Ironhead Made a seat, then messed it up

[bentrod]

So I decided to make a seat starting by cutting up the seat pan from one of the seats I disliked:





Used copper pipe fittings for mockup:





Cut and shaped the foam:





Glued the vinal on then started pop riveting. When I came around the last corner I cut the darn vinal too short. From that point I was unable to make nice corners. Chances of taking off the vinal without destroying the foam is nill.:



Doesn't look too bad from a distance, what a bummer



Art

[416rigby]

Didja put springs down the frame tubes?

[bentrod]

Originally Posted by 416rigby

Didja put springs down the frame tubes?

Yeah, there's springs in the tubes, I just need some with more compression.

Art

[Mosey]

That looks waaay better than my first attempt. It can take a couple tries to learn a new skill. Keep on keepin' on...

When yer going around corners and the vinyl wants to bunch up and fold over, you can trap the folded triangular part under a pop rivet so it doesn't hang down. I usually cut out the excess inside the fold so it's only two layers of vinyl instead of three layers. I hope you can follow my description.

A little more shaping and rounding of the foam at the nose of the seat would make it look sleeker.

I got Chevy valve springs for free at an auto repair shop that work pretty damned well and would fit in those sockets perfectly.

[bentrod]

I think its looking better, I wanted to hide the seat mounts on the frame so I came up with this. Still have to get better tucking the material around the corners. I'm going to try another one.







Art

[FearlessFrisbee]

Hti the corners witha hair dryer or heat gun and some of the wrinkles will come out. Be careful tho! I do this with all my seats, both car and bikes. Great job regardless. Is this your first time doing a seat?

[Robicycle]

Doesn't look too bad though.
If you are like me though it will drive you nuts until it is perfect to you

[bentrod]

Originally Posted by FearlessFrisbee

Hti the corners witha hair dryer or heat gun and some of the wrinkles will come out. Be careful tho! I do this with all my seats, both car and bikes. Great job regardless. Is this your first time doing a seat?

I'll give the heat gun a try, this is actually my third try at making a seat.

Art

[FearlessFrisbee]

Originally Posted by bentrod

I'll give the heat gun a try, this is actually my third try at making a seat.

Art

Man, pretty dang good for a third time! Upholstery is not an easy thing to do. There is a reason most folks buy theirs. It’s more work to do it yourself but great satisfaction when you’re done, and it’s your way too!

[kd460]

Looks good! Would like to see a pic of the pivot bracket if you could post it.

Also, for those interested in using leather, a good cheap source for leather is the thrift store or resale shops! Get an old leather jacket for cheap in the color you want and cut it up! KD