i bought a 100 quid budget sewing machine from argos.
I did buy the proper leather needles too, but to be honest havnt changed them - since the standard one works fine.
Doing straight stiching, french seams etc ... are relatively easy. BUT the problem i found - was the machine doesnt like
slow starts, the motor doesnt have enough torque at low speeds to start the stiching off. Once its moving, no problem it hammers away like a good un'n ! I suspect you guys that have bought the industrial sewers dont have this problem. ( ps - have got a teflon foot
, but didnt really make much difference )
Covering flat sections, goes really well - but the problem i've found is internal corners, i am struggling covering the central instrument binnacle
on the 355, since you have numerous internal corners. I have read, that you should only glue your coverings on the edges ( ie not all over the flat surfaces ) This allows the material to move with heat changes. BUT on an internal corner, sometimes the only way is to glue the covering to the foam at this point. So if anyone has any tips on this part - would be interested to know !
Hide type, where are you guys getting your material from ? I got some off ebay, but it was way too course a grain. There are some other sellers sending a sample before i make the same mistake again !
Foam, i've been using 1/4 open cell foam - since its easily available and suits the 355 amount of oem style padding - however, books suggest that you should use the closed cell foam ( ie you can actually sand this foam ) type for dashboards etc ....but it just doesnt seem avaliable in the UK ?
- On a side note, have you see how they do it on American hotrod, by 'Gabes interiors' - complete custom interior in about 2 days !!!!
Bill the youtube link is a good one, and note how slowly his sewing machine will stitch.