[Stinkin_V8]

I just wanted to say thanks for the advice. I tried an armrest first since it looked like one of the easier pieces:





I was hoping the flames would be a bit more prominent, but the amount I had to pull on that leather, there wasn't much left to dip into the contours. I haven't wrapped it around the back since it has to attach to another panel first.

I'm glad I went with the right glue, it sticks like nobody's business! The stuff I got from the local trim shop didn't need any thinning and was a bit more than I expected to pay. But still half of what the super 90 would have cost.

[creativeinteriors]

Dont go back now on the door panels so they are both the same. But on the flames I would have foamed only the outside surface and bevel cut the the pattern edges and left the deepest surface un foamed. That way you glue to a non-flexible surface (foam flex added to making the definition go away). If you use heat (carefully!!) and a fiber stick or a plastice knife with hockey tape wrapped over the handle you can heat and force the material into the corners.

But you did good keep up the good work. One thing I recommend about the gun is tape over the breather hole on the top of the lid and leave the glue in the gun. Wipe the gun tip with mineral spirits right after your done using it and it will stay trouble free for use even if you dont re-use it for weeks. Just remember to take the tape off the hole and shake it up good before you restart as the glue separates.

[Stinkin_V8]

I did one layer of 1/8", followed by another layer of 1/8" with the flames cut out. I was considering (as you suggested) not padding the inset flames at all, but I wasn't sure how that would look. I was worried about needing more padding on it where your arm would normally rest but it turned out exactly how cushy I wanted it. I used leather from the neck of the hide, seemed to be about as stretchy as I was going to get. Found a plastic coat hook laying around that I used to define the lines along the flames while the glue was still wet, it worked pretty well.

You mean I can still go back (5 days later) with the heat and try to force the contours of the flames?

I wasn't happy with the gun I used. It was a little touch-up gun with a little pressure regulator I mounted to it. I really couldn't get even coverage out of it, I wound up running it at 50 PSI, 40 was to globby. I'm going to try my bigger gun next time. That's a great tip about leaving the paint in the gun and taping off the hole. I'm definately going to try it after cleaning the gun once already. My little 3-gallon compressor wasn't keeping up, either - had to run to a friend's house and use a bigger compressor.

But all in all, it was a good experience. I didn't totally screw up the part, got a good idea how the cement works, I know how much I can stretch that leather now and I got a little practice. All thanks to some great advice from you guys on the board here.

[creativeinteriors]

No the glued panel isnt good for 5 days, sorry. Once the glue is down and dry its pretty much over. Trim and top is meant to be fairly heat resistant. heating will help to pull it off but it is not repositionable.

Too much glue will stiffen you up too. Are you making a spray pattern that is fairly loose (Large fan) in opposite directions on opposite panels? this will minimize the amount of air you need. I have a 5 gallon I use cause its mobile. A touch up gun is too small in my experiance. Get a quart gun and adjust the paint screw until it shoots it out like snot at about 40 psi. Then raise the air up until you get a fan about 3 to 4 inches. You want the glue to go on wet bet not soak in or thru. Put it on in layers like a cross. On the opposing panel rotate the cross patter 45 degrees. It will give you the best bond with the least amount of glue.

the glue if it is trim and top is contact cement. 2 sided and you should be gluing both sides. if you take a hair dryer and heat the glue side it heats out the solvents and softens the leather from the back side. And makes the stuff stick like a mother.

[Stinkin_V8]

Cool, I'll try the big gun and let you know how it works.

I tried the hair dryer on the leather as I was gluing, I dunno how much it helped. I wasn't sure about how long to heat it so I used a hair dryer instead of the heat gun.

And yeah, it's contact cement that I got, I scuff-sanded the foam and sprayed both parts when gluing. I won't tell you how badly it was sprayed out of that touch-up gun, though.

[Stinkin_V8]

Hmm - I just read online that you're suppoosed to tie the loose thread ends together instead of lock stitching when sewing leather. Makes sense to me, does it sound right to you guys?

[creativeinteriors]

if you thread tension is correctly set it makes no difference with the exception of whether you have an issue with the appearance of the back tack. Lock stitch back tacking is the best way to insure threads are not going to loosen up over time.

[Stinkin_V8]

I was afraid of the needle perforations becoming "tear along dotted line" kind of thing. I guess the right thread tension and stitch spacing will keep the thread from cutting it further.

My machine can take a twin needle but I can't find a leather twin needle. Do you think a Schmetz 6.0/100 would be good enough for a french seam?