best wheel covering leather (or material)?

E

ean_p

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Dec 2001
Messages
3,010
Location
Humber
Visit site
what is the best type of leather ( or material) with which to cover a wheel and what do the normal suppliers of leather kits use please?
 
As usual, there is no "best". The most common is a chromed leather which gives you the furry type finish. Elk is very popular in Scandinavia (avaiability?) and the French builders tend to use a tanned smooth finish. Lewmar use chromed and most of the kits I have seen do the same, I think because it is fairly easy to put on the wheel, lasts well and is comfortable.
 
Better IMO than leather is to put on a light line which gives a much nicer feel than slimy wet leather and better grip. I removed a leather cover on one boat to use line. Simply start at the central spoke and half hitch continuously (like half a clovehitch) as far as you want, pulling tight as you go. This will produced a raised bump spiralling neatly around the rim, made from the consecutive hitches. I did ours in red and green to mark port and starbooard and therefore show clearly the straight ahead position which might seem a bit twee but several friends copied it so I wasn't alone.
 
May I ask what string you use for coxcombing? I'm guessing that soft polyester would be the best for the wheel, although I was considering a turks head on the posts in the cabin and might try a cotton rope (still easily available thanks to bondage freaks).

Rob.
 
To be honest I don't know what mine was. I bought it from a chandlers, it was a braided cord about 3mm diameter and they had black, red and green I think, same sort of stuff you would use for lacing dodgers in place with.
 
rob2 said:
might try a cotton rope (still easily available thanks to bondage freaks).
Click to expand...

:eek:

Well, that's handy to know :) Possibly a good excuse if "Bob's Sex Dungeon" ever shows up on your credit card bill too :D

I'm planning to fix the wooden backing plate for my lamp to the mast post using a pair of turk's heads, but I wonder whether cotton will end up getting grubbier than plaited synthetic cord.

Pete
 
We used a custom kit from Boatleather in the USA. The thing I really liked about it was that they supplied (at extra cost) a thin neoprene layer that was stuck under the suede leather that I sewed onto the wheel. Its has given the wheel a 'soft touch' leather cover that lots of people admire.

Its a whole lot better then some of the slimy leather covers I have come across in the past.
 
The wheel on the boat I've just got is a French one done in the tanned leather referred to earlier in this thread. Over the top half it has lost all the tanning - due to not being covered I suspect - and it's dull and a bit rough more like a Lewmar one. I wondered about roughening up the rest to match with a brass wire brush like you use on suede or Nubuck shoes.
I there any leather expert reading who can tell me if this will work and if i should treat it with anything please?
 
LadyInBed said:
Mine is also 'strung'. Starts and finishes at TDC then covered with a Turks head to cover the join and indicate TDC (and you can feel it in the dark) ;)
Click to expand...

That's how mine is done with alternating white & blue plaited cord about 5mm diameter and a turks head at TDC. Works well. Was extremely dirty when bought 5 years ago, I pressure washed it and discovered it was blue & white. Now kept covered when not in use. Much better than leather in my opinion.
 
thanks for all the reply's , have gone and bought some 2.5oz Elk suede from the States for just under a tenner and will give it a go. Intending to use closed cell foam beneath to give the 'padded' feel. This will be some of that intended for use under laminate flooring which is about 2mm thick and cheap as chips. Have just removed the 'corded' cover that I put on as the feel after a few hours helming was really poor almost suggesting it would induce sores after not too much longer!!!..this was 3mm polyester with a spiral hitch!
 
Best of luck with trying to fit it from scratch. The materials are cheap but a good fit requires a lot of skill and patience with the leather cut exactly to size and the holes pre-drilled for the thread. That is why "kits", although more expensive are popular as, although tedious to fit give a perfect finish.

Hope it works out for you.
 
Wheel Hide

Best job i've seen is from Lambourne Services - 01489/577304 he will hand sew on a chrome hide for about £120 (36" dia wheel)
 
john_morris_uk said:
We used a custom kit from Boatleather in the USA. The thing I really liked about it was that they supplied (at extra cost) a thin neoprene layer that was stuck under the suede leather that I sewed onto the wheel. Its has given the wheel a 'soft touch' leather cover that lots of people admire.

Its a whole lot better then some of the slimy leather covers I have come across in the past.
Click to expand...

Hi, I can second the above. We have a specialist vintage car trimmer in our village. He made us a wheel cover in black hide with a red patch at TDC. The wheel had thin neoprene glued to it before the cover was fitted. The feel is superb.
 
I made mine with chrome tanned leather, the one with a "shiny" face.
Five year old, always outside with no cover, from snow to desert sand, I put a bit of grease a couple of times a year (I am told one can use Nivea cream), still going strong :smile:

P1030841.jpg



P1030840.jpg




re turks head, I assume everyone knows how to make one with one spoke coming out rightly out of it :smile:
P1030839.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top