Types of seams for covering the steering wheel with leather. About leather-wrapped steering wheel: why do it, which seam to choose, instructions and self-upholstery

01.08.2023

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Hello dear friends! I hope you are in a good mood and ready to receive a portion of new useful observations from your obedient servant. After all, today we are discussing such an issue as hauling the steering wheel.

Agree that regular steering wheels on many cars can only be called squalor. Either they were normal, but time left marks on them in the form of scratches, cuts, torn seams, and so on.

Skin tightening is a fairly common service. In cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar or Belarusian Minsk, for example, there are a number of ateliers where you can redo the steering wheel in just a couple of days, breathe new life into it.

Yes, of course, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod, Belgorod and any other, even a small town in Russia and the CIS, will offer at least one master who can do such work for you.

But ordering a service is too easy. And yes, you have to pay more. Therefore, I propose to talk about how tight-fitting is done with your own hands.

Choosing a material

Of course, leather for the steering wheel will be the most preferable. This material is natural, strong and durable, plus fits well in the hand. Alcantara is an alternative.

But start with the skin. Its price is not so high, plus there are many options for execution. To choose the skin from which the steering braid will be made, follow a few rules.

Naturalness. Artificial leather will not work, not those properties. And in general, once you get down to work, do everything qualitatively.
Thickness. We don't need thick skin. Otherwise, you will be tortured to pierce. The thin one wears out quickly. The optimal size is 1.3 mm.
Extensibility. Strictly average. Elasticity should ensure a snug fit to the wheel.
Perforation. Its presence is not necessary, although it is more pleasant to work with perforated leather. At the same time, wear is higher than that of ordinary leather. Decide for yourself. I opted for smooth leather when wrapping the steering wheel.

In addition to leather for the steering wheel of a car, you will need a number of auxiliary materials and tools.

Tools and materials

The steering wheel trim kit for Mazda, Nissan, BMW and any other car, even the Ford Focus, will always be the same.

You need to put together:

skin;
a strong needle with which you will stitch the material;
strong nylon thread;
a pair of thimbles to protect the fingers;
masking tape;
cardboard of normal density;
food film;
marker or pencil;
sharp knife (buy at the building materials store).

All is ready. Now your car can be transformed. Start small - the steering wheel. Covering it with leather is not the easiest task for a beginner, but it is possible to complete it. I once decided to suddenly do something like this. The result exceeded my expectations, so you will definitely do just as well. I'm still a master of all trades.

The whole process can be divided into two stages:

pattern making;
skin-tight.

If you do everything right at the first stage, it will be much easier with a constriction.

Pattern

I will give a consistent instruction to put everything on the shelves and convey the main idea to you.

Remove the steering wheel. I don't know what kind of car you have, so I can't give specific instructions for removing the steering wheel. Take a look at the repair manual, if you don't know, watch the video or just act instinctively. No, I was joking though. We work only strictly according to the instructions;
Get rid of the old braid. It is not difficult. You can simply cut the seams and remove the worn material;
Wrap the steering wheel with cling film. Do not spare the material, but wrap it carefully so that there are no differences in height and irregularities;

Masking tape is wrapped on top. Be sure to mark the places where the seam will pass with a marker;
Cut the previously wound adhesive tape along the marked lines. In essence, you will have several elements for the layout. Since they are curled up, line up the tape and place something heavy on top of it. Leave overnight. The next day, the layout will be even and neat;
Tape components can serve as a template for making a stronger cardboard base. That is, attach the adhesive tape to a sheet of cardboard, circle strictly in size and cut it out. Although this is not required;
Now, following the pattern of 4 layout elements (usually 4 pieces are obtained), the skin of the desired size is cut out. Here, try to cut carefully, without violating the dimension. Otherwise, then you have to cut, align and so on. Why do you need extra trouble;
Number the elements of the pattern to understand which piece of leather will be located where.

In principle, the basis is ready. Not as difficult as it seems at first glance. But then you will find an equally important stage - sewing. If you have ever sewed, then you roughly understand what we are talking about. Those who have never even darned their socks in their lives, better not come close. I'm serious! Otherwise, the result can be very disappointing. Basic skills are a must.

Tightening procedure

If you are careful and consistent in your actions, you will succeed and the car will acquire a really beautiful hand-made steering wheel.

Take a strong thread, insert it into an equally strong needle;
About 2-3 mm should be retreated from the edge of the skin. If you sew too close to the edge, it will simply tear when pulled;
All blanks must be connected, resulting in a ring. That is why it is important to make marks on the patterns with a marker;
The inner seam will be inside, so do not worry about this;
When the ring is ready, attach it to the steering wheel, align all the edges so that everything matches;
The skin will "walk" on the wheel if it is not fixed. Here I solved the issue this way - I treated the steering wheel with epoxy. She firmly held the skin, but at the same time allowed the material to be slightly displaced until it dried;
Sew all edges neatly. If you are good at thread and needle, you can get a beautiful decorative seam;
Stretch the skin evenly so that the tension is about the same everywhere.

The formation of small wrinkles on the new cover should not scare you. It's normal for the skin. In a few days everything will smooth out and look perfect. Be patient.

I told how the steering wheel trim process looks like. Yes, the task is not the easiest, but doable. If you are not ready for it, give the steering wheel to the studio. There you will get everything done in the best possible way, albeit for a decent amount of money.

The steering wheel is the part of the car that is most susceptible to abrasion. Usually the braid "nourishes" up to two hundred thousand. However, this does not happen with all car models. After 3-5 years, the steering wheel becomes flabby and scratched. Naturally, when selling a car, the buyer’s eyes rush to the steering wheel braid. Therefore, it is important to preserve its factory condition as much as possible.

Today's article will be useful not only to car owners, but also to those who sell cars in the secondary market. So, how to sheathe the steering wheel with leather with your own hands? Consider below.

Material

The first problem the owner faces is the choice of material. There are many finishing options. In our case, it is required to sheathe the steering wheel with leather. Moreover, its quality should be at a high level. Steering wheel restoration work is quite difficult. Our goal is to restore the former state of the material for the longest possible time.

What is better to sheathe the steering wheel - leather or eco-leather? It all depends on the preferences of the owner. Of course, genuine leather will cost much more than a substitute (that is, material with the prefix "eco"). Note that eco-leather of good quality is not inferior to the characteristics of natural. It is elastic and fits the steering wheel well. The material has a homogeneous structure. This steering wheel looks very organic and presentable. The main thing is to make a sketch correctly.

Important point! The most convenient skin in use - only perforated. This is the softest, most elastic, pleasant to the touch material. It is very easy to work with him. The coating takes any shape (especially for those who want to sheathe the steering wheel of a complex configuration with notches in leather).

What thickness to choose the material? The optimal value is from one to one and a half millimeters. The main requirements for leather are resistance to temperature extremes, mechanical damage and, of course, to abrasion.

There is also smooth skin. According to the characteristics, it is no different from the previous one. Here, as they say, a matter of taste.

Tools

Before you skin the steering wheel yourself, you need to prepare a small set of tools and materials. We will need:

rubber adhesive.
Construction tape.
Pattern.
Stationery knife.
Marker.
Pencil.
Awl.
Pliers.
Nylon thread (at least one meter is required for work).
Two (it is recommended that they be semicircular).

Work should be done in a well-lit room.

Getting Started - The First Step

First you need to dismantle without removing it is almost impossible. This is a very labor intensive process. Dismantling will significantly reduce the time of work performed. To remove the steering wheel from the column, use a special puller. It looks like this:

Without it, dismantling will be quite difficult, especially if the steering wheel is removed for the first time. The fastening nut itself is also unscrewed (use the “27” key). Do not try to pull the steering wheel by force, and even more so use extraneous tools. So you only damage the interior elements.

Note! Before removing the steering wheel, make a small mark with a pencil on it and on the column shaft. So when installing the element will not stand crooked.

Step two - sketching

Having removed the steering wheel from the car, we proceed to the manufacture of a sketch, according to which material will be cut out for further application. As a layout, you can use construction tape. We glue it around the perimeter of the steering wheel and cut out the pattern strictly along the lines with a knife. For a sketch to be of high quality, apply adhesive tape in several layers (three to five are enough).

Now we remove the layout from the steering wheel and transfer each marked sector to the material (leather).

Note! Cut the skin is required with a small margin. Leave 1-1.5 centimeters from the edges of the sketch for a seam allowance. The excess can then be cut off, but it will be impossible to restore the missing piece.

Step three - fitting

Now we apply the cut material to the steering wheel.

After making sure that all the lines correspond to the actual size, cut off the excess edges. Next, soak the material in warm water for 20 minutes. With the help of an awl, we make small holes every seven to eight millimeters.

Step Four - Overlay

Now carefully fold all the details in the order in which the overcasting will be done. It is recommended to use for stitching leather (since they are the most durable). Try not to make too much effort so as not to tear the material. Leather, especially perforated, is not only easily stretched, but also torn. Try not to leave wrinkles.

Next, we tighten the edges of our material. It is necessary to fix the wheel so that it is securely held on the surface when stitching. Leather upholstery isn't that easy. The part tends to slip out of hand. Take care in advance that the steering wheel does not move from side to side.

An important point: before the final tightening, check the condition of the material. It should be evenly stretched. Sagging and creases are excluded. They greatly spoil the look of the steering wheel, even with new skin.

What seam to tighten

There are three types of seams:

Sports.
Macrame.
Pigtail.

It is impossible to say that only a specific of these types should be used for steering wheel trim.

Everyone chooses according to their taste. All seams look very organic on the steering wheel. The main thing is to grease the steering wheel when tightening the edges. This way you will prevent premature peeling of the material in case of a seam break. Although the threads are quite strong.

Step five - installation

After the new material has been successfully applied, you need to wait until the glue dries. After an hour, you can install the steering wheel in place. Do not forget to put it strictly according to the marks that were made in pencil. A washer is put on the nut. Further, the steering wheel is assembled according to the standard scheme.

If the car is equipped with an airbag, disconnect the terminal on the battery, otherwise the airbag may shoot. Also connect all sensors so that their signal does not light on the instrument panel at startup. That's all. After installation, you can start full use.

Conclusion

So, we figured out how to properly sheathe the steering wheel with leather. It is worth noting that the process is quite laborious and not every person can cope with it, especially if the steering wheel has a non-standard shape and wooden inserts.

There is always a great risk of improper skin fitting. Therefore, many motorists entrust this work to professionals.

Where is the leather steering wheel? They often turn to specialized workshops. They also reupholster seats, door cards and other interior details. The price of works - from three thousand rubles (including material).

24.04.2016

The steering wheel of a car is not only one of the main controls, but also an element that you pay attention to when you get into the car and which determines how convenient and pleasant it is to drive a car. Intensive operation of the steering wheel leads to a fairly quick loss of its original appearance. In this article « » I will tell you how to return the steering wheel to its previous appearance and make it even more attractive.

To get started you will need

Remove the steering wheel from the car (use the manual for the repair and operation of the car).
Construction masking tape - 1 large skein (paper tape, ordinary oilcloth will not work)
Food or packaging film - 1 skein
Stationery knife preferably with a new blade
Dark color marker - 1 pc.
Cardboard (preferably medium weight)
Strong nylon thread (the one used to repair shoes is suitable)
Sewing needles preferably hardened (take a few pieces, they can bend or break)
Two thimbles on the middle fingers (will protect fingers from puncture)

Well, the most basic material for work is leather. Good quality leather is better, and if you want to work out, it is better to use leather or leather substitute from old jackets, pants, bags, etc.

We make patterns

It is necessary to wrap the steering wheel with food (packaging) film. The film should fit snugly against the base of the steering wheel.

Then, on top of the film, as tightly as possible, we wrap masking tape so that in the end result the braid does not turn out to be larger.

We take a marker and divide the steering wheel into four parts, make a mark on the inside of the steering wheel for the inner seam, preferably evenly.IMPORTANT: number or label each piece before cutting. We cut clearly according to the marks made, we should get four patterns.

We cut out the patterns and lay them on a flat surface, press it with something heavy, and leave it overnight so that they align and take the desired shape. Next, we transfer the aligned patterns to cardboard (it will be more convenient to make patterns on the skin, NECESSARILY make a margin for the length of each element 1-1.5 cm), and then transfer to the skin.

We sew the elements cut out of leather in order from number 1 to 4, the first and last are sewn together to make a ring.

We try on the finished braid on the steering wheel, the workpiece should not hang out, but should fit snugly against the steering wheel (if it still does not fit, you need to sew it in one of the seams). If everything worked out, we proceed to the next step, take the steering wheel braid and sew the edges, perform this procedure better with a sewing machine, if it is not possible to stitch, you can make a winding at the edges of the product (use only strong threads).

Stitching options for tightening the braid on the handlebar

Completion of the robots

In order to prevent the braid from slipping on the steering wheel during operation, the edges can be fixed with glue or epoxy. After all the preparatory robots are completed, you can begin to tighten the braid on the steering wheel. Upon completion, the robots install the steering wheel back on the car and enjoy the result.

I work in a car shop, we are engaged in hauling elements of the car interior. We are me and my childhood friend and part-time master. By the way, he also loves his job (at least he says so). So, I want to tell you about our most popular service - steering wheel reupholstery. I will not only tell, but also show the whole process in stages.

So, let's begin.

Here is the steering wheel that we will drag today. Steering wheel from a KIA Rio 2012 car (I can be wrong with the year)

The steering wheel on Rio is standard, most of them are. There are handlebars with wooden inserts or non-standard spokes that are more difficult to tighten. And there are steering wheels with both, as, for example, from Nissan MURANO

The steering wheel from Rio was not pulled from the factory. Simple plastic wheel. There is also a Rio with a steering wheel wrapped in genuine leather from the factory. But the factory leather on most cars is of lousy quality, the factories save on materials, so the steering wheel, for example, from Kia, can be erased after six months of operation. I know what I'm talking about, because we cooperate with car dealerships - we tighten the steering wheels under warranty. As proof, here is a photo of the order-attire indicating the mileage. A total of 6,237 km.

We will pull our steering wheel in eco-leather with a smooth texture. Immediately a small retreat, until I was showered with slippers. Many customers shy away from the word "eco-leather", as they believe that this is a newfangled name for leatherette. And they can be understood. Probably, for all people, genuine leather is associated with wealth and durability, and leather substitutes with cheapness and poor quality. But eco-leather is not the same dermantin that is used to cover sofas in clinics.

Firstly, really high-quality eco-leather is made 80% from scraps of real leather. And there is such a thing as polyurethane in the composition of eco-leather. This very polyurethane coating provides automotive eco-leather with strength and durability.

Eco-leather is not afraid of temperature changes, high wear resistance (resistance to abrasion, tearing, creases), outwardly and to the touch it is indistinguishable from natural leather: soft, elastic, warm, even its reverse side is like that of natural leather, high performance for abrasion, fire-resistant, does not ignite from a spark, does not burn through with a cigarette, environmentally friendly.

And another advantage is hypoallergenicity. The material does not irritate the skin, has no smell (in the heat in the cabin it does not smell of chemicals).
Now customers have more or less heard about eco-leather, they mostly choose it. Three years ago it was more difficult. I recommend it, because it is important for me that the client travel longer. .We are happy to pull rudders and not rudders in natural leather, and it costs much more.

Let's go back to our wheel. We disassemble it, remove everything superfluous.

We measure where the slots for the seams will be

Making our own cuts

Is it possible not to spoil the steering wheel and not to make slots? Can. But even with the fortified edges of the skin, the seam will protrude by a millimeter, which means it will be erased much faster than the rest of the steering wheel. When constricting, you can make any number of seams. On handlebars with non-segment heating, alas, it is impossible to deepen the seams.

Transferring our measurements to the skin

Cutting and checking

We sew all 4 parts (four times trying on the braid on the steering wheel)

We put on the steering wheel and cut off all the excess. This is the most difficult part, since it is necessary to take into account a lot of factors - extensibility of the skin, protrusions under the fingers.

Leave an extra millimeter, and the skin will overlap. Like this.

You cut a lot - there will be a gap. Pay attention to the seam - no slots were made for the seams on this steering wheel, it turned out such an unpleasant protrusion.

We sew our braid.

The threads for the steering wheel are used strong, with a high breaking load and resistance to friction, providing a very strong seam that does not get dirty. It is necessary that the thread withstand washing the car interior, dry cleaning. We use Gütermann, excellent German threads.

The next step is to apply glue to both surfaces in two layers. We use hot glue. In summer, the heating temperature of, for example, torpedoes in the southern regions of the country can reach 150 degrees. Hot melt glue peels off at a temperature of more than 300 degrees.

Glue from leather and plastic is easily wiped off with a special solvent that does not damage either the skin or plastic.
When the glue is completely dry on both surfaces, we put the braid on the steering wheel and the master sits in this position for about 30 minutes.

We tighten the steering wheel with a decorative "macrame" seam. The seam should be beautiful and even, the skin should be well tightened so that there are no wrinkles, and not overstretched so that there are no wrinkles. It remains to pull the last knitting needle

Next, tighten the skin where necessary and glue the braid to the steering wheel. Thermosetting glue plays into the hands here too. Pasting is done after the glue has dried. The parts to be bonded are joined only after heating. This does not interfere with the master's work, allowing you to glue section by section. Activation is carried out with an industrial hair dryer at a temperature of 300 degrees.

And here it is, almost done.

We put in place plastic and horn
Ready!

Such a steering wheel will last 5-8 years.

Steering wheel resurfacing takes 3-5 hours on average.

Here, in general, that's all.

Sooner or later, you may have a question - how to tighten the steering wheel with leather yourself? This can occur for various reasons, for example, you have a plastic steering wheel and you want it to look presentable. Or you already have an old leather steering wheel, but from time to time it has worn out, and it just needs to be updated! In general, there are a lot of reasons, including the general tuning of the car, today I want to tell you and show you a photo of such a wrap with comments, of course ...

It should be noted right away that now there are three technologies for waisting - wrapping. I'll list it point by point:

1) The easiest and cheapest way is to buy a Chinese universal cover, it can be made from both genuine leather and ECO-LEATHER.

2) We turn to a special atelier where you can fit anything! Easy, but costly.

3) When you buy leather with your own hands, make a stencil and then drag it. Difficult, especially if there are no skills - but cheap, you will learn the technology (then you can drag it to others for money).

We will analyze each option in order, be sure to photo and video.

Chinese universal case

It is now gaining popularity in our country, it is very easy to buy on the same ALI, after which it will be sent to your home, and you will already pull the steering wheel. By the way, the kit comes with instructions on how to do everything yourself.

The difficulty lies in the fact that if you have never done it yourself, and you do not have sewing skills, even minimal ones, then again it will be difficult! You can also damage the cover. So the option is really cheap, such a cover costs a maximum of 500 - 800 rubles, but even after the correct constriction it does not look very, let's say presentable, because only the steering wheel is fitted, and the elements adjacent to the center remain old. So for an amateur! Watch the detailed video.

Special Atelier

Needless to say, my friend had a BMW 3 series, her braid was worn out from time to time (the car was 8 years old). Of course, you could not change it, but the steering wheel was black, and the scuffs were very conspicuous! A Chinese cover for a BMW would look just awful, so it was decided to remove the “steering wheel” - to make everything from high-quality leather, in general, to restore the external “former” look. The owner himself has never been a "seamstress", and therefore simply turned to a special organization.

The principle of operation was as follows:

1) Carefully removed the steering wheel - turned off the pillow - dismantled it.

3) The cover was removed, a new one was made from it.

4) After that, they simply pulled it onto the steering wheel - they fixed it with a new stitching.

It turned out very impressive, it’s a pity that I don’t have a photo now (and a friend sold the car) - you can distinguish “FIG” from the real one!

Do-it-yourself hauling

Well, of course, the most interesting thing is the hauling yourself. Now there are many different technologies, and everyone says that he has the best. Personally, I didn’t overtighten it myself, but I consulted with the guys who “ate the dog” on this. And they showed me the best technology for beginners.

Now there will be a photo instruction, for constriction:

1) Disassemble the steering wheel

2) We glue it with masking tape, in the right places, that is, we also glue the connecting elements that go to the center.

3) Then we draw places for separation.

4) We cut and remove the adhesive tape, we get a stencil. We number it.

5) After we transfer everything to the skin, cut out the stencils - sew them together. It should be noted that you still need to flash around the edges, we retreat 4 - 5 mm. It is advisable to use a reinforced thread, it is also "reinforced". It is this seam that we will connect.