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”

But with that said, we have had a really good time, my trainee Bob is really catching on like a natural. Like I’ve said before he’s not afraid to ask questions which is great and has even given me some great ideas in some of my repairs. It’s actually been nice having someone there to talk with and swap ideas considering I’ve always been by myself.

Today I gave him a little more hands on training. The first few days I wanted to make sure he knew what products worked where and what they all did. I also have been working with him on color matching, which is one of the biggest priorities in this business. Even if your repair looks good, if your color doesn’t match then the whole job looks bad. I had him mixing colors today and even applying the dyes. He’s still pretty green with the paint gun, but this is something that definitely takes a lot of practice, I stress to him on almost every job about “gun control”. What I mean by this is knowing how to apply the dye to the exact area your wanting to without getting the dye all over the car or on pieces that don’t need to be dyed.

We’ve also had some really good examples the past 2 days of substandard work. Yesterday we had a cigarette burn in a Dodge Neon that had been done by someone else and it was a burn hole all the way through the fabric into the foam. The burn hole was filled with glue and then flock was applied over, but what was wrong with this is the glue had settled and basically what was left was a colored crater. What should have been done instead was the hole should had been filled first with batting then the glue and then the flock. What the batting helps to do is to keep the repair flush with no settling, which is what you want.

The next vehicle was a Chevy Impala. Now this one really surprised me, not really sure what this person was thinking when they did this repair, but I guess it’s either the wrong kind of training or someone trying to make a quick buck. This one had scratches in both the lean back and the lean back bolster and they had filled the scratches with what had looked like a water based filler then applied a solvent based paint over the top, which not only didn’t match, but the solvent based paint had reacted to with the water based filler and spider cracked all over. It took me longer to remove the gooped up gobbed up mess then it would have taken me to do it in the first place. Once I got the stuff off I was able to see what they were trying to repair and it really surprised me that they hadn’t even tried to sand the scratches out but instead just filled over them. Which had probably been another reason for the spider web looking cracks, just way to much compound. All this person had to do was to sand the scratches out as much as they could and fill with minimal amount of filler then dye with a water based leather dye, not a solvent based, this would have made their repair look, feel, and last a whole lot longer. But that’s what happens in this industry more then not… pretty sad

Well tomorrow is gonna be another busy day of repairs, we have 4 different lots to go to and I’m really looking forward to showing him more ways to make these car’s look like new with guaranteed repairs.

If your looking to either better yourself in this industry or would like to learn the craft of Automotive Interior Restoration from a professional with over a decade of experience then don’t hesitate to contact me, I would love to have you as my trainee.

Well we had another good day of teaching and learning. Not a lot of vehicles done but some good teaching tools were presented. We started the day off with a leather resurfacing on a Chevy Tahoe. This one was another good example of the wet sand technique on the bolsters. Not cracked up really bad but just worn. On this one Bob got some hands on prepping. He’s taking to this like a pro! Next we worked on a Chevy 1500, a steering wheel repair and a vinyl repair. Now this one was a great example on using super glue to repair vinyl. These rigs have an area in the door pocket that get torn from finger nails snagging the vinyl. The only way I’ve found to fix this is with the super glue repair. The reason for this is the cloth insert in the door, if a conventional vinyl mend is done then burning the cloth is inevitable. Lastly at this lot we worked on some cigarette burns on a Ford F150, a great example of using pencils to draw the pattern back in the area.

We headed out and stopped by one of my other accounts to find out that the vehicles we were to work on had been sent off to auction, this kinda peeved me a bit but kinda out of my control. So off to the next account we went.

Now this next car was an ’05 Cadi CTS which had been basically trashed. All four seats need to reconditioned and the stereo bezel was peeling. A great teaching tool for the use of Sems Sand Free on water based coatings, although it didn’t work as well as I wanted because of the heat. One thing I learned today was when using Sems Sand Free, the air needs to be around 70 degrees or so, not 90. The heat causes the chemicals to work too fast and the blend didn’t work like I wanted, so I had to basically strip the entire bezel then resurface.

All in all we had a great day of repairs. Looking forward to a good day tomorrow, we have a pretty busy day planned!

If your looking for a new career in the Automotive Interior Repair business and a personal touch to your training, feel free to contact me anytime!

One thing you definitely need to keep in mind is if the hole or crack is to large then is needs to be replaced not mended. I’ve seen some pretty blown out seats in my day and have turned down a lot of work because I know my limitations to my pixie dust, as some of my customers call it ( that is one reason I love my job so much is because the products I use are definitely like magic). If the seat has a hole in it let’s say 3 or more inches maybe 4 but depends on the under structure, it needs to go to an upholstery shop. The thing is a repair is just that a repair, the products are made for small imperfections, not blow outs, that if left can get worse. But by mending them you can make a piece of vinyl look new again and the repair will last longer when done so.

I have found that a good relationship with a good upholstery shop is a must in this business. If you think it’s to bad, and a vinyl repair just won’t cut it then always refer your customer to a good upholstery shop. Not only will they be happier with the end result, but you will be to. By building a relationship with the upholstery shop, you also gain another avenue in automotive interior restoration. A good upholstery shop will have you doing work with them, for them, for their customers, the relationships just keep going.

In this business it’s who you know, what you know, and how well you can perform.

Always prep the area thoroughly with your prepping solution, using your scotch brite pad to scuff as you clean. Sand the area if you can with a 240 grit sandpaper, I usually sand just about an inch all the way around the area, this gives the area around the hole just a little bit more for the compound to grab to. Wipe it clean again.

Apply a thin layer of grip base or primer over the vinyl repair area by wiping it on with a wet paper towel. This gives you prep for the dye going to be applied, and gives you a little more bonding power.

Now, kinda warm the up the if the vinyl is cold or just kinda stiff with your heat gun being careful not to burn through the backing if there is any left, this helps so an under patch doesn’t have to be put in.

If an under patch is required add it now. I like to cut the under patch to fit about a 1/4 of inch inside all the way around, cut the edges of the patch so that the corners are rounded. Slide the patch under the repair with a pair of sharp tweezers. Get the coated under patch that when heated bonds itself to back of the vinyl it helps give added strength to your under patch. If you use glue beware, it bubbles, I don’t like glue in a vinyl repair on a seat…on a door panel now that’s another story. Glue, even super glue can help in a vinyl repair on a door panel or dash, but on a seat, you need flex, and I have yet to use a super glue that doesn’t leave a hard spot.

Once the patch is in place if needed, it’s time to put you vinyl repair compound on. There are so many different brands to choose from, thick, thin, the list is pretty long. I use the Gator Grip high heat and low heat compounds. Works good, grains well, and lasts. But we all have our favorites, I’m still in research mode, always trying the newest and best to improve and get the perfect vinyl repair. So if you have any suggestions feel free to put them in the comments.

Smooth the compound along the crack, using a pallet knife, and under the area, coating the under patch if used, then smooth the top out . Now the first coat needs to be a little thicker but smooth, you don’t want a glob, but a substantial amount to cover the area filling in the gap, and only take the compound out from the area about a 1/4″. Smooth out with finger if needed.

Using your grain pad, held in your palm, not your finger you don’t want to leave a dent in the vinyl when heated, heat the vinyl with your heat gun until the repair compound turns color and you see smoke, this is a good thing you want the two to bond together, once it smokes (not fire by the way, you don’t want to burn it just melt it) remove the heat and immediately press the grain pad to the vinyl repair area. It will be pretty hot, sometimes I’ll put a towel in my hand with the grain pad, a sore burned hand is not fun to work with all day. If you can while making your grain molds make them just a little thicker and helps to cut down on the burnt palm. Hold it there for a few seconds then remove. Press firmly, but not hard enough your stretching the heated vinyl. Practice makes perfect….

Dye the area with a light dry coat using your water based vinyl dye, I do this by turning the air up on my gun, helps to give you the dry coat. Now apply another coat of repair compound, remember smooth thin layers, keep your work area as small as possible, your trying to make the vinyl repair disappear, so small as possible. Heat the area again then press the grain pad to the seat, Dye the area and see what you got….does it need more compound, or is it good, you be the judge. If more compound is needed then keep it goin. Layer the compound in thin layers until the crack looks as smooth as possible. The point is, is to blend the repair back into the seat. Maybe a little more dye, or even wipe a coat of grip base on the repair to fill in the edge of the vinyl repair. If needed a texture coating can be applied but I really don’t like them. After you apply the texture coating, its hard to to really make it look natural. If you know how to you can achieve texture with your vinyl dyes. But graining with your graining pads is the best way to achieve perfection in a vinyl repair. Working the vinyl repair and not letting it work you.

There is a stopping point. If your area just keeps getting bigger, or the repair just looks like well…. I better not say, then stop and step back, take a break, and see what you need to do. If there is something that can to make it look better, then do it. But don’t settle for an not so perfect repair and expect to get paid for it, if you can’t mend it, then don’t charge, it’s that simple. We all want perfection, and not all seats are repairable. We are craftsman not magicians.

Vinyl repair is a craft and takes a lot of practice to get it right. So know your limitations and if it needs to be replaced then call your local upholstery shop. If it needs a vinyl repair then by all means be the vinyl repair craftsman you are and give a lasting perfect vinyl repair.

Vinyl Repair – How to Mend a Vinyl Seat is just a start to the many articles to come on vinyl repair. There are so many other applications that can’t all be put into one place, so stick around and see what else is to come and be sure to shoot me some comments on this one I’d love to hear some feedback.