Recent content by mathil

Re: Finally Got A TiG Set!!! For an old transformer machine like that I would grind a point, put a small flat on the tip and weld away. It will create the smallest ball necessary for the amperage you're using, and the smaller the ball the better arc control you have. If you ever play with a...

Here's a blurb from the West website that affirms hairspray. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/mold-release-pva-and-hairspray/

Hairspray is just like PVA in essence... A solid carried by a fast evaporating liquid that dissolves in water...

When I install covers I put them on a space heater to warm them up. You could use an oven, or a heat register, or anything really. Good vinyls can be soft. Cheap vinyls are hard and crack at 10C.

Hobbyists get away with a lot of stuff that a production facility wouldn't. The proper products recommended by the manufacturers are the absolute right way to go, however you can cheat that if you expect less performance, different performance, possible interactions, etc etc. IE you can use...

Paint stores have a gun that they can shoot at a tin to get the color off. It will never, ever be 100% (even the paint mixed from the chosen paint chip will never match 100%) but it will be very, very close. You obviously need a tin to match though.

You can also add an air dry wax to poly resin to get it to fully surface cure in open air. Only has to be added to the final layer of resin you use.

A lot of times the hard seat foam is shaped to desire, and then a softer fill foam, or fluff, or whatever you want to call it, is put in right under the cover. This will fill the cushion out, but be warned that it'll poke out and make bumps out of any of your stitching inconsistencies.

That's a good step in the learning process. When making the cover you need to factor in the strechability of the material. It should be stretched, not too much, not too little, there's a Goldilocks zone. Stretching the material takes care of all of the little waves and unevenness. If you...

Depends on the resin. There's ones designed to work better in the cold. There should be a temperature chart somewhere that shows cure times at different temperatures with different hardener ratios.

Usually when patterning out a seat its easiest to get some clear plastic to draw on with a sharpie. Finish your foam shape how you want it, and draw where you want your seams to go on it. Lay your plastic on, and trace the seams on to the plastic. Add your seam allowances and sew away! If...

Don't I know it... I tried to buy another gallon and it's off the shelves in Canada too. It's a shame, because responsible people with brains should be able to buy and properly dispose of nasty chemicals.

I've found the aircraft stripper (I use Tal-Strip 2) is way better than the HD style furniture stripper. Paint usually flakes immediately with the tal strip, but the furniture stripper takes coating, brushing, coating, brushing, coating, brushing to work. The furniture stuff is definitely...

Could have it dipped and then zinc phosphated, but even then I think there'd still be places that wouldn't be reached. Would have to have holes drilled in proper places, though.

I'll probably be buying a slab of 2" rebond foam soon, to do my own seat with. It's expensive stuff, but it's definitely dense and shapable. Maybe I'll cut up what I have left and sell small pieces.