Posts Tagged ‘ Upholstery ’

Enduratex to Host Live Cut-and-Sew Demo at HRR Trade Show

By Ashley Smissen , March 9, 2011 in Hotrod & Restoration Trade Show, Interior

Enduratex has announced that it has invited Ace Eckleberry of ACE Custom Upholstery to do a live cut-and-sew demonstration inside its booth at the upcoming HRR Trade Show. Eckleberry will be using Enduratex’s newest products OSSIE and Gran Reserva to cover a set of seats, as well as do a small sculpting display.

OSSIE is a faux-leather product with an ostrich-inspired exotic skin pattern, according to Enduratex. Gran Reserva is another faux-leather product that features a soft hand and subtle grain, as well as a microfiber backing. Both products are designed for use on high-end applications.

“Gran Reserva looks and feels like leather and is a much more cost-effective product to use when you want to get a high-end look for a job,” said Eckleberry. “It’s a good product.”

The cut and sew demo will be taking place on both Friday and Saturday of the show in booth No. 821.

Interior Design for Today’s Demanding Hot Rodders

By John Katz , December 22, 2010 in Interior, Rod Shops

Sachse Rod Shop did the interior design of this 1933 Ford. The goal was to keep the interior clean and simple.

Pearlescent paint work and 20-inch chrome wheels may wow the crowd on cruise night, but the inside of a car is where a car’s owner spends most of their time, and most customers expect the same kind of cool design there to complement that high-revving Hemi and bold exterior strut. But defining “cool design” is the tricky part, as it’s as subject to individual taste as any other aspect of this highly individual hobby.

One common trend, particularly with 1960s muscle cars, is to return to the factory appearance, but using modern materials of a higher quality than was even dreamt of in those halcyon days of big displacement power.

Restorer Profile: Image Is Everything

By Devlin Smith , October 26, 2010 in Rod Shops

The inside of the shop is decorated in its signature yellow color to help brand its image.

Edward Brumfield first started working on cars as a teenager, quickly learning that he preferred working on the inside of cars rather than under the hood.

“I didn’t like motors,” he said. “[I was] playing around with window tint and fabrication and then started liking to build seats and taking seats out of cars.

“[I started] fooling around with fiberglass and building a few metal pieces, [then] went into sewing a little bit,” said Brumfield.

He took classes in upholstery, window tinting and welding, and put his new skills to practice on his own cars.

“[I] just kept taking it a little bit further every time I bought a new vehicle,” he said. “I kept playing around with it until I got a good finished product. I might strip it down three or four times every six months until I started getting it right.”

Aftermarket Seating Package or Custom Interior? What’s Right For Your Customer?

By Greg Basich , June 30, 2010 in Interior

For many builders and auto trimmers, the decision to use an interior kit over a custom interior is a no-brainer: If the rest of the car is custom then the interior has to be custom. Beyond the people doing the work, the customers often believe something custom is automatically better.

Now before you accuse me of being partial to kits over custom work, this isn’t about one being better than the other; both options have their benefits and drawbacks. As with anything, you must investigate your options and know what’s best for your business.

Restorer Profile: Back & Better Than Ever

By Devlin Smith , June 30, 2010 in Business Resources, Interior, Rod Shops

Main Street Upholstery owner Robert Jewell stands in his newly reconstructed shop. It was destroyed last year when a tree fell on it.

Last August, a thunderstorm hit Thurmont, Maryland, causing thousands of homes to lose power and toppling trees throughout the city. One of those trees struck Main Street Upholstery, a four-year-old upholstery shop that specializes in convertible tops, seat repair and street rod interiors.

“It was just a normal thunderstorm and then it just gradually picked up,” said Robert Jewell, owner of Main Street Upholstery, whose house is located on the same property as the shop. “It was almost like a small tornado had come through and there were several trees in the area right around me that came down as well. It did a lot of damage in our town and all around the area.”

Jewell heard a loud bang that morning but waited until the rain and wind had calmed down to survey the damage. Once he was able to check out his shop, he discovered one of his neighbor’s trees had fallen on the back half of the 600-square-foot, two-bay shop.

Q&A With Interior Fabrication Seminar Presenter Mobile Solutions

By Greg Basich , March 3, 2010 in Interior, Tech & Tools

The workshop takes place 2:30-4:30pm on Saturday, March 13.

The HRR Trade Show will be featuring a new Interior Fabrication training seminar on Saturday, March 13, from 2:30pm- 4:30pm. (Please note the time change!) The seminar will be hosted by Arizona-based company Mobile Solutions.

Featured Vehicle: CalAir 1957 Chevy Wagon

By Ashley Smissen , February 4, 2010 in Interior, Paint & Body, Photo Galleries, Rod Shops

The CalAir 1957 Wagon, restored by Garret's Rod Shop.

The story of this outrageous orange surf wagon starts more by accident than by plan. Along with a ’58 Camaro, the stock 1957 four-door wagon came to the shop as part of a trade for some previous work done.

“The all-original California wagon was in good shape, with a decent restoration started on it,” said one of the car’s builders, Garret Kitchen. “In fact, the former owner said it had sat around in the California desert for many years before it started its journey back to life.”

Interior Insights: What to Consider When Growing Your Business

By Greg Basich , February 2, 2010 in Business Resources, Interior

In the auto upholstery trade, hiring an employee is much more difficult than it is in your standard retail service operation. It’s tough to find a good upholsterer who doesn’t have his own business, and hiring someone without any skills whatsoever and training them from the ground up is a gamble at best.

HRR Trade Show's New Interior Fab Workshop

By Ashley Smissen , January 14, 2010 in Business Resources, Hotrod Seminar Spotlight, Interior, News & Events

The Interior Fabrication Workshop will be offered on Saturday of the HRR Trade Show from 10 a.m to 1 p.m.

The Hotrod & Restoration Trade Show has introduced a new event for its 2010 schedule. This year, Mobile Solutions will be hosting an Interior Fabrication Workshop, designed to teach important skills such as advanced fabrication and router techniques. This four-hour intensive workshop is not only free but open to all HRR Trade Show Attendees.

DLT Corp. Acquires Ohio Valley Upholstery

By Devlin Smith , December 22, 2009 in Interior, News & Events

Full-service upholstery distributor DLT Corp. has acquired Ohio Valley Upholstery Supply, company president Andrew Kahn has announced in a letter posted on DLT’s website. The company, which was founded in Ownensboro, Kentucky in 1947, will now be known as DLT– Ohio Valley.

Tags: Interior, Upholstery