I've done a couple of wheel recovers, so I'll pitch my .02 cents of wisdom into the collective pot..
If you have a Tandy leather store locally, visit them as a supply source for good oil tanned leather that is the correct thickness for your wheel. What you will be using, most likely is leather that is prepared for garments. I suggest you also visit an upholstery supply store that will sell Naugahyde, which is pretty cheap and if you get some that can be stretched in both directions, can be used to make a workable pattern.... measure twice.. cut once.. good leather isn't cheap. Also.. I suggest that you mount the wheel on a device of your own design that hold the wheel so it is easy for you to work with it, you are going to be a while.. don't rush. Once you have the pattern made that gives you the total length you need to slip the "hoop" of fabric on the wheel [you should need to stretch it just a bit to get it on the wheel and about 1/4 to 1/3 of the radius of the wheel should "bulge" into the "hoop". Then establish the width of the pattern piece so that it closes the two edges together. Here comes a decision for you to make at that time.. What kind of edge finish do you want at the closure seam? I suggest you will want to allow enough extra material in the wrap width to allow you to turn under a hem and leave two finished edges that butt together at the stitched seam inside the wheel.. Make that decision, and adjust your pattern to accommodate what ever you have decided. Then..... cut leather using the pattern.. Then.. turn under the seam hem and stitch it nicely on SWMBO's nice sewing machine.. If you are sewing garment thick leather, a home machine will do it nicely.. trick.. Use a "round point needle" in the machine.. When you turn under the hem seam, a little white glue will hold the hem in place, not to much, just a finger smear along the seam allowance, turn the hem seam and press it flat with finger pressure, take you time.. think "old world craftsman"... Once the hem seam is flat.. stitch it, being very careful to make a nice straight edge distance for the stitch line... it will show. Also.. make the hem stitch line wider than you think you should from the turned edge... It's important for the next step. Then... Take the thread out of the machine.. take the thread out of the bobbin.. Set the machine on the widest stitch [ usually something like 12 stitches per inch, perhaps as few as 8, depending on what machine you have] Being very careful to keep the edge distance straight.. stitch a line of holes with the machine between the hem seam you just stitched and the turned edge. Do this on both sides of the strip that is about to become your new steering wheel cover.. You now will have a strip of leather with a nice hem.. and the perfectly spaced lacing holes pre punched. This strip can be made of several shorter pieces if you wish to not have to buy a whole hide of leather. Just join them along end seams with at least 30 degree angles.. to the length. The stitch pattern of the joints is up to you.. french seams, butt seams.. overlaps.. you pick.. Also.. if you wish to have more than one type of leather on the wheel.. you get to decide the layout for that. Then: Using your carefully made pattern, on the machine.. sew the ends of the now prepared "strip" together to make the "hoop" which you will stretch over the wheel... you will have to use some judgement based on the chosen leather and how much "stretch" it has. I'm not a big fan of wet leather.. it will darken the leather and could ruin the finish you desire.. I suggest you will have good success with two good sized needles and the correct waxed thread [bees wax is what you want.. not paraffin wax]. Start lacing the "hoop" to the wheel. Pay attention to the leather.. it will tell you how much it can stretch. You may find, for the leather you have chosen, you need to make several "tack stitches" around the diameter of the wheel to close the leather and let it "adjust" to it's new shape.. before lacing it continuous.. your judgement on that. A light spray to the inside surface of the leather to "slightly dampen it" could be helpful also.. while you stitch and massage the "hoop" into the shape of the wheel. Once you are done stitching, with the pattern of lacing you have chosen.. give the new cover a good massage with saddle soap, just like your favorite pair of boots or shoes... This will help stress relieve the leather to let it "set" to the new shape, and give that nice "new leather smell" [also cleans all your sweaty finger prints off the leather.. [how do I know this.. ;)) ] Enjoy the adventure.. and think of all the money you saved .. hahaha.. On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 8:54 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes < mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > All good ideas - thanks! > > Here’s the Instructables for doing it: > > > http://www.instructables.com/id/Reupholstering-a-steering-wheel/?utm_source=base&utm_medium=related-instructables&utm_campaign=related_test > < > http://www.instructables.com/id/Reupholstering-a-steering-wheel/?utm_source=base&utm_medium=related-instructables&utm_campaign=related_test > > > > I like the idea of doing it wet so the leather shrinks when it dries. I > have a heavy duty sewing machine that can do the edges. > > Dan > > > On Feb 25, 2015, at 10:41 PM, Curly McLain via Mercedes < > mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > > > > > Saddle shop/western store > > buy the heavy duty waxed thread for sewing leather, and the hand type > sewing awl. > > > > alternative: shoe shop > > > > cut the leather undersize I'd guess 1/4" under the circumference of the > wheel. > > > > After dry fitting, soak in water. > > > > Lace it up. > > > > Dry > > > > I'd try a water based glue also. Carpenter glue/alliphatic resin > (yellow wood glue) > > > > Curly > > Who still has several pairs of the old boy scout hardsole moccasins made > over the past 50 years or so. (but they are all pretty worn, and some had > been resoled also. I'd still be buying the kits if the kit didn't get so > crummy after tandy bought Radio Junk.) > > > > SWMBO bought me new Minnetonka hardsoles for Christmas. Those are nice, > but i didn't sew em up. > > > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those > individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner > has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those > individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner > has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
