Things have been going really good though and I have to say I am really confident that Bob will do just fine when he returns to South Dakota. He has really improved on every aspect in this business over the past 2 weeks, but I also have to say one thing and this really isn’t a brag, but it has been how he has been trained and the products we use. When I started I didn’t have half of what he has gotten or the products that we have in today’s market. I had to basically learn most of what I know today by trial and error, reading on the internet, asking a ton of questions of my suppliers, and the products I had were well let’s say not anywhere near what I use today.

These past few days I have basically stood by and watched while he has done the repairs. I’ve only stepped in when he has really needed it, but really he has done the repairs. He has done an amazing job and I am really proud to call him “my” trainee. Yes there are a few things yet he still has to learn but a lot of that will come with experience and practice. This is something that doesn’t come over night, it takes practice and time.

We have covered a lot of what he will come across in the repair world from leather repairs and vinyl repairs to carpet dyeing and cloth repair, granted there will be things I know he will come across that I haven’t taught him but with the limited time we have had I just can’t show him every little thing. But with the things we have covered I have confidence in him that he will do just fine. He really has the drive and the ability to figure things out on his own, which is something that is needed in this business to survive.

I would like to invite you to my Automotive Interior Repair Training program if your serious about starting a new career and making a new life for yourself. Just drop me an email with your phone number and I’ll be sure to give you a call about the details.

Talk to ya soon,

Mike “TIG”

Today he really got his feet wet and did his first vinyl repair and did great. He’s still a little green but that’s expected, he’s never done this before. This week we’re really going to work on his techniques and really get in there and do the work, and I do mean do it too. I’m basically just there for support this week because he’s the one who’s going to be doing the repairs.

Last week I think he was getting a little worried about things and he thought I wasn’t going to let him do the work. But that’s what my training program is all about is teaching the correct way of doing things and also hands on. The first week I just wanted to get him familiar with the products on how and when to use them, the steps of doing the repairs, and how to mix the dyes including colors and adding the different additives to make the dyes work properly. I just wanted to make sure he was going to be able to do the work before I just let him go. This week is all about getting in there and doing repairs so when he gets back home he will feel comfortable with the repairs and not have any problems with just getting in there and doing them.

Last Friday we did a couple of jobs that were really good teaching tools. One was a Dodge Durango that we had a steering wheel repair, the front leather seats needed reconditioned and it also had a few cigarette burns in the carpet which we hadn’t worked on yet. This was also a good one for the wear lines that occur on the edge of the seat. Believe it or not the passenger seat was worse then the drivers. The wear had almost gone all the way through so we repaired it with Viper’s Deep Crack Compound which is a high performance low heat compound designed to not shrink when heated and is also sandable, a big plus when doing leather repairs.

The next job we headed to on Friday was an 1981 Chevy Corvette. A little jewel of a car that just needed a little TLC, and we were there to give it. This was a good one to show him what happens to a steering wheel when the foam under the leather breaks down. I wasn’t able to make the steering wheel look as good as I wanted to because the the deteriorated foam but I got it really close. We also dyed the carpet and dyed a few miscellaneous plastic pieces around the inside that the original dye had worn off. Both of which we hadn’t worked on yet. When we got done the customer was really happy with the outcome, unfortunately I wasn’t completely satisfied but sometimes that happens when your as anal as I am.

Today, in spite of the heat, we got a lot done. Like I said before Bob did most of the work with me watching over his shoulder. There were a couple of jobs I had to take over but mostly he did it, including mixing the dyes to match to doing the repairs from start to finish.

I really have confidence in him that he will really succeed when he gets home. He’s done his research, listened well, and has taken to the Automotive Interior Restoration like a champ!

Well I’ll write more tomorrow on what’s going on with my Automotive Interior Restoration Training, but now I need to go out and pay some attention to a paint gun that is in dyer need of a cleaning.

If your looking for a new career or needing to improve your skills in the Automotive Interior Repair business then make sure you look me up.

Talk to ya soon…Mike “TIG”

Lately I’ve been getting calls and emails from people wanting to know how to mix a color, what colors do what, and what colors they need to have with them.

As far as color matching, I match all my dyes by eye, meaning I use no formula, no mixing chart, just knowledge of colors and what they can do. So if your looking for a formula for how I mix my colors your looking in the wrong place.

What I’m going to do is give you the basics of colors and what colors will do when mixed together. The rest is up to you to learn and take mental note of how to achieve the color your looking for. I learned something from an Art teacher of mine in High School, she said that art is a learned behavior, yes one has to have talent, but the techniques of painting, drawing, and color mixing are learned. If you were to stop drawing at say 12 years old and never picked up a pencil to draw again until you were 30, you would draw like a 12 year old, it’s a learned behavior.

So with that said, lets get onto some learning…

Primary Colors

There are 3 colors that are the Primary Colors, Red, Blue, and Yellow and all colors vary from just these 3 colors in either hues or shade. A hue is a variance in any one color and a shade is the intensity of a color.

Secondary Colors

These are colors that come from mixing 2 primary colors together. For example if you mix Red + Blue = Purple, Yellow + Blue = Green, Red + Yellow = Orange. So Purple, Green, and Orange are your secondary colors.

Complementary Colors

This is something I use a lot when mixing my colors. The reason for this is if I go to far with one color I use it’s compliment to counteract or cancel out that color. If you don’t have a color wheel then here’s a great tool that will help, it’s called the “Color Triangle” . Draw a triangle, put one of each of the primary colors at the corners and one of each of the secondary colors on each side in mixing order. Now with the colors in place pick a color… lets say Red, when you look directly across the triangle what do you see, Green, that’s Red’s complimentary color, same goes for a color wheel. They call it a compliment because when you put the two together they make the other seem more intense or vibrant. When a color your mixing is lets say too yellow, add it’s compliment which is purple to cancel the yellow out.

Tertiary Colors

Tertiary Colors are your browns and grays. These are the colors that we deal with mostly in today’s vehicles. They’re created by mixing either all three primary colors or a primary and secondary color (secondary colors of course being made from two primaries). By varying the proportions of the colors you’re mixing, you create the different tertiary colors.

Black and White

Black and white are colors you would think would be part of the primary colors or even the secondary colors but they leave them out due to the fact that you they can’t be mixed by using the other colors. Most artist’s don’t even use black or white but in the automotive world it’s used more then none. When adding white you will loose intensity in the color and when adding black the color will mud. I do use a lot of white and black to lighten or darken a colors but I will have to add a little more color for intensity, if not the color will have a milky look to it. I call this “milking the color”. You’ll notice this in your tans mostly, you’ll get the shade right but the color has a white look to it, if you add little more color to it you should keep the shade but loose the milky look.

We have an unlimited pallet of colors to choose from, yes you could sit down with the 3 primary colors with black and white and get the colors you desire, but we have choices of pre-mixed colors that will get you there a little quicker. Here’s an example of some of the colors I carry on board with me that I use to mix the automotive interior colors. You’ll notice I use a red and a yellow oxide, these are hues of yellow and red with a brown shade added. Most of the colors used in today’s auto’s are a hues and shades of brown, even your gray’s.

Main Colors -

• Black
• White
• Dark Brown
• Yellow Oxide
• Red Oxide

3 Primary Colors -

• Red
• Blue
• Yellow

Secondary Color -

• Green
• Violet

Metallics

• Silver
• Gold

Now I don’t usually carry an orange, the reason for this is that almost every color I am mixing is a shade of brown or gray which IS a hue of orange and the yellow and red oxides work better for this.

One hint on mixing your leather dyes. Keep a selection of pigments to go along with your premixed dyes. I mix all my dyes in two ounce jars, which is plenty of dye for just about any job your doing. I’ll mix about 1 and 3/4 of an ounce of my premixed dyes and get the color as close as I can get it, then to finalize the color off I’ll use my pigments to get me there quicker. You kinda have to experiment a little with this, the pigments will get you there really quick so very small amounts. I use this when I get a color say a little dark and I’m running out of room in the jar, I’ll grab the white pigment to lighten it up or a color pigment to intensify the color instead of using my premixed which could cause me to have to mix more then I would need. Theres no need to waste dye, dye is money.

By the way, I have some people asking about keeping your dyes and some that have said they just dump the excess when their done. I keep all my dyes and use them over and over. I do this by not mixing to many different colors, what I mean by this is I will have around 10 jars of grays and 10 jars of browns with a few reds and blues and just tweek them for each individual job. I also use a crosslinker which enables me to keep my dyes up to six weeks before they start to gel up, which by that time I’ve already used it on something else by just tinting it to match. Why throw away usable dye, that’s money your pouring down the drain!

Color matching is something you just have to play with. Start with your basics like is it dark or light? If its dark start with a dark brown or a black, if it’s a light color then start with white or the lighter color in the mix as your main color and tint from there. Your blues and reds you’ll start with the primary color and tint from there by adding in small amounts, and I do mean small, it doesn’t take much to make red into pink.

One thing you might try is to go to your nearest upholstery shop and get some scrap peices of the most recent colors and take them home and just sit down and mix. Just play with the colors and see what they do. Remember its a learned behavior and you have to learn what each color will do before you can mix your colors to match.

Well guys I hope this answered some of your questions on mixing your colors to match. It’s something that takes practice, patience, and knowledge just like anything in the automotive interior repair business. I gave you some knowledge so let’s give it some practice and be patient, it took me some time to pick it up too.

Talk to you soon,

Mike “TIG”

p.s. don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter!

Today was definitely the day for “Blue”. I worked on 3 different blue interiors today which is kinda unusual. It’s weird like that though. I’ll go for weeks and not have one blue interior and then Bam all at once I’ll get them all in one day. The last blue one I worked on today was a 1980 Mercedes 450sl. The dash was cracked from the defrost vent up, above the instrument cluster, then another crack on the side of the hump above the cluster. I wish I had pictures but just didn’t think, sorry.

Let me put it to you this way if we could have pulled the windshield we would have, it was not in a great spot. There’s only about 3 inches from the top of the dash to the windshield. When things get that tight it’s almost impossible to yield a perfect fix. You’ll have problems from not having enough room to sand or the worst is getting the job almost done and not having enough room to dye the area without dyeing the windshield too. But luckily this turned out a lot better then I had anticipated. I had just enough room to sand and just enough room to lay a good coat of dye, with the exception of down inside the lip of the vent, here I took a small sponge brush and brushed the dye on. You will find that when you brush dye on it will have a little different sheen to it then if it were to be sprayed on, so top coat with a clear when done to even this effect out.

When I started this dash repair the edges of the crack were curled up slightly and in one spot it was raised up about an inch. The way I usually would fix this would be to trim this off. But I thought I would try something first and see if it would work. I took a matching grain pad, basically for protection from the hot vinyl, and heated the curled and raised areas up then pressed the grain pad into the areas pushing them down and leveling them out. I just kept heating and molding the areas until I was satisfied. It worked really well. I was able to level the area out which gave me a level crack to fill.

I then sanded the cracks with a 120 grit sandpaper about an inch all the way around. This is prep for the next step which is something I’ve talked about before. It’s one of the best products I have found for repairing cracked dashes. It’s called Padded Dash Filler by Urethane Supply Company. Now these guys know a few things when it comes to plastics. I have never been disappointed with Urethane Supply Company’s products and the Padded Dash Filler is no different. It spreads like butter and sets up really fast… I like fast.

After I sanded the area around the cracks I prepped with my prepping solution and then mixed up me a batch of Padded Dash Filler. Now I use a little different catalyst then what they send, I think they give you the red stuff in the little tube (the catalyst). I use the blue stuff, it’s a little “hotter” then the red. But if your just starting out using the filler then use the red, it takes a little longer to set up but you can work with it a little longer. Mix up small amount at a time, I usually use a glob of filler about the size of a shooter marble with a pea size of catalyst. I mix it on a piece of 4″x4″ smooth tile, it’s small enough to hold and cleans up nicely with a razor blade so you can use it over and over again.

Basically your first coat of Padded Dash Filler will be a rough fill, meaning don’t worry about getting it perfect. I’ll sometimes lay about 3 to 4 coats before I happy. The whole idea is to get your repair as level and smooth as possible, the texture comes after wards. I will use a 120 grit to start out with then graduate to a 240 then 400 if needed. This Mercedes was a hard one too, I actually used the reflection from the windshield to see the back side of the dash when I was sanding, not real fun.

The texture on this one I used the Sem Texture Coat. It’s about the only way to get texture back into the repair area when using the filler. If I would of had more room I would have done my little trick with my grain pad. I was able to do it on the lower crack though. What I’m talking about is taking your grain pad and pressing the grain into the Sem Texture Coat. You can do this if you get the right amount of texture coat on and do it when the stuff is still soft. Try it out sometime it works pretty good, just wait until the texture coat flashes then press the grain pad into the texture coat “lightly”, and you have a matching grain.

Now dyeing the repaired area was a booger.. to say the least, after I covered the windshield I realized how much room I didn’t have to get my paint gun in. Thank God I use the paint gun I do, thisSharpe 7040 top trigger gun I use is small and has an adjustable cup so I was able to get it in where most guns I wouldn’t have had a chance. Like I said I was able to get almost all the area covered with the spray but I had to sponge brush a small area along the defrost vent.

I top coated the dash with a low gloss clear when I was done and I was pretty happy with the repair. I wish I could have gotten a better grain into the area though, but you couldn’t hardly tell because of where the repair was unless you got right up on it. My customer was happy so that was good.

I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my repairs, if I’m not happy with it then I know my customer won’t be. I never try to settle for just good enough. This one I had to settle a little though, I just physically couldn’t have made it better due to the amount of room I had to work with, grrr.

Cracked Dash Repair is one that can be frustrating but take your time and don’t rush things. The Padded Dash Filler does take a little bit to set up, and getting your texture just right takes a little practice. Well I hope my little experience today gave you some ideas in doing a repair on a cracked dash and if you need anything don’t forget to join my forum or just throw me a comment.

Later….Mike”TIG”

I get into so many autos that the buttons on the radio are peeling off and what your left with are white buttons that just look awful. At night it can be at the least distracting. Have you seen one of those? Well Viper Products has done it again and has come up with a fix for those peeling buttons. Its a two part film. A translucent film and a black film with cut outs for the lettering. All you do is sand the peeling radio button to give you a smooth surface to put the film onto. Prep, then lay the film over the radio button and heat it to reform the coating to button. The lights from the radio still shine through the lettering and the finished product looks, as Viper Products always does, factory. I’m waiting on a video that I can put on here for all to see, but I just couldn’t wait to tell you all about it until then. You can view the video here – Viper Products – and don’t forget your discount code when you order – IG1100 – Guys you just can’t go wrong with this one. Like I said I see a lot of vehicles with the radio buttons peeling and I get a lot of requests to fix them. Up until now I’ve had to tell them to replace the radio, or try to buy new knobs, or just live with it. I’ve even dyed a few of them to to cover up the ugly, but the letters are gone and they won’t light up. So this system is a must add to your automotive interior repair business. Some of those radio’s can get pretty pricey, so being able to fix the peeling radio buttons without having to replace the radio can be a huge asset to your business and your customers. Go check the video out and come back and shoot me a comment on what you think of How To Fix Radio Buttons Peeling.

So I thought of giving you a little bit on Stain Removal in Carpet. This is one thing I get a lot of questions for and that is how to get those nasty brown, or black, or even red stains out of the interior carpet of the vehicles I work on on a daily basis.

The trick isn’t to it isn’t really a trick at all, it’s timing and knowledge of what to use where and when. Getting to a spill before it gets a chance to soak in is your best defense against a stain in your carpet. If you spill something wipe it up and soak it up as quickly as possible and then flush with water and soak it up with a towel, or what ever you have at the time. But thats not always the case and thats where this little guide will help you, but really if you can wipe spills up a fast as you can and this helps to get the actual stain out later when you have more time.

One of the most common stains I see in vehicles are footprints or skid marks from dirty and greasy shoes. The answer to this is a degreaser. There are so many different options to use in this situation, but I’m here to make this as simple as possible and effective. Supplies you will need are a couple of white towels, a scrub brush and a mild detergent, like dawn dish soap, a small pail of warm water mixing the soap to 1/4 oz. soap to gallon of water. Dip your brush in the soap and water, scrub the areas lightly with the brush making sure not to soak the carpet then wipe and blot with the towel. Repeat if necessary, wiping and blotting the area with the towel to remove the dirt and grime and the water, you don’t want it to sour later if left wet. If your have a shop vac, use it to suck up the water and to fluff the carpet pile back up to dry better. Place a fan in the vehicle if needed to dry further if you’ve had a bad one.

Now sometimes more then not you will need something a little stronger to get the grease out. I use Castrol Super Clean, the purple stuff. I’ve used Simple Green at times too, and some of the products at some of detail shops I’m at from time to time, so really any good degreaser will work. Just spray the area with the cleaner, scrub with the brush, then wipe it up with a towel. Now if at all possible flush the area with water, this will help to remove the chemicals from the carpet and will help to preserve the natural look to the carpet. Some of those chemicals are pretty strong and if left can damage the carpet.

Soda pop and coffee stains, are another I run across a lot. Now this one can be booger to get out. A coffee stain if left can do permenant damage to the carpet and at times I have had to just dye the carpet to cover up the stain. If coffee is your problem, here are a few tips, catch the spill as quickly as possible then flush with mild soap and water like before with the grease, but you may have to soak it a little more to get it out. Now if this is an old stain, one thing you can try is hydrogen peroxide. This can be used as a mild bleaching agent. Just pore a little in a cup and with a tooth brush scrub it into the stain let sit for about 20-30 minutes then flush with your soapy water solution. If this doesn’t work, I found a product at my local janitorial supply shop called Perculator, it comes in spray bottle and is primarily a peroxide mix, and works pretty good, but it’s still not a miracle worker. Coffee can be a pain, but with a little luck and timing on this one you can get it out. Now soda pop, if it’s not an orange or red which I’ll talk about in a minute, can usually be taken care of with the warm water and soap.

Food stains can range from greasy french fries smashed in the carpet to dried ketchup, to jelly beans and candy. Most of these can be dealt with with your soap and water. Ammonia can be added to the solution to help cut the greasy foods. Scrape the chunks out with a blunt knife before you get wet this will help to not spread the stain further. Candies might take a little more due to dyes added for color, wash as much as possible to remove the candy, if the stain remains you can try peroxide but like I said there are dyes in some candies that do just that, dye the carpet. Gum is another candy that can be removed with mostly picking it out but the rest might take a little chemical. Goof Off is a good one to keep on hand for a lot of different things, but it works great on gum too. After you pick most of it out just take a little Goof Off on a towel and wipe the rest right out.

Red Wine is sort of a food stain but treated a little different. If it’s fresh flush with cold water and soak it up as much as possible. Try even a little club soda and pore directly onto the stain and soak it up with a towel. This should get most of it. One last trick is an enzyme cleaner, enzymes get right to it when it comes to food stains. They are known for removing food stuff stains, but I haven’t had much luck with red wine though so I’ll talk about it in a minute on getting the red stains out of your carpet.

Now if you have a misfortune and happen to get a blood stain on your carpet then this one needs to be handled with cold water and not warm or you will set the stain. If it’s dried then scrap the dried blood with a blunt knife to get the chunks out, vacuum them up, then scrub the area with cold water and a mild soap. Peroxide can be used to help remove the reddish tint if needed. Then flush again with the soap and water, then vacuum with your shop vac. One other remedy is a blood enzyme, which will eat the blood away. Blood Buster is good one, it’s an enzymatic cleaner designed for bio stains.

One that I deal with upon occasion is pet urine. Talk about nasty…but, hey they have to pee too, just not where we always want them to. This one is one you can go to your kitchen for, vinegar, helps to nutralize the acids in the pee. Supplies for this one are paper towels if still wet, white towels, mild soap and warm water, brush and vinegar. First soak up what you can with if it’s still wet with the paper towels, next take your soapy solution of warm water and soap, 1/4oz. of soap to a gallon of water, dip the brush and scrub the area with the soapy water, blot with the towel and repeat until the stain is gone. Afterwards pore a little vinegar over the stain and let set for about an hour. Lastly rinse with water and vacuum with a shop vac or dab with towels until mostly dry. If the stain is still there, let it dry, then apply an enzyme. Enzymes work really well for all bio stuffs including urine. The guys over at Petguest have come up with a 100% enzyme concentrate that is made for the elimination of pet stains and odors.

The old melted crayon stain in the carpet….Man what a mess this can be, but believe it or not it’s pretty easy to remove if you have a clothes iron and a brown paper bag. Scrape the majority away with a blunt knife then lay the brown bag over the crayon and with the heated iron, rub it over the bag over the spot. The heat from the iron will melt the crayon into the bag. Just rotate the bag around to keep a clean side down and after a while the crayon will be on the bag not on the carpet. Patience on this one helps, but again if the spot remains try a little chemical like your Goof Off.

Paint is another carpet stain that can give you a bunch of problems. First thing you need to determine what kind of paint it is. If it’s automotive paint then a solvent paint reducer or thinner can be used to remove it. I usually use lacquer thinner, works fast and removes most paint spills. Now if it’s house paint, then scrape off the excess with a blunt knife and pull out the Goof Off, try not to spread it out to much, work small and from the outside in on the stain. I guess nail polish is a paint, but with this one use nail polish remover or straight acetone with a towel, and again work the stain from the outside in so to not spread it out to far.

Now this is probably got to be the worst carpet stain out there. The red stain in the carpet. This is caused by a #40 Red dye that is put in a lot of drinks like Kool Aid and, red and orange sodas. If you run across this one there is only one way to remove it and thats with a strong chemical. I have found a product that I use on these type of stains and have had really good luck with it, it’s called Red Dye Solution. There are others out there like Red Relief, and Red Out, all work pretty similar. You pore the chemical on the stain, and with a wet white towel and a steam iron you remove the stain. It is a time consuming project and with some luck all of the stain will be removed. Sometimes a little blue hue will be left from the chemical but it sure is a lot better then a bright red stain jumping out at you. But with a little carpet dye over the top and your good as new. You can find these products usually at your local janitorial supply shop or online. I’m working on getting some here on my site, so bare with me.

Stain Removal In Carpet can be frustrating at times, but there no substitute for a professional. These tips can help and may just save you but if you have any problems or feel that the stain is just a little above your head then don’t hesitate to call an automotive interior repair professional like myself to come in a make your life a little easier. For those of you that are the professionals feel free to post your tips in the comments so we can all benefit from your expertise in carpet stain removal.

Like I said before I have used a lot of different automotive interior products from a lot of different suppliers, and over the years I have been looking for a product that I can truly say is a top of the line product. I can finally say that now.

A few months ago I received an email from a supplier that wanted to know if I wanted an automotive interior product that I could guarantee, signed it with a contact name and a phone number. This was kinda a no brainer, of course I’m looking for such a product. I’d be stupid not to. Now the products I was using at the time I thought were pretty darn good. The one problem I did have was wear. I was having problems with some of my jobs lasting like I wanted them too. Now remember I am a perfectionist, so my jobs have to satisfy me before I feel my customer will be happy. So I contacted this automotive interior product supplier immediately. If I could have a product that would last and give me the results I wanted then I wanted some…right now!

The man that answered the phone was Tom at Viper Products, he was also the guy that contacted me in the email, and I’m here to tell you he changed my life. He put an automotive interior product in my hand that I have to say is truly a professional product.

When we talked he told me he had a water based interior dye that I could guarantee and when done with the job the leather seats would look new, not painted, but new. His compounds he said, would hold, grain just as well or better, last and make my life a lot easier doing repairs. Of course I was a little sceptical, but definitely curious, excited to try it, and interested in bringing the best for my customers.

Tom told me what was in the interior products I was using and what was causing my problems of a lasting repair and told me what was in his interior products that would help me and get me where I wanted to be in the automotive interior repair business.

Tom is not just a supplier either, he doesn’t just turn products, he actually makes the stuff. Now I don’t mean a backyard chemist either. He designs each compound and each dye from the ground up, which means they start out as raw materials such as fillers, resins, tacking compounds, feel enhancers ect. and are mixed to the specifics needed to get the job done right the first time. He is extremely knowledgeable with all his products and will tell you strait up what to use and where and at what temperature and so on. If you have a question, he’ll probably have an answer to it. Customer service is A number one.

Well, Tom sent me a sample package of the water based dyes and leather repair compounds to try out. I am here to tell you, before I started my second job I was on the phone calling to thank Tom for putting such a premier product in my hand and ordering more.

The first vehicle I did I couldn’t believe how good the dye covered and when done, he was right, the seat looked new, not painted but new. I couldn’t believe it, this stuff was it. The feel was another big thing, you could feel a huge difference in the surface that was just dyed, the leather seat was soft as a babies butt.

I have been using Vipers Products for a while now and have checked and re-checked the vehicles that I have repaired and up to now not a single problem. The dyes and repairs are lasting just like Tom said it would and mostly, like I wanted them too.

Now Tom and I have been talking about how I could bring his products to you in a way that it would benift all of us. Tom has given me permission to give you all a code to enter in the promo coupon box on his site. So when you go to place an order, (and believe me you will) you will get a discount. Isn’t that cool, not only are you gonna get one of the best automotive interior products on the planet but also get a discount too. Now what could be better then that. This offer is only good through me and my promo code. So if you happen to call your order in by phone, like I do, then be sure to give him the code that I’m about to give you.

So heres the code, now this is case sensitive so copy and paste this to a safe place for keeping or write it down.

Okay here it is…

IG1100

Keep this code in a safe place you can use it over and over again with each time you need supplies.

Now when you click here on Viper Products it will open another tab and take you to the official Viper products website, don’t forget to use the code to get your discount, and enjoy theres all kinds of stuff in there and more to come. In fact I’m looking forward to a new heating tool he told me about the other day. When I get it and test it out for myself I’ll show you what we got.

Go there now and check it out, you will be sorry if you don’t. Here’s your code again….IG1100, and the link Viper Products Don’t miss out on one of the best automotive interior products on the planet.

As I was sitting there on the dock this weekend I couldn’t help to think of what I was going to write this week. I started thinking of some jobs that have been somewhat of booger for me, and I couldn’t help to think of the fist time I painted silver plastic trim. You know where the paint rubs off or scratches off and leaves you the black plastic underneath.

It was on a Mitsubishi Eclipse door trim. I freaked out, and the reason being is that I mixed all my paints by eye and I remembered with exterior paints how many different shades you got with metallics, a bazillion…. The only shade of metallic I had on board was straight silver, gold, and pearl. Man….I thought how am I going to get this to look right. So off to mixing I went…. By looking at the plastic trim piece, it was silver metallic, but with a brownish gold look to it, and darker then straight silver. I started with silver, added a little brown, then a drop or two of black to darken it, and a little yellow oxide to give it that yellowish gold look.

When mixing metallics, one thing to keep in mind is using the color white, if you need it lighter, then try adding a little pearl white or more silver if you added to much black or if it’s to dark. The reason, you will milk it out and lose your metallic look. White is just not good with silver, but there are cases where you will use it, just add a little at a time.

Now with testing metallic paint you can’t just dab a little and dry to see if your colors right. Reason being is that the metallic flake in the paint will lay flat and show darker then it really is, what you want is the metallics to stand up and sparkle. So the only way to check your color is to spray it. Spray a little spot, light coats, and see if it disappears against the color your going for, if it does then your there. You can almost see if your ok by just looking at your mixer, but by spraying a little you’ll be for sure.

Prepping the area is pretty simple, but there are some do’s and don’ts . Most of the plastic trim, I’ve found, don’t have a large amount of dye on them. Now, I call it dye because you use your vinyl dye to paint the plastic, so I’ll probably go back and forth calling it dye and paint. Anyways, if you take a scotch brite pad and your prepping solution, ( alcohol, acetone, THP substitute, ammonia, and water ), and spray the plastic trim piece and scrub, most if not all the paint will come off, and at the same time your scuffing the plastic for the dye. You can strip it all off or leave a little depending on the amount of paint missing, the prepping solution works a lot like Sem Sand Free in that it feathers the edge. But if you need your Sem Sand Free then go for it, it works on the smaller stuff just as good ( like just a scratch or something ). Don’t use sandpaper with a heavier grit then say 400, or you will leave sanding marks that will show up in your finished product. If you have a scratch thats needing filled or just sanded out, you can use a heavier grit but always finish with a finer grit to remove the marks. Wipe it clean, with a lint free towel so to not get fuzzies in your job.

Once prepped, mask the area off, apply your grip base or sticky primer, then spray. Now with spraying metallic paint, or dye, you always use light coats and don’t hold your gun too close or in one spot for too long. You will get what they call modeling your paint. What this is, is a dark shadow in the paint. What causes this is the metallic flakes laying flat and showing you a dark shadow in your paint. So light even coats, and dry between. This will give you the effect you need and make the finished product look like it’s supposed to.

Topcoats are another thing too. When your done your work will have either a glossy finish or a mat finish, look around the vehicle to see if you need either or. Always topcoat your work, but make sure you get the right sheen. I’ve noticed both, so check it out, if you spray it with mat and it’s supposed to be glossy it will show and won’t match the rest of the vehicle.

That Mitsubishi Eclipse by the way, turned out really good and yours will too with a little practice and know how. I hope I gave you the know how on painting plastic silver, now it’s up to you for the practice.

Talk to ya soon – Mike “TIG”

Most of the leather seats I’ve noticed have a lighter middle with a darker outer part. Very few have the opposite, but they are out there. But none the less, dyeing them is no different.

Prepping the leather seat is of course one of the keys to your success, make sure you use your prepping solution to clean the seat thoroughly. You can find another article here for the solution I use to prep a seat. Now if your just going to do say a bolster, then you probably don’t have to clean the entire seat, but if the whole seat is being done then clean it thoroughly. This helps your leather dye adhere and less dye will be used because your not having to cover up dirt. I will usually clean the entire seat regardless, this ensures I have nothing to mess with my leather dyes, and when I’m done the leather seat looks new.

Lets just assume that the entire seat is being dyed…You’ve cleaned the entire seat and done the necessary repairs, you have your water based leather dyes mixed and ready to spray, and you have applied your grip base or sticky primer to the seat, now it’s time to dye the leather seat.

Here’s a big trick… I’ve seen a lot of guys not using this method and it’s definitely a time saver and saves on tape too which saves you money.

Don’t mask the seat off, yup don’t use tape. A lot of guys will mask off the sections one at a time and dye each section of the seat. Why….all you need is a piece of poster board or a plastic dealer license plate to use as a blocking card ( you know the ones that have the logo of the dealership on it, just tape up the holes and you have the perfect blocking card, and they flex too, so you can mold them around on the seat ). For those of you who don’t know what a blocking card is, a blocking card is just that, it blocks the paint from going where you don’t want it to. When taping off a seat it never fails either you don’t get it taped off right and you have lines or the worse thing that can happen and that is when you peel the tape off, dye lifts with the tape, arrrrrg, that is frustrating. By using a blocking card the lines are not as sharp and the leather dye blends nicely in the seams, and basically a no worry job can be achieved with one little license plate.

Now here’s where your talent comes in, you have to have good paint gun control to be able to do this. Just hold the blocking card up to the section you don’t want the dye to hit and spray the section you want dyed right up to the card, making sure to keep the card tight to the seam. If you get over spray on the section you don’t want dye to be on, take a little of your prepping solution spray it on your towel and carefully wipe it off. This assuming your using water based leather dyes, it won’t work with a solvent based dye, you will have to use lacquer thinner for solvents based dyes, but hopefully by now you have moved on to the water based leather dyes, they are so much more flexible and user friendly ( believe me been there done that ) and hold up a lot better, anyways they dye the leather from the factory with a water based dye, so why wouldn’t you want to use the same.

Not to go off on a rant but water based dyes are the best for automotive leather seats, period, they won’t crack or peel if applied the right way and if the right water based dye is being used you will have a guaranteeable job. If anyone would like to talk to me about the leather dyes I use in my daily routine, just drop me a comment or an email and I will HOOk you up with a leather dye that I feel is one of the best on the market today. When your done with a job the seat looks new, not painted or repaired, it just looks new. Lacquer based dyes are just a thing of the past, everything on the interior of todays vehicles are dyed with water based dyes, so why not use what the factory uses. I used lacquer when I first started back in 1999 and used them for about 3 years, and had a a lot of problems with leather seats turning out stiff and would crack after about a year after dyeing. I switched to water based and WOW! I was like a kid in a candy shop. My repairs were looking better, lasting longer, and the leather seats well just look new. Oh and one other thing no more headaches from the fumes. Okay done with my rant, on with it….

Start with the center section first, dyeing from the furthest point from you and working your way out. Spray light coats drying as you go. Once the center is done, move to outer portions of the seat, using your blocking card in the same manner. Now this part can be tricky, you have fresh dye that is a different color and you don’t want to get the darker dye onto the lighter dye, but if you do, wipe it before it’s dry, that way you won’t have to go back to the other color. I just use one paint gun, but if you want to save a little time use two paint guns, that way you can just go back and forth with your colors easily until you get the hang of using your blocking card.

There is one exception to the rule of the blocking card and that is the Ford Excursions rear seats. You may have noticed the light colored center sections, they crack and flake. I’m not sure if there is a problem with the leather in these rigs or the dye that is being used from the factory, but these things are terrible about cracking and flaking. Use your prepping solution and a 240 grit or even a 180 grit sandpaper and wet sand the sections, this will help to smooth out the leather before you fill. I have found it is easier to use a 1″ sponge brush to apply the leather dye instead of spraying and using a blocking card. The sections are just too small and it just seems easier to use a sponge brush. Just prep like you normally do, fill the cracked leather with your fillers, seal with your primer, then apply the leather dye with the sponge brush. Light coats as usual, drying between. The cool thing about this is the outer darker portion is vinyl and usually doesn’t need dyed, just cleaned. But the front seats do have leather outers and you can use a blocking card on those but I have used the sponge on those too, just dyed the outer with the blocking card and the spray gun.

Once your done dyeing the leather seat look it over good to see if there are any spots that you have missed or have any over spray. Nothing looks worse then colors bleeding together and parts dyed that weren’t meant to be dyed. If you don’t clean up your job you won’t have something you can be proud of or your customer can be proud of.

Topcoat with a low gloss urethane clear topcoat to give more durability and seal your job. Let dry thoroughly then condition. Cure time will vary depending on the weather conditions, usually 6-10 hours for optimal adhesion.

Keep in mind that dyeing two tone leather seats takes longer to do and can be tricky at times but good gun control, being able to position your blocking card correctly, and a lot of patience will pay off in the end. Just take your time and practice makes perfect.

Hope this helps you guys out and plan on hearing from me a little more. I’ve decided to start posting on individual jobs that I do on a daily basis if I can, there may be a few days that just don’t work out but I think this will help out a little more with getting the word out and help keep your automotive interior repairs the best you can put out. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to shoot me a comment or drop me an email and say hi, and don’t forget the forum, would love to get that going, it’s a great way for all of us repair craftsman to come together and strive to be the best at what we do by sharing ideas. Or if your a customer throw a question up and find a repair person in your area or get a tip from a professional.

Talk to ya soon,

Mike “TIG”

Due to the exposer to old mother nature, these materials become dried out and crack over time leaving you with a crack in your dash. Left unattended this small crack can and will get larger.

There are measures that can be taken to prevent the dash from getting cracked in the first place. Now I know your dash is already cracked and your wanting to know how to fix it, but this will prevent further cracks and keep your car cooler and looking nicer, and well…. for further reference.

One way to prevent this is to use a sunshade. This will not only protect your automotive dash from the sun but also keep your vehicle cooler keeping the plastic pieces cooler and less likely to warp and then crack.

Another way to prevent the materials from drying on your dash is to condition them with a good vinyl conditioner-protectant. Now I know I’ve always said to not put the slimy stuff on your interior pieces and parts … But if your vehicle is exposed to the sun on a constant basis, then I would recommend you use a vinyl conditioner. Now I’m not going to say that any old vinyl conditioner will work, because it won’t. Tire shine is not vinyl conditioner! This is probably one of the biggest mistakes made, and I do a lot of repair because of it. Tire shine contains solvents, which as you know from previous articles, it doesn’t mix well with the water based dyes being used on todays cars. What it does is lifts the dye from the surface, causing it to peel. So no tire shine…What I recommend to my customers is a product made from a leather conditioning producer that I feel from some of the research I’ve done is safe and should work very well, it’s made by Lexol and it’s called Vinylex. Designed by the guys that really know their stuff when it comes to interior conditioning and protecting.

The last and final tip to keeping your automotive interior, including your dash, looking it’s best and lasting longer is window tint. Now in some states you need to be careful with the tinting laws to make sure you don’t get it too dark, plus you need to think of your safety too. I have tint on our family Tahoe and I kinda wish I would have gone a little lighter, at night it’s really hard to see, my Tahoe stays nice and cool, but it’s a pain in the butt at night. I have to roll the window down sometimes just to see. So keep it light and you will be impressed with the results, plus it looks cool.

Now on with the fix for that crack in your dash.

Depending on where the crack is and how big it is will depend on how to fix it and how expensive the repair will be. If the crack is bigger then 2″-3″ and curled up on the edges, the repair will probably not look that great. There is a limit to the size of crack that can be repaired, too big and it probably won’t hold and will look like crap. If the crack is too big, replace the dash pad, don’t try to fix it. Another thing is location, if the crack is up close to the windshield then it’s almost impossible to do a repair without removing the windshield, which can be costly. So with that said you be the judge.

The first thing I do before I start any repair is to mix my color, this insures that at least the color will be right.

Next I inspect the crack in the dash, if the edges are curled up then you will need to trim that off with a razor blade or Xacto knife. The goal here is to get the area as level as you can. Now when doing so cut at a 45 degree angle and don’t bring the ends to a point, what I mean by this is trim all the way around the crack rounding off the ends of the crack, this will insure that the crack will stop and not crack further after your repair.

Of course your next step is prepping the repair area, use your prep solution with a scotch brite pad and clean the area thoroughly. You might need to clean the entire dash depending on where and how large the crack is.

Now it’s time to determine what fix you going to use.

If the crack is smaller then an 1/2″ I usually grab the super glue and do a super glue repair. I do this by spreading the glue in the crack then sanding it smooth with a 240 grit sandpaper, texture with your water based spray grain, then dye.

But there are times when your vinyl repair compound will need to be used, after all this is vinyl. The low cure usually works best because high heat tends to warp the repair area. This is where your patience comes in when doing your repairs. Thin layers of compound work best, curing and dying between coats until the area is level and smooth. You can texture while layering your compound with your grain pads. One little trick I use to help level the repair when using a grain pad is a little rubber squeegee about 3″x5″, it’s what body shops use to squeegee the water off the painted surface when they wet sand. This little thing works great, when you use your hand to imprint your grain into your repair, your hand kinda molds around the area and doesn’t leave a level area but with the rubber squeegee it gives you a little more backing when you go to imprint. Now graining your repair can be tricky, the low cure compound doesn’t grain that well, but if all else fails make sure the repair is level, this is your best hide. If that is achieved then texture with your spray grain.

One last trick up my sleeve is the use of a great product from Urethane Supply Co. This is a two part epoxy like substance that is specifically designed for padded dashes and the name says it all, Padded Dash Filler.
This stuff is the bomb, when it comes to dash repair. Mixes like Bondo and is even applied like bondo, but its flexible. It’s just what the doctor ordered when it comes to dash repair. If the crack is larger then 1″ this is the stuff to use.

Now this product will require you to trim the area and then sand around the area about 1″ to 2″ out with a heavier grit sandpaper like a 180 grit, this gives it something to bite too. Trim down into the foam a little to, so that you make like a little groove for the compound to lay in.

Mix your compound on a small piece of tile, I like using small tile pieces, they clean up easily and are easier to hold when mixing and applying. Now when you get the product they send you the red catalyst, try the blue, it seems to set up a little quicker. The blue you can get at any automotive parts shop. But the red works just as good just takes it a little longer, time is money in my business.

Apply your compound liberally over the repair area, don’t worry about getting your first coat really smooth, all you need is to get it covered, you’ll be sanding it smooth later. Let it set up for a while, depending on the weather will depend on how long this stuff takes. You can speed it up a little with a heat gun but don’t melt it just give it a little boost.

Once hardened start sanding, I usually start with a 180 grit to knock off the big chunks then progressively move my way up to a finer grit like 240 and then to 400.

One coat won’t be sufficient, I promise, this is another layer thing. Sanding between coats. Each coat you apply you will need to make smoother. Again what your trying to achieve is a smooth level repair.

After all is smooth and level, grain with a spray grain then dye.

As far as texture goes, I use two types of spray grain. One is a water based spray grain and the other is Sems Texture Coat. In fact the Sems Texture Coat almost matches the some of the Pontiac dashes to a tee. Now the Sems Texture coat is a solvent based, but I haven’t had a problem with it peeling up against the water based dyes on the dash, so kudos to Sems.

One other trick I have found with the the Sems Texture Coat is after sprayed if you let it flash out a little but not dry completely, you can take your grain pad and imprint your grain into the texture coat, pretty cool huh.

Dash repair is an art and a craft, just like all automotive interior repairs. If the steps are followed right and patience is used in your repairs you success will be good.

Hope this helps in your dash repair adventure. One thing to always keep in mind is to keep your repair as level as possible, this is your best hide.