the workbench also interlock to keep the workbench stable and rock solid. This allows the bench to be placed anywhere in the shop without anchoring it to a wall or the floor.

Building a Workbench

I have compiled the plans for you to construct your own table. Feel inspired to make any changes that work best for you.

Bench Frame

Begin by making the frame of the workbench.

From two 2 × 4 × 96, cut the rails to a length of 96 inches.

From two 2 × 4 × 96, cut four stiles to a length of 45 inches.

From two 2 × 4 × 96, cut four legs to a length of 36 inches. (The height of the table can be adjusted to suit your personal needs.)

The stiles are let in 1½ inches from the ends of the rails and the middle stiles are placed at 32 inches on center from the end of the rails. They are secured with two 2½-inch deck screws through the rail into the ends of the stile.

The legs are placed into the outside corners of the frame and are attached by drilling two 3/8-inch holes diagonally from each other through the leg and end stile. The 3/8-inch carriage bolts are inserted through the holes and secured by a flat washer, a split-lock washer, and nut. Tighten with a ratchet wrench.

Measure the distance between the legs. From one 2 × 4 × 96 cut two lock stiles to a length of 38 inches long so that it fits snugly between the legs. Secure the locking stile to the end stile with 2½-inch deck screws.

This 3-D drawing shows some measurements and the overall design of the workbench. Standard construction materials are used in this simple-to-assemble workbench. Any of the features can be customized to fit the needs of any shop.

Turn the table over so that it is standing on its legs and repeat the process to create the base of the table.

Panel Board Shelf (optional)

From two 2 × 4 × 96, cut the rails to a length of 96 inches.

From two 2 × 4 × 96, cut four stiles to a length of 45 inches.

Measure 8 inches down from the bottom of the top rail and make a mark for the top of the shelf rail.

Attach the rail to the leg with 2½-inch deck screws.

On each end, attach a stile to the rail with 2½-inch deck screws.

The middle stiles are fitted horizontally at 32 inches on center and are secured with 2½-inch deck screws.

Decking

The bottom deck is covered in 7/16-inch-thick oriented strand board. Trim the 48 × 96–inch sheet to 48 × 93 inches.

Put the sheet in place and secure it to the rails and stiles with 1¼-inch deck screws. Do not use black phosphor drywall screws because they are too brittle.

The panel board shelf is covered with 1/4-inch-thick Luan plywood. Trim the 48 × 96–inch sheet to 48 × 93 inches.

Materials

• (17) 2 × 4 × 96 Dimensional lumber

• (1) 3/4 × 48 × 96 Particle board

• (1) 7/16 × 48 × 96 Oriented strand board

• (1) 1/4 × 48 × 96 Luan plywood

• (16) 3½x 3/8 Carriage bolts

• (16) 3/8 Nuts

• (16) 3/8 Flat washers

• (16) 3/8 Split lock washers

• (1 pound) 1¼ Deck screws

• (1 pound) 2½ Deck screws

• 9/16 Staples

Tools

• Circular saw

• Chop saw

• Drill motor

• 3/8 Drill bit

• 1/8 Drill bit

• Ratchet wrench and sockets

• Screw driver

• Staple gun

• Tape measure

It is important to note that there are variations in the actual size of dimensional lumber. These variations can be +/- 3/32 inch and the measurements given represent the ideal size for the cut pieces. Please measure your actual lumber and make size adjustments accordingly before cutting any materials.

Position the cut sheet of Luan plywood and secure it to the rails and stiles with 9/16-inch galvanized staples.

The top of the workbench is covered with a 3/4 × 48 × 96–inch sheet of high-density particle board. Place the sheet and secure it to the rails and stiles with 1¼-inch deck screws. To prevent the particle board from breaking, it is necessary to predrill a 1/8-inch hole for the deck screw. The heads of the deck screws need to be flush with the surface of the particle board. Chamfer the hole to countersink the head of the deck screw.

The working surface of the workbench is covered with a 1/4 × 48 × 96–inch sheet of tempered Masonite hardboard. This sheet is not fastened down so that it can be easily replaced as it gets worn from cutting and gluing. ■

You also have ample room under the workbench for storage of upholstery materials. Adding a panel board shelf can double storage space.

One of the best features of my workbench is the replaceable work surface. A sheet of 1/4-inch tempered hardboard or Masonite is placed on top of the workbench, providing a durable and yet yielding work surface. After many projects, when the surface of the workbench becomes dirty, scarred, and uneven, the worn tempered hardboard can be easily lifted off and replaced.

Supply Sources

Every project needs raw materials to create a finished product, and obtaining these materials can be a challenge. One source is your local fabric or hobby store. However, these generic materials do not hold up to the climate changes and abuse that a car interior faces. Automotive vinyl and fabrics are UV coated to prevent fading, bleaching, and chalking. They are also heavier in weight and designed specifically for durability.

Auto upholstery supply houses will have most of what you need for your project. They generally sell wholesale to the trade only, but you may be able to find an exception.

Auto trim suppliers can be found on the Internet by a simple search for “auto upholstery supplies.” It’s a good idea to call or visit the supplier before you order. They can be a lot of help to find you what you need for your project.

I am very fortunate to live in a city that has several upholstery suppliers nearby. Fabric Supply in Minneapolis and Pyramid Trim Products in St. Paul have been my go-to sources for upholstery supplies since 1980. Because I live near my suppliers, I can get what I need right away. Being able to see and feel the products helps me obtain items that I may otherwise not know exist. Picking up my upholstery materials saves on shipping costs as well. Going to see the supplier takes time away from working on a project, but the relationships I have built with them is priceless.

Shopping online for products can be overwhelming. You have a lot of choices, but not all of the products offered are of the quality you may be looking for. Brand-name parts and supplies are usually consistent in quality, but house brands vary due to the suppliers’ ability to secure more of any given part. Also beware of seconds. These are materials with small flaws or surface defects and they are not suitable for use in a restoration. They are great for patterning and can save you money if you can work around the flaws. Seconds are often available from your supplier and are usually offered at a discounted price.

Shop Supplies

Every shop should keep on hand several things that you need for every job. Common products to have on hand are thread, glue, and hog rings. Building an inventory of hardware and supplies takes time and money. Buying in bulk saves you money in the long run, but it is not uncommon to buy what you need as you need it. You can always try and network with other trimmers close by and split the cost of buying bulk items. Everyone saves money, and you build relationships too.

Here are some common supplies that you should have on hand at any given time.

Thread

Upholstery thread comes in many sizes and types. Nylon thread is generally used for auto upholstery. It has a high strength and durability that allows it to move with the material.

Polyester thread is well suited for outdoor applications such as marine and canvas work. If sunlight is a big factor, then this is the thread to use.

Monofilament is a clear nylon thread used when color matching is an issue. Topstitching for quilting is a good example of when you do not want the thread to show.

Thread comes in many colors to match with OEM vinyl and fabrics and it is available in 4-, 8-, and 16-ounce spools. Choosing the correct size of the thread is determined by what you are sewing. Standard upholstery thread is #69 and heavier contrast thread is T-270.

An assortment of thread is always good to have. Each project receives a matching thread and some get a heavy contrast thread. Here is an assortment of colors in #69 nylon and polyester. The natural and black contrast threads are T-270.

Among the most common supplies used in the trimmer trade are automotive hog rings. You’ll use the sharp wire fasteners to attach seat covers securely to the frame of the seat. Professional hog-ring pliers are essential for crimping the hog rings correctly.

Hog Rings

Absolutely the one product to keep on hand in the shop is hog rings. Hog rings are C-shaped metal wire with very sharp angle-cut ends that can pierce through materials to securely hold the material in place. Crimping with hog-ring pliers closes them. These metal fasteners are typically purchased by the pound or can be obtained in 25-pound or more containers. Hog rings are the go-to fastener for attaching seat covers to the frame of a seat. Hog rings are also used to connect Marshall springs and attach burlap and foam to the springs of the seat.

Staples

Tacks were the standard upholstery fastener to attach materials to the wooden frame of the car. Postwar cars were built out of metal, and fiber tack strips were installed to allow for the attachment of the upholstery. Staples replaced tacks because they are faster and a more efficient way to attach materials. They also cause less damage to the tacking surface than tacks.

Fastening fabric and vinyl to the car and to interior trim panels used to be done with tacks. Stapling the materials in place has replaced the older method. Staples have proven to hold better and are much faster to use than tacks.

Staples are available in many different sizes and types. The crown of a staple is the part that spans between the legs. The crown determines the width of the staple and the legs determine the size, or depth, of the staple.

Choosing the correct staple for a job is important. The staple needs to hold the material in place without the crown going through the material. Generally, a wide metal staple is used in auto upholstery because it holds vinyl and fabrics without damaging the material. If you are working with fabric, a fine wire staple works well.

Staples are made in different materials for specific applications. Galvanized and stainless steel are good choices for auto and marine use because they do not rust with exposure to moisture.

Using the correct adhesive for the task at hand saves you a lot of frustration. Aerosol cans are convenient, but they can get expensive. Foam requires an adhesive that binds it and does not harm it. Contact cement is a great all-around glue; you can purchase it in large quantities to save money.

Adhesives

Many different adhesives are used in auto upholstery and each type has a specific use. The key to getting a good bond is to have your surfaces clean and oil free. It is not the adhesive’s fault if it fails because of poor preparation, but using the correct product does matter. Be sure that you know that the parts you are trying to glue together are compatible. Some surfaces react to the adhesive you are using by melting or lifting the paint. Always follow the directions on the label of the can.

Aerosol spray cans provide the convenience of use, but the down side is the cost per can is not practical for most shops and they usually do not have the holding power required for the task at hand, especially when working with heavy materials such as carpet.

Foam and fabric adhesives are typically available in clear or red. They are lightweight and great for bonding seat foam because they do not harm or react against the foam. Foam adhesives can be found in economical 1-gallon bulk containers for brushing or spraying as well as in aerosol cans.

I have found that the most useful glue is contact cement. DAP Weldwood makes an HHR (high-heat resistant) that provides excellent adhesion for headliners and carpets. It is available in 1- and 5-gallon cans. This adhesive can be applied by brushing or it can be sprayed with a cup gun or spray pot connected to an air compressor. It is well suited for auto upholstery work and, after the glue has cured, it is usually unaffected by temperature changes.

Burlap

Burlap is a product that is said to have 101 uses; in auto upholstery it is used as a foundation component. Always keep plenty of burlap in inventory; it is used on every seat project to cover and tension the seat springs, which gives support to the cotton and foam materials that pad the seat.

Burlap is made from the fibers of the jute plant and is a durable and strong natural material that is the main foundation material for covering and tensioning springs in every car seat. This material is one of the items you should keep in inventory. Because of its low cost, it is best to purchase it by the roll.

Burlap is a strong woven material that is available in natural jute and synthetic fibers. Most auto trim suppliers offer both types of burlap for sale by the cut yard, but because of its low cost it is most economical if purchased by the roll.

Cotton

Another must-have in the shop is cotton for seat padding. Real cotton is graded on the purity of the processed product. It has seeds, stems, and other debris in it and processing real cotton is cost prohibitive. Before the use of cotton, upholsterers used horsehair and straw to pad furniture and the seats of cars. Modern cotton is a synthetic blend of cotton fibers and spun polyester. It is much cleaner and easier to work with than the natural cotton batting that once was used. Synthetic cotton is sold by the pound and your best value is to buy it by the half bale (3 rolls).

Synthetic cotton batting is used to pad the cushion of a car seat and it is available in rolls. When purchased from an auto trim supply house, cotton is sold by the pound and is put up in rolls for convenient use. This product is easy to use and well suited for the auto industry.

Denim

Upholstery denim is a tightly woven fabric that is a durable and low-cost material that is high in strength. Denim is used primarily to save money in auto upholstery by substituting it for the expensive cover materials that do not show, such as for listings, stretchers, and filler panels. Many colors and widths are available. I usually have two neutral colors on hand to complement the project that I am working on at the time.

Often used but never seen, denim is used in auto upholstery to make listings and panel fillers, saving money on seat cover material that does not show. The durable nature of denim is well suited for upholstery because it is a strong low-cost material.

Muslin

Muslin is a low-cost, lightweight, woven-cotton fabric that is used as a cover material for seat padding and it is also a common sewing backer that can be added to the back side of sew foam to hold the stitching when pleating an insert.

Muslin can be purchased in rolls or bolts (flat folded). If you purchase a bolt of muslin, I suggest that you unfurl it and put it up on a roll to relieve the wrinkles. It is also much easier to work with when it is flat and smooth. Muslin is available in many different widths as well as bleached or unbleached. Bleached muslin is much whiter than the unbleached, which is a natural off-white in color. Another difference is the thread count of the material; it can be higher in the bleached version.

Cotton muslin is a commonly used backer material for sewing and pleating seat inserts. Its lightweight nature does not cause wrinkling of the top material and it provides a solid foundation for sewing, which keeps the stitches from pulling out.

Some trimmers use muslin for patterning or mocking up a seat cover because the material is so inexpensive.

Cheesecloth

One product that I use a lot of is cheesecloth. This is an open-weave cotton fabric that is used to cover the cotton batting, keeping it in place so that the cotton does not pill and bunch up as the seat upholstery is pulled over the cotton when it is being installed. The cheesecloth does not interfere with the look of the seat cover, but merely enhances the seat cover installation process. Without the cheesecloth covering the cotton padding, the finished seat cover can appear lumpy and uneven.

Auto upholsterers use cheesecloth as a cover material to protect the cotton padding of the seat from becoming lumpy and bunching up when the seat cover is installed. Do not overlook the usefulness of cheesecloth. It is inexpensive and makes your seat covers look better.

OEM Materials

If you are looking for original fabrics, vinyl, and leather, a great place to start your search is your local auto trim supplier. They may have the original OEM Detroit Fabric books to help you find the desired color and material type you need for your restoration.

Online searches can also aid you in finding original materials for the year and model of your project. If you have a piece of the original material to send a supplier, they can do a search for you and get you an exact match. They may also be able to help you locate other hard-to-find interior materials to complete your project. Be careful of online sellers of vintage auto upholstery materials. Some of them charge you up front for the product you desire and then take months to deliver them. Be sure to ask when the items that you ordered will be shipped for delivery and what their return policies is if the materials you ordered are not what you expect them to be.

Leather

The auto industry has used leather for interior seating from the early 1900s. Leather is considered a premium upholstery material choice because it has proven to be very durable due to its natural ability to withstand the effects of rain, sunshine, and extreme temperatures. The outer seat and door coverings in open cars were generally fashioned from leather. Leather is a natural product coming from the hides of cattle, and it is preserved through a tanning process that allows it to remain soft and supple. Different grades are available for the upholstery trade with a wide choice of colors and textures.

Nothing speaks louder than real leather when it comes to luxury seating. Leather has been used in auto interiors from the very first cars and is considered a premium upholstery material. This natural product is available in full and half hides and in many colors and grains to complement your projects.

Vinyl

Prior to the 1940s, the vinyl material that was used in auto interiors was actually an oilcloth. This material was made from a coating of boiled linseed oil applied over a close-woven cotton duck cloth. Although it was waterproof, it was not very durable. When it was exposed to sunlight and heavy use, the surface cracked and deteriorated with age. A more stable product later replaced oilcloth; it was made from a composite of a knit fabric backing and an expanded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic coating. Sometimes referred to as pleather (plastic leather), this has evolved into the modern vinyl that we know today. Vinyl is manufactured to a standard width of 54 inches and is sold by the running yard.

Vinyl is a durable choice for automotive seating because of its ability to withstand rain, temperature, and heavy use. Available in a wide variety of colors and grain, vinyl is more versatile than natural leather and can be embossed with patterns and company logos.

Modern embossing has given manufacturers the ability to create patterns and logos in the vinyl, which enhances the look of the material and gives styling to cars, which nature cannot do.

Woven Fabrics

Before the onset of synthetic fabrics in the 1940s, car interiors were trimmed in fabric woven from natural fibers such as wool, cotton, and linen (made from flax). Cotton and linen are derived from plants and wool is made from animal hair. Weather conditions are harsh on an interior and durability has a lot to do with the materials chosen by car manufacturers. The materials also had to be attractive and comfortable to the touch. The most durable and versatile material available at the time was wool. Thanks to its ability to be dyed and woven into many different patterns and textures, it was the logical choice for upholstery. Different types of wool fabric have been used on seat covers and door panels; the most common are broadcloths and mohair.

The 1950s and 1960s brought many color and design choices. Seats were covered in beautiful woven hard cloth that added uniqueness to the interior of each car. These fabric examples represent just how different the patterns and colors can be.

Broadcloth was typically made from wool and was easy to tailor into seat covers. Durable and yet economical, it was the standard upholstery material used in car interiors until the early 1950s.

Mohair is made from the hair of the Angora goat. It is best known for its high luster and sheen, giving it a velvety look. Although it is extremely durable, it is also soft to the touch, making it a perfect auto upholstery material.

In the mid-1950s, automakers started using ornate woven hard cloths on seats and door panels. These fabrics brought a new look to the interior, making it more elegant and distinctive. This body cloth was made from blends of synthetic fibers, such as nylon, polyester, and rayon. The result was a polished-looking material with beautiful brocade patterns, stripes, and textures that are not only durable, but they are available in many complementary colors to the car’s exterior paint.