The 'Stuff I Build' thread. Or...the 'Why I don't have a build thread', thread.

[sewlow]

Been a while since I updated this. Haven't been taking many pix. Many of the latest projects are ongoing bigger projects. I'll be posting those up once I have some that have a progression to them that'll make sense in the long run.

I have some pix of the steering wheel! ...and it's still not complete. I've put them up somewhere on the forum but I might as well enter them here.
I'm kinda iffy about it. There's one more section left to be completed with the stitching. I dunno if I'll finish it. The inside corners are fighting me! Just might try a different technique, yet again!
I tell ya! Once I get this figured out, the next one will be soooo much easier! It's the R&D which takes up so much time!
I've got two more wheels hanging on the shop wall now! If I get this one I'm working on now finished, I may just sell it. Like I said, I dunno! So confused! Lol!
To top it off, I found a factory one at the wreckers that is damn near perfect! Installed it in my '97. Big grins driving it now! More than likely it'll end up in the '98, sooner than later.

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This the stitch style I tried on it. It's the one I have a fair amount of experience with on other projects, such as Moto-seats. Seems to me that it's kinda large for the wheel. Feels good in the hand, though.

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Anyways, I've got some more I'll be posting in a bit. That is, if Photobucket doesn't decide to be a PitA!

 

[sewlow]

Couple of bike seats that I did last week. These are for a friend of a friend back in the old hometown. Summerland B.C.
I haven't seen either of these bikes yet. Makes for kind of a guessing game.
This first one is for a H/D Panhead. The bike's is a pile of parts right now, just waiting for the new custom frame to show up from Cali.
These guys supplied the seat pan. Apparently made by some fabrication whiz. What a POS! I took one look at it & shook my head. The sides are not mirror images of each other! Totally different! And they pre-drilled the holes for the rivets which are NOT centered or square to the pan! That's part of my job anyways, & these guys that think that by 'helping' me do my job are just creating problems. I think that that fab guy's seeing eye dog was asleep when he made this thing!
So after an hour or so of fixing the shape on a grinding wheel & then filing the edges smooth with a file, this is what I'm starting with.

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The foam. 3" medium/firm density.

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Glued to the pan. Roughly out, just beginning to start the shaping.

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After a bit more.

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Getting closer.

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Making sure that the sides are the same, side/side. Starting to get the middle carved down to give the seat more of a saddle shape.

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Almost there. Got the nose close to where I want it.

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This why I take pix of these as I go. After a couple of hours, it get's hard to see what I'm looking at. Starts to look like a yellowish blob of foam.
So, in this one, you can see that the left side needs some work to match the right. Gotta be careful at this point. I can take foam away, but I can't put it back!

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That's better!

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Here I've glued on a 3/16" layer of closed cell foam. This helps to smooth things out & to give a good initial feel when riding, without adding any bulk. Softer than the foam underneath. Molded on in one piece.

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Starting the patterning of the leather.

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So, after some stitchin' time, this is the initial test fit. Gotta pull it off again to glue the leather down to the foam. The leather on the face is sitting about 3/4" off the foam just because of how tight it's been stretched.

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The stitchin'. Cover glued down, sides stretched down tight so the underside stitching is hidden & riveted in place. Done! 6 hours later & $450.00 in my pocket!

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[sewlow]

Seat #2. This for a KTM Superbike. 990+ cc's. The bike has been highly modded from stock. By a lot!
Things like a single-sided $2500.00 hand-made aluminum swing arm, upgraded brakes, stupidly expensive ultra-sticky tires, handle bars swapped for a more aggressive ride position, along with being bored, ported & polished, hotter cams, computer & injection upgrades etc., and then pretty well stripped down to the bare essentials, 'Street-Fighter' style.
The pan has been custom made outa stainless steel. Again, the same 'fab-whiz'! At least he got the shape right this time, & the holes for the rivets are right. Good thing, cause I really wasn't looking forward to drilling into the stainless. Tuff stuff!
But...the kick-up at the back of the seat is not to the owner's satisfaction. It isn't curved enough for him. With the power this bike has, he wanted some more 'up' at the back in order to keep his butt planted. So I'll have to build that into the foam.

I've skipped showing a few steps on this one as the procedure is pretty well the same as the previous.

The foam.

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Roughed out.

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After a couple hours of shaping. It's close.

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More work needed on the rear edge & some fine-tuning to the nose.

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The 3/16" closed cell molded & glued down.

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...and trimmed off.

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Cover fabbed, stitched, glued down & riveted underneath to the pan.

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Stitch details.

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Both finished seats. $1150.00 for both for around 13 hours work & about $200.00 in materials.

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[twomanymontes]

You Sir have some talent!! They look great! I don't have the patience to do that stuff.

 

[sewlow]

Thanks! Doing this stuff is like hanging out in an art class all day.
Turn off the phones & computers, crank up the tunes (Gotta BIG old stereo in the shop!) & go 'Zen' mode!
Hours pass in what seems to be the blink of an eye!

 

[twomanymontes]

Thanks! Doing this stuff is like hanging out in an art class all day.
Turn off the phones & computers, crank up the tunes (Gotta BIG old stereo in the shop!) & go 'Zen' mode!
Hours pass in what seems to be the blink of an eye!

That's the way I feel when I'm doing work on my 86 SS. Everyone leaves me alone and I can just get things done my way.

 

[vaporlock]

Amazing work, sewlow! You make it look easy but it's probably difficult as hell!

 

[2k2leenin]

I catch your posts while lurking on thehogring. You do great work!!

 

[sewlow]

Amazing work, sewlow! You make it look easy but it's probably difficult as hell!

Thanks! The hardest part is trying to figure out what the customer wants. The more I get in the way of guidelines, the easier it is.
If it's repeat customer, I usually have an idea as to what'll make them happy.
It's the ones that don't have any idea that cause a bit of a guessing game. They haven't thought anything out beforehand & they don't know what I'm capable of.
The guys that just give me the go-ahead to just create freak me out! Hoping throughout the whole job that what I'm doing is gonna meet their expectations.
As far as doing the work, I've had some great teachers & mentors that taught me good basics. When in doubt doing something I've never done before, I just fall back on those. Works ever time!
And the only school classes that ever really held my attention were Auto-shop & graphic arts. The creating thing came easy, & because it came easy, sometimes I get bored doing this. I like the fabrication part. If my back would let me, I'd cut, fit & stitch all day!
I've been taking stuff apart since I could hold a wrench, just to see how it worked. Most of the time I could get it back together. Lol!

I catch your posts while lurking on thehogring. You do great work!!

That's a pretty slow forum!
Some of the guy's that post on there are true artists! I've been doing this a long time & I still try to push myself into different directions.
Figure I've picked up more than few pretty good tricks over the years, but I look at what some of those guys do and have no idea as to how they did this or that!
The time that they've spent on some projects is mind boggling to get the results they do. Some of their little intricate details are amazing! Not saying I wouldn't attempt to do what they do. I just wish I had customers with pockets that deep!
Everytime I posted one of my projects there, I'm always wondering if they think that what I've done is worthy! Lol!

 

[brocks 97]