Seat & Rain Questions

[Grumbleduck]

Hi everyone,
I'm practicing my tooling and moving toward the goal of making a leather seat for my Honda Shadow(using the same pan & trimming the foam a bit thinner). I'm wondering about the longevity etc of my work if the seat is stored outdoors in the very wet Pacific Northwest. Is there a finish I can use to keep the leather from absorbing water and taking a fine imprint of my tuchas? I'm planning on doing it in 7-8oz veg. Please advise.

Thanks very much,
Grumble

[LLWork]

Just your standard stuff should do the trick. I use a decent coat of Tan Kote, let sit 36 hours, then some Leather Sheen. It's just a matter of keeping up on the maintenance of it, so a re-seal a year or so down the road(following a cleaning, of course.).

I've used 7-8 oz before, but think I like the 5-6 oz range a little more. It makes for a slightly softer end product. Some people like firmer though, so keep that in mind,

And finally, get yourself some shower caps. If you're bike is going to be sitting out in the weather most of the time, you can simply throw a shower cap over the seat to keep it protected. Kill two birds with one stone by getting one that will also shield from UV a little bit.

[Grumbleduck]

Thanks LL! Should I put both of those on both the flesh side and the outside? Unless I come into a miraculous windfall my bike will likely be stored outside and in the rain whenever it isn't protected by my butt. That said, the great thing about the Pacific NW is there's not too much sun to do any fading 7 months out of the year

I'm surprised the thickness of the leather has any impact on the 'hardness', when it's such a small difference in thickness! I've just started making my way into leather work and it certainly is a tricky/neat medium.

It has been in pieces in my brother's garage since Nov. 1 and I'm itching to make some progress soon! Once I get the structural bits squared away I should be able to get the seat rolling along soon after!

[LLWork]

No sir, just on the outside of it when you are done assembling. I sprayed the inside of my seats with 3M Super 77 so that it would stay connected with the foam, and ran some contact cement along the top and bottom sections of my seats. Shouldn't ever have to worry about water getting into it.

Also remember that there are a few different "styles" of builds. They way I do it is rivet a piece of leather to the bottom of the pan, then cover the top, and sew the two pieces together. Example

Other people fold the top piece over the bottom and then rivet that into place, leaving no gap on the sides to contend with. That is why I cover the whole side seam with glue before I lace it together.

They wouldn't bother rating it a different way if it didn't matter! Naturally, there isn't as much "give" with thicker leather than even marginally lighter leather.

Good luck! Needing a seat is exactly how I got into leatherwork. You could get yourself hooked.

Edited January 24, 2015 by LLWork

[Tramps Leatherworking]

Grumble, an inexpensive motorcycle cover, or even a tarp can go a long way in protecting your bike from the elements when stored out of doors, or you could just park it in a spare room of your house...

[Grumbleduck]

My landlords live right above us and I've got two tall flights of turn of the century steep stairs. not sure I could make a seat big enough to support the stones round trip would require

I've got a cover but I'm sure you know how that goes. When I think of it...

I'm hoping to use a modified stock seat pan. Would staples(same as the stock) work to affix the leather? Lacing/stitching seems like another can of skillworms id rather put off for a minute. Thoughts?

[Sanch]

My landlords live right above us and I've got two tall flights of turn of the century steep stairs. not sure I could make a seat big enough to support the stones round trip would require

I've got a cover but I'm sure you know how that goes. When I think of it...

I'm hoping to use a modified stock seat pan. Would staples(same as the stock) work to affix the leather? Lacing/stitching seems like another can of skillworms id rather put off for a minute. Thoughts?

staples are sometimes a necessary evil, but you need to learn the basics "saddle stitching" etcetc....good luck

[Horseshoe]

I use KIWI neutral shoe polish to protect all of my leather work. I've tried all the other stuff buy nothing holds up like good old shoe polish.

[earthling33]

I tried black shoe polish to touch up some worn places on my Corbin seat. It made it slick. I almost slid off the dang thing.

[Art]

Pecard's or Montana Pitchblend. Both are a paste. I use Pecard's on seats, Pitchblend on everything else. They protect from water and sun somewhat, but a cover never hurts and a custom cover is easy to make once you have patterned the seat it is just a matter of an elastic around the edges.

Art

[Turn n Burn]

Should read before I post as above cover with elastic

Edited July 25, 2015 by Turn n Burn