Replacing leather wheel cover

Mulligan

Mulligan

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184
70
San Pedro
slug zitski said:
EVA foam sheet, contact cement , bit of super glue , razor blade and presto …no leather

buy long sheets..fewer butt joints

uv resistant , reasonably durable , cheap

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These were the wheels that I did about a year ago. The owner was set on wanting red. I warned his BN that there was no guarantee on this project! The only thing suitable was a sheet of 2mm EVA foam, 36” x 60. I had to cut it into strips. The red seemed a bit less durable than the black windsurfer boom grip that I normally use. It seemed more prone to fingernail gouging. One season in, with no complaints! Good contact cement is getting hard to find in California. Luckily, I found a good stash!

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Mulligan

Mulligan

Member
184
70
San Pedro
Right after the red grips, did a large J-109 wheel for some radio shrink, and a pair of Farr 400 wheels. All in Black EVA. Had to build a jig to mount the wheels.



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G

gkny

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36
check out the replacement covers that are available for windsurfing booms. The stuff is very tough and relatively easy to apply.
 
slug zitski

slug zitski

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gkny said:
check out the replacement covers that are available for windsurfing booms. The stuff is very tough and relatively easy to apply.
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It’s EVA foam

boom covers material is advantageous because of its long length

Width..diameter might be worth considering . You need extra width … then cut away , trim after glueing
 
G

gkny

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The way that I have redone windsurfing booms is to glue the cover down so that one edge slightly overlaps the other. You cut the overlapping side close so that it is a bit proud at the joint and then sand it smooth.
 
slug zitski

slug zitski

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gkny said:
The way that I have redone windsurfing booms is to glue the cover down so that one edge slightly overlaps the other. You cut the overlapping side close so that it is a bit proud at the joint and then sand it smooth.
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Yup
you can use a layer of narrow tape down the center of the substrate …before applying contact cement …apply contact ..remove tape…wrap Eva onto the glued surface ..then overlap and slice thru both piece with a razor blade to form a fine joint ..add a bit of contact cement to the unncoated area the was under the tape , then press down

similar to veneer work
 
Wet Spreaders

Wet Spreaders

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SF Bay
Progress so far...

I decided to try making my own leather cover and sewing it myself. I bought a piece of suede hide (about 40"x50"). The problem with that is it's too small to cut into a seamless circle, and to cut into strips it would require a lot of ugly joints. So I cut out a spiral 4" wide and 14ft long.

The strip is a spiral, not straight. So I looked up on the net and it seems that IPA and water make leather stretchy. So I dumped it into some dilute IPA and then hung it on the gazebo with a weight on it for a couple of days. It's now a straight ribbon of suede about 15 ft long.

Next step is to roll it tight around a broomhandle and trim the cylinder to 3.1" length on the bandsaw. Then pound about a million holes in it on both edges, and sew it on my boat. We'll see how that part goes, but so far, so good getting material sourced and prepped.
 
Wet Spreaders

Wet Spreaders

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Quickstep192 said:
How do you plan to do the seam to join the ends?
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Saddle stitch it, with the seam at the bottom of the wheel when rudder amidships. The existing cover has a similar seam, so I don't think it's an issue for function or cosmetics - I just didn't want 3 or 4 seams, which is why I screwed around with the spiral.

The broomhandle/bandsaw idea sucked, by the way. Cutting leather on the bandsaw, even when wrapped tight, is messy, leaves a ragged edge and there are occasional "bangs" as the blade grabs a chunk and rips it through the kerf hole. Also, left the shop smelling like burned hair for a couple of hours. Bad plan. I'm going to have to trim it with a straightedge and a knife.
 
Sea Scouter

Sea Scouter

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Racine, WI USA
Wet Spreaders said:
Yeah - The underlying foam is in good shape, and is glued on. I'm not looking forward to removing it. I'd prefer to leave it alone. This job is going to be a pain in the ass because I'm going to have to do it with the wheel on the boat. The stainless bolts are siezed into the boss of the wheel and I don't want to take the risk of really cranking on them - they face out from the binnacle so when they strip or the heads snap off, there's no way to get at them easily. Wheel-on means sitting in a hunched position for a few hours sewing. I could live without having to scrape off old foam also.

But if I don't remove it, I'll probably need the wider kit. I'm starting to like the idea of buying some hide, a sewing punch and making my own, using the existing foam. I'm surprised how cheap leather is online and there's plenty of variety. But a 48" wheel has a 13.5' circumference. You don't meet too many 14 ft long cows (scary!) so that means multiple seams. Can you cut a spiral in leather and stretch it straight?
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Buy the elk hide on Ebay and cut your own. Get one of those fork things for punching the holes 4 or 5 at a time. It is monotonously tedius work. Bring a radio or some fucking thing to occupy higher brain functions. Use polyester carpet thread. I did not wet my leather but I guess it can't hurt. You can do about 2 feet in 90 minutes. I was happy with the results and this winter I put little 'socks' on the spokes where they meet the wheel proper.
 
Sea Scouter

Sea Scouter

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Racine, WI USA
Wet Spreaders said:
Saddle stitch it, with the seam at the bottom of the wheel when rudder amidships. The existing cover has a similar seam, so I don't think it's an issue for function or cosmetics - I just didn't want 3 or 4 seams, which is why I screwed around with the spiral.

The broomhandle/bandsaw idea sucked, by the way. Cutting leather on the bandsaw, even when wrapped tight, is messy, leaves a ragged edge and there are occasional "bangs" as the blade grabs a chunk and rips it through the kerf hole. Also, left the shop smelling like burned hair for a couple of hours. Bad plan. I'm going to have to trim it with a straightedge and a knife.
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Cuts easy with a utility blade. Have something over the coffee table when you cut and punch. That's a good housekeeping tip from my first mate.
 
Al Paca

Al Paca

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El Lay
tandyleather.com

Deluxe Rotary Leather Punch

Our Deluxe Rotary Leather Punch features a strong steel body, copper anvil, non-slip handle grips and adjustable, locking wheel. This comes with six different sized tubes. Sizes: 5/64", 3/32", 1/8", 9/64", 5/32" and 3/16". Threaded steel punch tubes can be replaced when damaged or dull...
tandyleather.com tandyleather.com

Get one of these for punching holes.
 
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