YinTx Report post Posted October 20, 2021 The rubber on the wheel was a bit crumbly... so I fixed it. Course, had to do the E-brake to match...apparently I need to deal with the shifter next...not sure how to approach that one. YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spyros Report post Posted October 20, 2021 Love the baseball stitch! Personally I'm not a fan of making the wheel too fat, it just doesnt feel right in my hands, but great execution anyway Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Simplejack1985 Report post Posted October 20, 2021 Nice work Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayEhl Report post Posted October 20, 2021 Great job. The plain veg tan color makes it really pop out. Now I see why you need to do the shifter. It looks like a great challenge. Let us know how you go about doing that one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
battlemunky Report post Posted October 20, 2021 Love it! It'll tan up nice too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted October 20, 2021 11 hours ago, Spyros said: Love the baseball stitch! Personally I'm not a fan of making the wheel too fat, it just doesnt feel right in my hands, but great execution anyway Thanks! it was a bit of a challenge. I didn't actually change the dimensions of the wheel thickness, beyond the addition of the leather thickness. The contrasting colors seem to make it appear thicker than it actually is. Much more comfortable to touch than the old crumbled wheel texture! 11 hours ago, Simplejack1985 said: Nice work Thank you! 3 hours ago, JayEhl said: Great job. The plain veg tan color makes it really pop out. Now I see why you need to do the shifter. It looks like a great challenge. Let us know how you go about doing that one. Appreciate it. It is a pretty bold contrast. I debated dying the leather, but I expect the Hermann Oak leather to patina and tan in the Texas sun over time Because of this tho, I'm going to have to think up the shifter soon so that it doesn't come out a different color over time from the rest of it. 1 hour ago, battlemunky said: Love it! It'll tan up nice too. I expect so, especially in the Texas sun! Hopefully it is somewhat even, and not dark on top and light on the bottom.. time will tell. I only used Carnuba Cream as a finish so I'm sure it'll pick up all kinds of colors, scratches, marks, sun, etc. YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garypl Report post Posted October 20, 2021 Looks great Y - that stitching looks like it was very tedious to do while keeping everything tight. Any tricks you learned that helped? Also, what weight leather did you use? Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted October 20, 2021 35 minutes ago, garypl said: Looks great Y - that stitching looks like it was very tedious to do while keeping everything tight. Any tricks you learned that helped? Also, what weight leather did you use? Gary Thank you. It was a bit tedious, you have to pull each stitch tight, hold it, stretch the leather, do the next stitch. Took many hours. Had to prototype the shapes for each spoke and to get the shape for the enlarged sections just above the left and right spokes. Tried to use tape to get the shape, but that was a worthless exercise. Expect the leather to stretch too much in some places, not enough in others. Stitches occasionally pulled through the leather, had to take it all out and start again. I think skiving and folding for a double top grain for strength may help, as well as possibly adding some rip stop under the fold for strength would be a way to go in the future. Used soggy leather vs just wet, seemed to really help especially considering how long it took. Not sure it was worth all the effort, pretty sure no one would pay me enough to do their car. If I recall, it was 4 to 5 oz leather, could have used thinner but I worried the thinner leather would tear through too easily when pulling the leather and stitches tight. Used 1.4mm Tiger thread, really thick stuff. YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rleather Report post Posted October 20, 2021 2 hours ago, YinTx said: Thank you. It was a bit tedious, you have to pull each stitch tight, hold it, stretch the leather, do the next stitch. Took many hours. Had to prototype the shapes for each spoke and to get the shape for the enlarged sections just above the left and right spokes. Tried to use tape to get the shape, but that was a worthless exercise. Expect the leather to stretch too much in some places, not enough in others. Stitches occasionally pulled through the leather, had to take it all out and start again. I think skiving and folding for a double top grain for strength may help, as well as possibly adding some rip stop under the fold for strength would be a way to go in the future. Used soggy leather vs just wet, seemed to really help especially considering how long it took. Not sure it was worth all the effort, pretty sure no one would pay me enough to do their car. If I recall, it was 4 to 5 oz leather, could have used thinner but I worried the thinner leather would tear through too easily when pulling the leather and stitches tight. Used 1.4mm Tiger thread, really thick stuff. YinTx I can't tell , did you use one piece , or are there several stitched together? Did you happen to see the yt from Springfield Leather, that went into a steering wheel cover. It was very good. You have now inspired me to give it a try. I think you did a great job. I'm debating to dye or not to dye, that is the question. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scoutmom103 Report post Posted October 20, 2021 Maybe these videos from Cechaflo will help How to Make a Basic Shift Boot - Car Upholstery for Beginners. - YouTube Shift Knob in Leather - Auto Upholstery - YouTube Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garypl Report post Posted October 21, 2021 7 hours ago, YinTx said: Thank you. It was a bit tedious, you have to pull each stitch tight, hold it, stretch the leather, do the next stitch. Took many hours. Had to prototype the shapes for each spoke and to get the shape for the enlarged sections just above the left and right spokes. Tried to use tape to get the shape, but that was a worthless exercise. Expect the leather to stretch too much in some places, not enough in others. Stitches occasionally pulled through the leather, had to take it all out and start again. I think skiving and folding for a double top grain for strength may help, as well as possibly adding some rip stop under the fold for strength would be a way to go in the future. Used soggy leather vs just wet, seemed to really help especially considering how long it took. Not sure it was worth all the effort, pretty sure no one would pay me enough to do their car. If I recall, it was 4 to 5 oz leather, could have used thinner but I worried the thinner leather would tear through too easily when pulling the leather and stitches tight. Used 1.4mm Tiger thread, really thick stuff. YinTx You have more patience than me! Nice job and I enjoy seeing the cool projects you make Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted October 21, 2021 7 hours ago, Scoutmom103 said: Maybe these videos from Cechaflo will help How to Make a Basic Shift Boot - Car Upholstery for Beginners. - YouTube Shift Knob in Leather - Auto Upholstery - YouTube I had seen these before, gave me some ideas, but this shifter is a bit different. I didn't use any glue at all on the pieces I put on so far, hoping to not have to. All the stitches are functional and not decorative. 2 hours ago, garypl said: You have more patience than me! Nice job and I enjoy seeing the cool projects you make Thank you! As an aside, I got to drive around with it finally. The stitching really gives some tactile enjoyment I wasn't anticipating, and it is everywhere regardless of hand position. I know where all the flaws are, and I can feel them as I drive, but interestingly instead of bothering me (I am a bit of a perfectionist), I really appreciate them. The contrast of the smooth leather and the rough thread is interesting. All the contours of the original wheel, with the finger bumps on the back, and the thicker grip sections above the spokes translate completely through the leather. It was just really enjoyable, especially in contrast to the dry crumbly uncouth rubber from before! Despite the struggle to get this thing together, I am really glad I did it! YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrmCa Report post Posted October 23, 2021 This is super cool! I've been contemplating making the same kind of wrap for my vehicles for a long time but never had the courage to get on with it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted November 2, 2021 On 10/23/2021 at 2:09 PM, DrmCa said: This is super cool! I've been contemplating making the same kind of wrap for my vehicles for a long time but never had the courage to get on with it. Thank you. It was a bit of an ordeal, but I've enjoyed it. And it has rapidly acquired a golden tan hue from the South Texas sun. It really doesn't match the interior of the car, but I'm not in the least bit concerned, lol. YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
