Real-Life Communication
As an upholsterer, you'll likely work with all sorts of customers.
This means you'll have to be able to express your ideas clearly and concisely
to them. "You definitely have to be able to get your point across well," says
upholsterer Jimmy Moore.
You're refurbishing a living room set
for a client. She's asked that the pieces be done as soon as possible
because her youngest son is getting married and she needs the furniture back
so she can entertain guests.
Because you always aim to please your
customers, and because she's been a longtime supporter of your business,
you tell her you can do a rush job. You smile as she leaves the shop, but
as soon as she shuts the door, you begin a whirlwind of activity. If you want
to get the set done on time, you must start right away. And you'd better
get some help.
You have a new apprentice at the shop, and you ask her
to take apart the chair and re-spring it. You check back with her the next
day and find the springs she has sewn in are lopsided. You're angry at
first.
"What on earth are you doing? Who is supposed to be able to
sit on a lopsided chair?"
Then you calm down. Your apprentice is new.
The reason she hasn't done a proper job is because you haven't shown
her what to do.
You pull out an upholstery book and ask her to read
through a section on springing. "If you have any questions, just let me know,"
you say.
Springing
At the base of many seats,
you'll find some form of springing. The springs back up the cushioning
and give some controlled resistance to sagging furniture. Inserting a spring
into a chair seat isn't as simple as you might think.
First, you
must select webbing that will accommodate the number of springs you want to
put in the chair. The webbing is tacked to the under portion of the chair.
Tension
Springs
Tension springs already have a hook attached to them.
The hook can then be held to the frame by screws or nails. It's possible
to cut a spring and bend a new hook for it, but this practice isn't advised
because the steel is tempered and tends to be brittle. Cutting through it
will blunt your cutting tool and may snap in the effort to form a new hook.
The
only safe way to cut and reshape an end is to heat the spot quickly so that
the heat doesn't spread. Allow the steel to become red hot and then let
it cool slowly. Once cooled, this part of the spring will be soft enough to
cut and reshape without breaking. Because of these difficulties and chance
of breakage, it's better to start off with the right size and shape of
spring.
A tension seat spring can be stretched one inch for every 12
inches of length.
Coil Springs
When single coil springs
have to be held in place, it's necessary to sew them to the webbing and
use twine to link their tips so they keep position.
Upholsterers usually
sew with a curved needle. Some prefer to use a double-ended needle so that
it can be entered either way into the fabric. If the fabric is tough or will
need extra force to push the needle through, a single-ended needle is preferable.
(From The
Upholsterer's Bible by Percy Blandford, Tab Ridge Press, Blue Ridge
Summit, Pennsylvania)
The apprentice reads
through the questions, but in order to make sure that she has understood everything,
and doesn't re-spring the chairs incorrectly for a second time, she asks
you a few questions:
- What are two reasons for putting springs into a chair?
- Why does the steel have a tendency to dull cutting tools and to snap?
- How should you cut springs to make sure that they don't break in
the process?
- Would you suggest cutting springs or purchasing new ones?
- When is it recommended to use a single-ended needle?