First Seat

[TinyL]

or first anything for leathercraft is concerned. I want to thank everyone on this forum for all the help and tips. My husband is thrilled with his Christmas gift and has commissioned me to do the pillion pad now. But he was kind enough to leave it up to me as to what to put on it since i'm the one sitting on it. Thanks again and happy new year!

Chris

[freak]

I'm glad you took some close up pics cause that first pic does it no justice. Alot of small detail you can't see in the first pic. Nice job, now where's that P pad ? LOL

[TinyL]

Hey Freak ,

Thanks for the compliment. I actually started a seat for my my brother- in -law this weekend which is now top priority. It's a portrait of Marilyn Monroe. I'll probably post a pic later because I'm kinda stuck as to how I can make her eyes pop and not look so flat looking and I could use advice about it.

Anyhoo, enjoy the rest of the weekend!

TinyL

[MADMAX22]

Looks good, that seat style is hard to cover. Ive got a yamaha cruiser with a similer style seat and am dreading when i finally get around to covering that beast.

I saw your monroe and it looks really really good so far. I cant offer you any pointers as I have never carved a person before so good luck.

[TinyL]

Thanks madmax22,

to be honest it was very difficult to shape the leather over the pan and my husband was the one who did the riveting and affixing of the leather to the seat. But he loves it so that's all that matters. thanks for the compliment on marilyn. i followed a tip from Zilla and i'm pleased with the result. I'll post more pix soon

[crwsctrl]

TinyL,

Can you give any pointers for the rivets? What size did you use?

Did you lace the top and sides together first and then rivet or reverse?

For the lacing what type of lace pattern is that and any suggestion on the hole spacing and size.

Also with the lacing itself. Did you overlap the leather (seat top over side) and if so how much overlap did you allow for?

Yeah you guessed it... I am getting ready to try to make my first seat as well... so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Great job, I can't wait to see others.

Regards,

Randy

[TinyL]

TinyL,

Can you give any pointers for the rivets? What size did you use?

Did you lace the top and sides together first and then rivet or reverse?

For the lacing what type of lace pattern is that and any suggestion on the hole spacing and size.

Also with the lacing itself. Did you overlap the leather (seat top over side) and if so how much overlap did you allow for?

Yeah you guessed it... I am getting ready to try to make my first seat as well... so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Great job, I can't wait to see others.

Regards,

Randy

Hi Randy,

My husband got the rivets. I'll have to ask him what type they were. All I know is they are the ones that won't rust. He was able to get a hand tool at Lowes fairly cheaply. As far as the lacing, I did just a criss cross pattern and laced the top and bottom pieces together. I have to say I was able to cheat on the bottom because it is completely hidden and dh couldn't wait for the dye to dry, much less the seat to be attached to the pan. It's not the most professional looking, but as I said, it is completely hidden from view.

The ovelap was only 1/4 inch around. I used the thingamajigger that has the pointed wheel(can't remember the name of the tool) and marked the outside of my seat. I then punched 1/8 in holes all around on every 3rd mark. so i punched a hole counted 2 marks, then punched the next hole. I would advise to start at the center of the top of the seat an mark your dots going around both sides simultaneously so that when you get to the bottom center, if you have to make an adjustment for the spacing, you can do so.

I tell you what Randy, you found the right forum to help you make your first seat because the guys and gals know there stuff and are really seasoned in this type of art. If you have specific questions, you should start a thread or at least read all the threads under this subforum. That's what I did and it really answered so many of my questions.

Good luck to you!

TinyL

[crwsctrl]

Hi Randy,

My husband got the rivets. I'll have to ask him what type they were. All I know is they are the ones that won't rust. He was able to get a hand tool at Lowes fairly cheaply. As far as the lacing, I did just a criss cross pattern and laced the top and bottom pieces together. I have to say I was able to cheat on the bottom because it is completely hidden and dh couldn't wait for the dye to dry, much less the seat to be attached to the pan. It's not the most professional looking, but as I said, it is completely hidden from view.

The ovelap was only 1/4 inch around. I used the thingamajigger that has the pointed wheel(can't remember the name of the tool) and marked the outside of my seat. I then punched 1/8 in holes all around on every 3rd mark. so i punched a hole counted 2 marks, then punched the next hole. I would advise to start at the center of the top of the seat an mark your dots going around both sides simultaneously so that when you get to the bottom center, if you have to make an adjustment for the spacing, you can do so.

I tell you what Randy, you found the right forum to help you make your first seat because the guys and gals know there stuff and are really seasoned in this type of art. If you have specific questions, you should start a thread or at least read all the threads under this subforum. That's what I did and it really answered so many of my questions.

Good luck to you!

TinyL

Great Advice! Thanks so much for the tips!

All the best.

Randy