[Coodeville]

I received more hog rings in the mail today allowing me to finish up this test run using vinyl instead of leather. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my work and learned a hell of a lot in the process. What I would like to know is this : How come the vinyl is sitting the way it is around the buttons? That panel was prepared just the way Dan showed us in the tutorial thread by spraying the foam and vinyl with adhesive and then sewing 2X around the perimeter of the panel. I'm wondering if I did something wrong securing the buttons or if it's the fault of the cheap vinyl I used. This is the disappointing part of it all.

[DanTwoLakes]

I have no idea. I've never seen anything like that before. How was the original seat done? Did they use sew foam?

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by DanTwoLakes

I have no idea. I've never seen anything like that before. How was the original seat done? Did they use sew foam?

Yes, they did. And I still have it here. The original buttons were hog ringed in. I used button twine. What I did notice is that that part of the vinyl loosened up from the sew foam while the rest is still being held on by the glue.

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by Coodeville

Yes, they did. And I still have it here. The original buttons were hog ringed in. I used button twine. What I did notice is that that part of the vinyl loosened up from the sew foam while the rest is still being held on by the glue.

And when I say "loosened up", I do not mean that the stitching came out. That's all in tack. I get the feeling that the vinyl stretched after being twisted and turned under the sewing machine arm a few times. This vinyl cost $4 a yard at a local fabric store. I compared it to the SMS vinyl that I have and their is a big difference. The SMS vinyl is thicker and doesn't stretch like this crap does.

[DanTwoLakes]

The next thing I was going to ask was if the vinyl was really stretchy. If it is, and the glue let loose from the sew foam that could cause what you have. This is one of those places where you need to use top and trim adhesive to glue the vinyl to the sew foam instead of K-Grip. The concave shape is one of the factors causing it.

[ronbo]

2 cents............looks like the buttons are pulled down, forcing the vinyl to gap down also?

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by ronbo

2 cents............looks like the buttons are pulled down, forcing the vinyl to gap down also?

I actually thought about that when I installed the buttons and made sure they where connected directly in line with the original location.

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by DanTwoLakes

The next thing I was going to ask was if the vinyl was really stretchy. If it is, and the glue let loose from the sew foam that could cause what you have.

Do you think this would happen if I used better vinyl along with the k grip?

[trees]

Up front, my upholstery experience has been installing pre made covers. No sewing experience so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Looking at the stretch pattern, I am thinking what do I need to do to eliminate them and correct the location of the right hand (left in pic) to make a perfect line across. First, I would loosen the top and tighten the bottom to pull the button line down. It appears to me the sides and bottom were affixed and then the top was pulled to firm every thing up and in doing so, the button row moved up from the semi relaxed position. Since the bottom and sides could move very little, the puckers developed a downward tilt on the two side buttons and the increased upward movement effectively tightened the buttons, pulling them further thus creating the puckers between the buttons. My fix would be to locate the button placements and pull the longer than needed threads through the affixed padding. Next, I would pull the cover until the sides and front were straight and even, button row straight. The last thing I would do would be to pull the button tension incrementally until I got the desired depth. These should be straight pulls thus even tension on the cover.

Trees

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by DanTwoLakes

The next thing I was going to ask was if the vinyl was really stretchy. If it is, and the glue let loose from the sew foam that could cause what you have. This is one of those places where you need to use top and trim adhesive to glue the vinyl to the sew foam instead of K-Grip.

Is this headliner glue? Where can I get it?

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by trees

It appears to me the sides and bottom were affixed and then the top was pulled to firm every thing up and in doing so, the button row moved up from the semi relaxed position.

The buttons have to be installed without the sides being hog ringed down. The reason being is that the sides are not hog ringed to the frame. They are hog ringed directly to the back panel.

[Coodeville]

I just made up a new blank for this part and paid much more attention to spraying the k spray. I personally think the problem is cheap vinyl. I'll continue this and resew the new panel in with buttons to see what happens.

[DanTwoLakes]

There are some things that can't be fixed by any amount of adjustment. No amount of pulling the buttons tighter will fix this. After looking at this closer, I think the problem is that you are gluing the sew foam and vinyl panel flat. I have had problems like this before with motorcycle seats. You need to use your seat as a fixture, lightly glue your sew foam to the seat foam so you can remove it easily later, and then glue the vinyl to the concave sew foam. The vinyl needs to be glued firmly to the sew foam by gluing both the sew foam and the vinyl. Remove the panel, sew around the perimeter, and then sew the seat cover. This should leave you with a concave panel. Then when you sew it all together attach it to the seat frame and put the buttons in it won't go crazy on you.

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by DanTwoLakes

There are some things that can't be fixed by any amount of adjustment. No amount of pulling the buttons tighter will fix this. After looking at this closer, I think the problem is that you are gluing the sew foam and vinyl panel flat. I have had problems like this before with motorcycle seats. You need to use your seat as a fixture, lightly glue your sew foam to the seat foam so you can remove it easily later, and then glue the vinyl to the concave sew foam. The vinyl needs to be glued firmly to the sew foam by gluing both the sew foam and the vinyl. Remove the panel, sew around the perimeter, and then sew the seat cover. This should leave you with a concave panel. Then when you sew it all together attach it to the seat frame and put the buttons in it won't go crazy on you.

Ok, I'm gonna give it a shot.

[trimmer2]

You could try not gluing it.Don't understand why everyone thinks you have to glue to foam.Been doing this for 35 years and have never glued vinyl or leather to foam on a stock automobile seat.(was it glued from the factory?) Yes you have to be more careful sewing the face to foam but once you learn how in my opinion there is no need for it.
Bruce