Vag Upholstery

N

N4567A

Non-Member
The time has come to give the Mighty Vagabond an interior re-do...the clip on the seat base broke off of the 62 year old piece of plywood.

Does anyone know of a source for new clips for the seat bottom?

I purchased a new piece of plywood at an unbelievable cost for a 4'X2' piece, but it has 10 plies or so, so I'll shut up about that. Local car retoration guy has taken on the job, will be re-using the sling, it's in great shape. Modern car fabrics seem to excede the CAA requirements, and the foam is one heck of a lot lighter than the current stuff. Will be using a dark blue fabric of some sort, and thinking about having a large pocket and some elastic loops sewn into the back of the sling.

All reccomendations and comments cheerfully accepted.

Rodg
 
We all plan on keeping the airplane forever but:

I would make ABSOLUTELY SURE that you save the "Certs" on the fabric.

I have encountered buyers that consider these as significant as the Engine O/H.

I think the Vag is certified per CAR 3 so things are a LITTLE easier.

At any rate it is far easier to save the paper NOW than to be discussing Burn Tests later.
 
I have just renewed my Vagabond upholstery and managed to save 13lb weight! Although expesive, I found "Ultraleather" to the best and lightest material available and has impressive characteristics. It should be available on your side of the pond. I also used traditional upholstery foams and made the seat a bit thicker than the original. I also used a modern fabric for the sling as my canvas sling (not original) was heavy.I will try and post some pics in the next few days.
TN
 
Thanks for the ideas...currently carving plywood, and have told the upholstery guy to get the certs for me.

I have weighed the current set, and anticipate a 10#+ savings.
 
Here are two pics of my new upholstery. I will be removing the tan coloured upholstery from the sides.
Tony N
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1859-1.JPG
    IMG_1859-1.JPG
    56.8 KB · Views: 488
  • IMG_1860-1.JPG
    IMG_1860-1.JPG
    33 KB · Views: 432
Do you have a picture of the sling without the seats installed? I'm not sure who the sling attaches to the tubing in the front.
 
Hi Taildragger,

Sling wraps around the front cross tube under the seat front edge and is laced around the tube. The rear of the sling is supported by a removable tube that attaches to the fuselage frame. Tube is aerofoil shape in section. I will send you info in the next few days.
Tony N
 
It took me a while to figure out how to lace mine in a manner that resulted in tight lacing around the tube, but without the sling bunching together toward the center of the aircraft. Below is a rough diagram showing how I finally laced mine.

IMG_0074.jpg
 
Last edited:
A picture is worth a thousand words! My lacing is near identical except more like shoe lacing. That is, the cords criss-cross all the way along the lacing line. Key is not to pull the cord ends together too tightly to stop the bunching.
Tony N
 
Based on drawing 11643, the factory used 8 feet of #4 mason line for lacing the seat so that's what I used. I tried to come up with a criss-cross pattern all the way across, but I didn't find one that worked with the odd combination of holes (8 holes on one side going to 9 holes on the other) without bunching or misalignment. I started by drawing half the lacing through the center hole on the 9 hole side, working out to the ends, then returning the ends of the lacing to the center and securing them by wrapping and tying around the vertical tube under the front center vertical seat support tube.

http://www.lighttrader.com/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=RO107

http://www.filmandvideolighting.com/white-trick-line-mason-s-rope-cotton--4-hank-4-50ft-cord.html
 
Last edited:
Taildragger,

Did you get the pics and e-mails I sent you regarding sling etc.?
TonyN
 
Everyone has been very helpful. Now i find that I need to get a sling seat that will be within FAA spec's. does anyone know where I can purchase this seat? I tried Air-Tex Interiors but they have nothing. Can I use the one from Wag-Aero or does anyone know who and where I can buy such an animal?
 
Taildragger,

I sent you four e-mails to your hotmail address. Will resend soon.
When I replaced my Vag seat and sling I used materials which matched or exceeded the specifications for the original items, based on information in the Piper drawings. I am not sure of the significance of the statement "within FAA specs". Does that mean you can't make up your own seat?
The seat assembly isn't difficult to make. Sling is straight forward and cushion and seat back can be made by any competent upholsterer/trimmer.
TonyN
 
im so sorry' but my email automatically re,jects mail from unknowns, so thats why i suggested adding the subject line as seat pictures. The answer to your question is, i was told to make sure the burn test from the manufacture should be in my paper work. I have a good friend that does upholstery work, but i was concerned about the burn test.
 
Taildragger,

Have sent the e-mails again. I did use the subject line you mentioned the first time. Used "seat pictures" this time.
I think all the FAA is suggesting is to ensure you use upholstery and sling fabric which meets the required flammability tests/spec. Basically only use fabrics which meet the spec. The first material I got for my sling was very lightweight and strong, however I noticed it didn't have any flammability rating. I decided to put a match to a small sample and it burnt very quickly! I then got a flame retardant fabric which was as strong but fractionally heavier.
Tony N
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

tnowak
Vagabond upholstery
Replies
0
Views
2K
tnowak
tnowak
Back
Top