How to make button tufted upholstery

[Darren B]

Ok, I did not come up with this and will not call it my own tut either, A guy whose id on a lowrider forum by the name of Truscale came up with this very cool way to make button tufted lowrider interiors. So I am giving all props to Truscale for this tutorial. Basically any copyrights he owns, as the pics are his from the website of layitlow.com,and it is his idea on how to make it look right, he is an awesome builder and needs proper recognition for this tutorial. just so there is no confusion I just wanted to share with any one that builds lowriders and wants that true classic look of button tufted upholstery, before he came up with this it was impossible to get it to look scale in any other material. I just thought it was cool as can be because i primarily model lowriders and before this had no way of doing button tufted upholstery. Now if any one has an idea for doing correct scale coffin pleat upholstery please post.

What you do is get a paper cutter/trimmer from michaels or hobby lobby. One with the round cutting wheel, straight blade just stretches the foam. File of the edge of the cutting wheel with a coarse sanding stick till it is real dull. Take the color foam you want to use for the interior color and make your square scores in the foam till you have patterns large enough for your build. Use masking tape to make patterns for the interior and lay those on the foam to make the patterns. (craft foam you can get at hobby lobby a whole pack of different colors for like $5.00) At a model rail road store get the little rivets they have and paint those to match and you add those as the buttons, he says he drills holes and puts the post thru each hole where a button would be.

This is my cutter I bought at hobby lobby, the name is cuttapede and it is 24.95, I used the 40% off and it was $14.95. Just filed off the edge of the cutting wheel and it works perfect, the model Truscale purchased is $69.95 and he got it at michaels. It may work better or not, mine works just fine so basically its in the choice of the tool for the person.

Edited January 6, 2011 by Darren B

[Darren B]

Well I hope he doesnt mind that I posted his tut before he did, I mentioned on the workbench section that i wanted to make a button tufted interior on a 41 chevy pickup and someone asked how I would be able to do it so I posted what I seen on the other site.

Edited January 6, 2011 by Darren B

[Nitro Neil]

That is slick as snot!

I will have to use that on my next Kustom.

Thanks

[Darren B]

That is slick as snot!

I will have to use that on my next Kustom.

Thanks

It is cool thats what I thought when I seen Erics Tutorial. I can't imagine how he figured it out but it works, I have already made a couple sheets of perfectly scored foam panels for the 41 chevy.

[Lownslow]

when you filed the edge did you file the blade flat? or at an angle?

[Darren B]

when you filed the edge did you file the blade flat? or at an angle?

I dont know how Eric did his, for mine I filed it back and forth flat across the top of the blade itself. I do not think it matters as long as you just take the edge off the blade.

Edited January 6, 2011 by Darren B

[Lownslow]

when you filed the edge did you file the blade flat? or at an angle?

i did the same it doesnt cut but it also doesnt look tucked like tingos

NVM figured it out i have to do 2 two slides

Edited January 7, 2011 by Lownslow

[Smart-Resins]

I am not into low riders or donks. That being said though, I am into customs and some of the interior work is the same idea. This is a terrific thing to know! Once I find some good cash after paying taxes on the house, I will have to try it!

[Darren B]

i did the same it doesnt cut but it also doesnt look tucked like tingos

NVM figured it out i have to do 2 two slides

I should have mentioned that, it can take several slides back and forth and a lot of pressure pushing down on the blade holder , but thats for the one i bought as I went with the cheapest cutter I could find.

[Lownslow]

I should have mentioned that, it can take several slides back and forth and a lot of pressure pushing down on the blade holder , but thats for the one i bought as I went with the cheapest cutter I could find.

i got the same one as yours i can tuck faster with the #11

[torinobradley]

Thinking about this one, with a bit of material re-arrangment, you can make diamond-tucked and even tuck & roll with this.

To install flush, just cut out the panel you wish to upolster on the seat or the interior, back the cutout with sheet plastic to create a recessed area, cut your foam panels and glue 'em to the sheet plastic backing so it's flush with the plastic interior parts... voila!

Anybody follow that idea?

[Foxer]

Thinking about this one, with a bit of material re-arrangment, you can make diamond-tucked and even tuck & roll with this.

To install flush, just cut out the panel you wish to upolster on the seat or the interior, back the cutout with sheet plastic to create a recessed area, cut your foam panels and glue 'em to the sheet plastic backing so it's flush with the plastic interior parts... voila!

Anybody follow that idea?

I follow completely ..was explained well. This is giving me ideas to ... a very interesting idea.

[Dr. Cranky]

The results are beautiful! Thanks for bringing it to us.

[Harry P.]

Very nice tip. I just wonder, though, if the dents you make in the foam with the cutter wheel are permanent... or does the foam gradually spring back to shape and the lines disappear?

[Darren B]

Very nice tip. I just wonder, though, if the dents you make in the foam with the cutter wheel are permanent... or does the foam gradually spring back to shape and the lines disappear?

I havent had the time to do more than just one sheet of foam on my cutter after seeing this done, I did a 2 in square sample about a year ago using the back of a number eleven blade and it still has the shape it in today. And you can probably use the back of a blade or some other long metal object like a steel or aluminum ruler but the cutter helps make the lines straight with each other.

Edited January 9, 2011 by Darren B

[Darren B]

Hey Darren, thanks for posting . I'm always o.k. with using my ideas. That's one of the reasons I post how I do things. One thing that has always made me laugh , in the real car world and models is when you ask someone how they did something , and they either shrug you off or tell you it's a secret. This usually means there not the one that did it.

As for the lines lasting. I did my interior over a year ago and there is no difference in the tuft line depth.

I also use 600 sand paper and lightly sand the edge of the foam once it is cut out to the pattern it's used in.

To attach the foam I use CA glue , not to much , and once it's in place I drop a few drops of kicker around the edges . Then blow off the kicker with air tell the foam is dry. Not to much pressure , it could distort the foam.

And yes I drilled a hole in every tuft corner for the buttons. This is why on the sight that I did the tutorial on I gave a warning not to do it unless you're completely nuts.

Eric, thank you for being understanding, most people would have thought that I jacked their idea and been mad, thats why I made sure when I posted it that I said it wasnt my idea. I just fell in love with how you came up with making the lines and when I seen the full interior it blew me away how realistic it looks. I have been for years looking for a way to replicate this look. The other look that I am trying to replicate is the coffin pleat look. About 12 years ago I bought a yard of what was called velveteen in a material shop called jo anns fabric and it was paper thin and looked exactly like crushed velvet and I used that yard of material in a 81 chevy citation and it looked exactly like coffin pleat but when i went back a year ago they say its not made anymore, do you have any ideas what material to use to replicate that? Ill try some other shops in my area but the ones I went to show me material that is to thick to be scale.

Heres a few pics of what I used to use for it and how it looked, not very close up shots as I didnt take pics till the models were built.

Edited January 10, 2011 by Darren B

[John Pol]

real great idea where do you get the foam.

John Pol

[Darren B]

real great idea where do you get the foam.

John Pol

Best place to get it is a hobby lobby with the 40% coupon they have about every other weekend from there website. Just print it out before you go to pick up the foam. It comes in a pack of like 8-10 different colors from anywhere from 5-7 dollars. In my store its in the scrap book section.

[Darren B]

I have been playing around with medical gauze/tape for the coffin pleated look, here is a shot of it, the medical gauze/tape comes white but I sprayed this sample flat black.

just glued it down to dash with liquid cement then painted after it was dry.

Edited January 27, 2011 by Darren B

[slapshot]

Well this is my first attempt @ duplicating the button tufted upholstery. I had to use straight pins because I have not been able to locate the rivets. If you use this on a vertical surface like the wall of a van interior, drilling the holes for the pins is not a option & cutting the pins flush with the back side of the foam & gluing may force the pins to back out.Not sure if it will work,the interior walls of my project is 2 x 2.5 & that's allot of pins.

Edited January 29, 2011 by slapshot

[Darren B]

Well this is my first attempt @ duplicating the button tufted upholstery. I had to use straight pins because I have not been able to locate the rivets. If you use this on a vertical surface like the wall of a van interior, drilling the holes for the pins is not a option & cutting the pins flush with the back side of the foam & gluing may force the pins to back out.Not sure if it will work,the interior walls of my project is 2 x 2.5 & that's allot of pins.

That looks Awesome, The pins look great to me. I wish I had time to try it myself, been so busy at work no time!

[slapshot]

I did a little mock up work with the button & tuck today.I think that once it is completed it will be pretty sharp. Thanks for bring it to our attention.

[Darren B]

I did a little mock up work with the button & tuck today.I think that once it is completed it will be pretty sharp. Thanks for bring it to our attention.

slapshot that looks fantastic!!! Man I need to get off my duff and get to really working with this thing. Make some upholstery...Great work Slapshot love it, it came out great.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Darren B

[Darren B]

I did a little mock up work with the button & tuck today.I think that once it is completed it will be pretty sharp. Thanks for bring it to our attention.

Any updates on this beauty?

[Darren B]

I've read through this thread & I think it's a great technique, & it's one I definately plan to try.

I have an idea to add though, & quoted this post so I could use the photo to illustrate my thoughts.

Where you put the button tufted parts on the seats, has anyone considered first cutting out the areas of the seat, (package shelf et all), where it goes & gluing a piece of sheet styrene just below the level of the opening made in the seat cushion, leaving an opening to insert the tufted parts into? The tufted parts would attach to the sheet styrene & that would bring the tufted areas in line with the rest of the seat, giving a more realistic appearance & better intergrating it with the seats & other interior sections where it's used, instead of it looking like it's floating on top of the seat.

I understand & appreciate that for some custom applications having it riding on top of the seat might be preferable, but in many instances, if if were flush or mostly flush with the rest of the area around it, (mostly flush to give it a slight "plumper" look), it could easily be used to replicate late 70's/early 80's factory cloth interiors that often had the "plump, overstuffed look".

Something to consider I feel, & again a great technique. Thanks for posting it!

Now there is an idea never thought about that. Great idea, i hope to get caught up at work so i can try out all these ideas on my latest build.