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jean
France
198 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Apr 2006 : 13:57:33
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What is the most useful item in your toolkit? Not necessarily the most conventional item but the most useful. For example I have one of my husband's old socks which I use to protect wood when I'm tacking under a back rail. I also have a nail punch which I simply could not cope without - it gets into all those really awkward places and is also brilliant when I want to be 100% certain my hammer goes in the right place. And finally an old piece of leather which amongst other things I use when I'm webbing on a curve and it almost makes the wood straight so the webbing stretcher doesn't keep slipping (if you see what I mean!)
And please - don't say your stapler, that's strictly off limits as I HATE removing staples!
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n/a
118 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2006 : 15:05:51
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| Mine has to be a small peice of wood which I found in a bin when I attended upholstery classes. I've never got on with the wodden web stretcher thingys - and the guy running the class showed me how to get lovely stretched webbing using this piece of wood. Its only around 4" X 2" - and nice a smooth - couldn't manage without it. |
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n/a
153 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2006 : 16:46:40
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| A brick I have 2, one found on Bexhill beach and is all lovely and smooth and one covered in interlining I use them to weight fabris down when a clamp isn't suitable. Also (sorry Ruth I know you don't agree)my bent bits of coathangers that hold my springs in place when I'm tying them in |
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n/a
118 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2006 : 19:08:14
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I hate removing staples too - but I do love my compressor staple gun - POW POW!!!
Sorry Jean |
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n/a
153 Posts |
Posted - 26 Apr 2006 : 18:45:53
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| oh and my magnetic hammer |
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wheelcottage
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2006 : 07:39:21
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Hi Sue,
Would you mind explaining the use of "bent bits of coathangers" for holding springs in. It could be a useful tip.
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n/a
153 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2006 : 09:45:09
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go to page 3 in the list of topics, look for the post by Richard called sprung seat compression or something like that and theres a potted description there for you, plus some ramblings by me and Jean re france etc.
Talking of France popping over on thurs for 10 days or so, but not over in your neck of the woods Jean other wise I'd be visiting! |
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jean
France
198 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2006 : 11:50:00
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| Sue - I'm in the UK this weekend and then on Monday I am off biking (pedal variety) in the Loire valley for four days. Where are you going? BTW - I use electric wire now and not coathangars. Much more adjustable (and as it's green/yellow it's colourful too!). |
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n/a
153 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2006 : 17:36:38
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Using the rosyth - zeebrugge ferry for a change, staying fri night in Dijon then a week in Forcalquier ( just done a long range weather forecast looks a tad damp mid week) then we're debating what to do on the way home, think we are going north for 100 miles (forgotten name of place ) and staying in log cabins in a biker only camp, then spending our last night in a chateau in Lorraine. Well thats the plan, being joined by a load of mad Danes so I can see me and my husband deciding to go touring halfway through the holiday!
Enjoy the Loire
Will try electric wire much more user friendly |
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jean
France
198 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2006 : 21:10:42
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Next time try western France and come and visit. Can't guarantee the weather though! I'm apparently (it's my biking colleague who's arranging everything) visiting the garden festival at Chaumont and then a couple of other chateaux and staying in a campsite within 20ks of everything. A couple of years ago I biked from south to north with another girlfriend for charity and we had a real blast. We chose a flat(ish!) route as we were towing and carrying all our stuff and stayed in campsites until we discovered how cold it can be in (very)late September north of the Loire. A film crew joined us for the last four days which was both irritating (no you can NOT film me behind the bush or even walking over to it!) and wonderful as on the last day we biked into St Malo with flags and camera crew and all the locals thinking we were a couple of film stars! We earned it though - 100ks per day pulling gear is hard work!
Anyway, enough gabbling. Have a great time and come over this way next time.
XX Jean |
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wheelcottage
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2006 : 07:33:32
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Thank you Sue for the page number for using wire to hold down springs to make lashing easier.
In my toolbox I have an old pin pusher which is not an upholstery tool. It will only take upholstery gimps but is useful for getting into tight spaces were it is difficult to get to with a tack and hammer. It also avoids damage to any show wood and was recommended by my upholstery teacher when I first became interested in upholstery.
You can do a lot a damage with an upholstery hammer when you first begin to do upholstery! |
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jean
France
198 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2006 : 08:02:07
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Yes - and not just to the wood! My left hand suffered yesterday when the hammer hit the wrong target! Lovely bruise this morning. You'd think I would have learnt by now!
XX Jean |
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n/a
153 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2006 : 14:09:32
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| Hi everyone I'm back, complete with bruised leg (and ego!) from dropping the bike in Monaco, luckily had just finished 'doing' the grand prix track and had been attempting a sharp right hand bend and suddenly the bike was on its side and me ungainly sprawled all over it. I say luckily as if I'd still been on the main circuit about 20 mad scooter riders would have used me for a speed bump! weather was grand altho very windy on the way up to Paris. Managed 2500 miles in 10 days am shattered now! Have 10 cushions that need re-filling with feathers and covered for a bergere suite, plus 3 deliveries of chairs have arrived today, 2 of the kids are ill in bed and middle one home from Uni as she's off working in the US next week and can we go shopping argh! |
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jean
France
198 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2006 : 05:50:00
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Gosh Sue that sounds horrendous. Still, glad it's only bruises and not worse.
I hope it won't put you off France. A week in the UK and I came back a day early!
Back to work is a shock but my wonderful husband has installed a huge table from his office (it used to be an upholsterers workshop) which means I don't have toGoo juggle stuff around so much.
Good luck with all those cushions - can you still use feathers with all this bird flu? |
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n/a
153 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2006 : 11:59:44
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| getting feathers can be a problem but mainly due to the cost since the bird flu, but popped down to my local upholsterers and he had several huge feather cushions he didn't want so bought them off of him, I'm so glad that jobs over what a mess! Still she's delighted I took a photo so will pop it on Davids page when I get round to it. |
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Toolkit - What's REALLY useful
