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ajlelectronics
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With composite seat bases, staples can be used, but for metal you need a high temperature contact adhesive.
graffian
Seer unto the end of his beard
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Aluminium is the easiest material for me to make a seat base, I can see a scrap bit of chequer plate just about the right size.
But as you, sort of, say staples are no good in metal, What about putting a load of threaded fasteners in it!
I have fasteners but don't have any high temp[why high temp] contact adhesive.
I do have carbon fibre I could make the seat base from, but I haven't got epoxy and the carbon is sized for epoxy. However this is
turning from chop out a seat base in the next ten minutes to a project.
I have yet to ask about sewing machines and leather or plastic. and about painting brown leather black.
I watched a video about someone sewing up a seat cover, I was impressed and thought that didn't look at all hard.
It was a complete "how I made this seat for my bike" video, I skipped over making the seat base[the simple stuff;-)].
Morrisman
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Contact adhesive, of some sort, is what upholstery shops use.
I have to cover the seats for the trike project, when/if the time comes, but I shall probably get them done by a professional so they look better than my usually amateurish efforts. The bases are 3mm aluminium.
I have to cover the seats for the trike project, when/if the time comes, but I shall probably get them done by a professional so they look better than my usually amateurish efforts. The bases are 3mm aluminium.
ajlelectronics
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Lots of work for no great benefit! If you want belt and braces, arrange some strips of metal to clamp the material down over an area. Point contact just gives you lots of stress points.
Because the next good summer we have, the adhesive will fail spectacularly otherwise.
A walking foot sewing machine is always going to make life easier, although you might manage with a domestic if you really must.
For a motorcycle seat, I would always recommend Marine vinyl which is surprisingly inexpensive and not leather due to it soaking up water potentially. You can recolour fabrics with a kit from the like of Furniture Clinic.
That is what I thought about auto upholstery, so I bought all the equipment when Reliant closed and had a go. Then I realised just how much is involved and how long it takes.
However, have a go, you might be a natural.
As I said, have a go!
8ob
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I have never made a base but I have bought a ready made cover/foam and fitted it, seat base had a down turn of about 15mm all the way around and the vinyl went over this edge, a finishing strip is then beaten onto this edge and is what holds the cover in place.
Bob
ajlelectronics
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graffian
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I guess I will make an aluminium base and use it as a mould for a fibreglass base.
I just had a look in the sewing machine draw, there are needles for denim. But they are to small for the thread I have got. The thread I
have got is ~.8mm thick, it's the polyester dressing thread I used when I made crossbow strings.
Only thing wrong with the thread is it's red.
What sort of thread should I be using? and size?
How are needles numbered, I have 90/14, 100/16 & 110/18, all to small. what size will I need I am guessing one of the numbers is the hole size.
pedrobedro
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I made a cover for one. I just left plenty of material to pull under and held it down with gaffer tape, you couldn't see it when it was fitted. Your domestic machine might struggle with thick thread.
ajlelectronics
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100/16 will be a good choice with the correct thread. Two main choices are nylon and polyester. Nylon is very strong and waterproof but can be affected by UV. Therefore you would only use it "where the Sun doesn't shine". I use Bonded Nylon 40 for most of my work, so much so that I can't recall the Polyester equivalent size. I do have some on the machine at the moment, so can look later.
Needle Guide
SCHMETZ Sewing Machine Needles are known around the world for the quality and precision. With sewing machine needles for crafters and industrial usage, SCHMETZ has a needle for every type of project.
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ajlelectronics
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Yes. Bonded Nylon 40 or the Polyester equivalent. I can't tell you the conversion just yet as I am currently in the bath!
138 comes to mind though, but I will check later. @keithski122 may be able to help you more quickly though.
Enduratex Marine Vinyl would be my recommendation for material.
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ajlelectronics
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ajlelectronics
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Gütermann Polyester-heavy duty sewing machine thread 5000m & 1000m spools M36 | eBay
Polyester Thread – is an all-purpose sewing thread for sewing on knits or woven of synthetic or natural fibres or blends where extra strength is required. This thread requires a slightly larger Polyester gives good resistance to weak alkalis and degradation by UV light.
www.ebay.co.uk
oldbikedavey
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Using wheelchair cushion memory foam is a particularly handy ploy on motorcycle seats......
keithski122
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Hi.
Base. I've not made myself but any I've covered have either been steel or plastic.Make sure you think of how its going to mount on the bike.
Foam, not easy to find anything suitable in the uk, standard blue foam is not dense enough, I've used chipped foam before but its only ok. Other people have suggested closed cell foam but I've not tried it myself. Best I found was a secondhand piece cut from a car seat, customer did a 1k mile holiday on a hard tail chop and was pleased with it.
I personally only recommend vinyl for the same reasons as above, I wouldn't bother recolouring as its quite cheap to buy.
Thread I only use serafil polyester thread size 20.Needle size 16,18 or 20 works for me.
I'll add some pics tomorrow as I'm on my new laptop and haven't transferred pics over yet
Base. I've not made myself but any I've covered have either been steel or plastic.Make sure you think of how its going to mount on the bike.
Foam, not easy to find anything suitable in the uk, standard blue foam is not dense enough, I've used chipped foam before but its only ok. Other people have suggested closed cell foam but I've not tried it myself. Best I found was a secondhand piece cut from a car seat, customer did a 1k mile holiday on a hard tail chop and was pleased with it.
I personally only recommend vinyl for the same reasons as above, I wouldn't bother recolouring as its quite cheap to buy.
Thread I only use serafil polyester thread size 20.Needle size 16,18 or 20 works for me.
I'll add some pics tomorrow as I'm on my new laptop and haven't transferred pics over yet
Screwdriver
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You might be better off making the base from wood and using staples to fix the cover.
keithski122
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Chop seat I did recently, customer made the base.
Duisky
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A simple one from last year or so.
Steel pan with a flanged edge as per the original; just make sure that it’s painted -or powder coated - with something that won’t react with the glue.
Use a high temp brush on contact adhesive - a warm day will help ‘stretch’ the vinyl - and pull it over the edge. Sometimes you need to ‘tack it’ lightly and reposition it until you’ve got a consistent taut pull across the seat before a final pull and bond.
Once pulled over, the excess can be glued to the underside of the pan and riveted if required (like on the ‘flat’ front/rear below. Obviously not on the flanged edge unless you want to go through the facing side to make a feature of it, or utilise a stainless retaining strip for looks?).
Steel pan with a flanged edge as per the original; just make sure that it’s painted -or powder coated - with something that won’t react with the glue.
Use a high temp brush on contact adhesive - a warm day will help ‘stretch’ the vinyl - and pull it over the edge. Sometimes you need to ‘tack it’ lightly and reposition it until you’ve got a consistent taut pull across the seat before a final pull and bond.
Once pulled over, the excess can be glued to the underside of the pan and riveted if required (like on the ‘flat’ front/rear below. Obviously not on the flanged edge unless you want to go through the facing side to make a feature of it, or utilise a stainless retaining strip for looks?).
graffian
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I haven't got any filler rods for wood.
I will be, most probably, using a closed cell foam. As long as I can find some glue to glue it together, the stuff I have[Plastazote] is 3/8" thick.
I used to cut out seat pads from 1" plastazote and 1" was thick enough for a seat, but I have grown bigger boned since then.
I have cut the aluminium seat base out. Just waiting for the glue to go get hard, I glued some temporary wooden strips underneath it, so it doesn't
move about when put on the frame.
Keithski&Duisky. Those seat look pretty good, if I was closer to you I would be knocking on your door.
I can see parts of what I want to do in both seats. I was going to try and do the parallel lines, like on Duisky's seat and a complete side all the way round the
seat, like on Keithski's seat.
How is the top constructed, covering sewed to foam?
Don't you wander at all doing those parallel lines, the seat with loads of lines must be really hard to not wander a bit, I am thinking how easy it is to follow a
straight line with a jigsaw.
How is the side sewn to the top?
How is the top sewn to the side?
Is picture 4 the underside of picture 5?
I might well glue some foam to the base and call it done.
Haven't decided how I will fasten the seat down but it will involve welding and screwing.
Will it be better than sticking a towel across the frame.
