My first saddle recovering! Leather. (step by step)

[blink]

i had gotten two huffy good vibrations a couple weeks ago, with really cool saddles, but bad upolstery.
i figured i would try my hand at recovering. i have never used or handled leather before for any project so i had no idea what i was doing.
i looked it up online and found Tandy Leather Supply is the place to go. turns out we have one about 10 miles from me.
i took the saddle there, disassembled. i let the lady that was working there know that i didnt know anything about doing this.
she asked me what i liked for color, i said honey brown. she figured out a good weight leather for me. something that would stretch, but not too much.
she also asked me my budget, which i said was low. she found this piece that was really nice. good color. problem is, you have to buy the whole piece.
no big deal though. i can do 3 saddles out of this piece. it ended up being just under $25 for the piece.

i got home, used the old cover as a rough template to cut the leather.
after that, its as simple as stretching it over your pan, getting it tight all around with no creases around the edges of the pan,
then just tighten the second pan to it and it tightens the leather a bit more.

it wasnt as hard as i figured it would be. any of us can do this.
give it a try!

i dont really have any before shots, but it was a vinyl/fabric covering that had wrinkled badly.

 

[user 135]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

Did you use any spray adhesive to hold down the middle?

 

[stretch]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

hey that looks pretty good! when i first saw the pics i thot it was a 50-60 year old seat you fixed up! :mrgreen:

 

[Markm]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

looks great!!

 

[tikiharl]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

Very nice job. Looks great. 8)

 

[blink]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

Did you use any spray adhesive to hold down the middle?

i used some spray mount. not sure if it absolutely needed it.

 

[skyrider]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

You didn't happen to take pics of the process did you? This is something I've been wanting to learn for a while now.

 

[OUTLAW]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

wow, that is a very nice job ya did. the seat is awsome.

Outlaw

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

Did turn out nice ....very good job. Send it to me and I will give you the $25 back :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[blink]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

You didn't happen to take pics of the process did you? This is something I've been wanting to learn for a while now.

i will take process photos of the next one.
probly do it this afternoon.

 

[Wingman]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

Well there ya go !!
Looks Great .... What did the frame say on it ??

 

[KOTA]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

NICE!..............Watch out Firewalker! :lol:

 

[blink]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

Well there ya go !!
Looks Great .... What did the frame say on it ??

its a Persons saddle.

thanks guys, and it really is not too hard to do. try it.
the hard part is finding a saddle that the pan hasnt rusted out of it.

 

[Rustinkerer]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

Wow! :shock: That looks awesome! I've seen a few recovered seats, and usually, you can tell. But that looks factory! ~Adam

 

[jre0123]

Re: My first saddle recovering! Leather.

Looks great. What did you use for padding under the leather.

 

[blink]

the saddle,as i took it off the bike.

the bottom. there are 3 bolts holding the spring setup to the pan. unscrew the nuts.

there are two metal tabs also that need to be flipped up.

separate the two pans. may need to pry from the nose with a flathead or something. be careful, the metal on these is pretty thin.

remove the old upholstery from the top pan. it should just come off.

try to pull the old cover straight, and set it on the leather, or new upholstery. trace a rough pattern line on the new leather.

cut out with a good sharp pair of scissors or kitchen shears may work.

place top saddle pan top side down on the leather.

start stretching the leather over the pan. go ahead and get it around the pan kinda rough.

do the same thing over again, go around the edges of the saddle, stretch leather over pan.

its looking pretty close now, do the same thing one more time. stretching. pay particular attention to the concave curves between the nose and the back, these need to be stretched a little more. also, its very important to make sure that where the leather stretches over the edge of the pan you dont get wrinkles. that it probably the hardest part. but as long as you have a leather that stretches a bit, you should be fine. the folks at the leather supply place should be able to tell you the best thickness and type of leather for the job.
after final round of stretching.

put the saddle back together. tightening down the bolts will also tighten the leather a bit more.

i hope this helps explain the process.
if you need padding, i would also ask the leather place. they should be able to steer you in the right direction. on these was a thin layer of foam.
and like i said, $25 got 3 saddles recovered. not too shabby.

 

[Skipton]

Saddles look great thanks for the info

 

[skyrider]

Thank you for posting the step by step. I'll have to try that.

 

[user 135]

Very nice job. I made a link for this in the How To Manual under Misc mods.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2599&p=24167#p24167

 

[Wingman]

Ok , here is the next level .... let's see your home made crashbar .... you can do it