Handmade leather steering wheel. Worn steering wheel? Let's make an exclusive constriction on our own! Removing the steering wheel and the old braid

Let's start right off the bat. The secret that the owners of car dealerships and ateliers carefully hide is that you can wrap the steering wheel of your Mustang with leather yourself. Even at home. Even without dear automotive leather. Even if you don't know how to sew. Strictly follow step by step instructions, watch the video and believe in your own success.

Why skin?

• leather steering wheel causes pleasant tactile sensations, it is warm to the touch.
• The leather steering wheel is securely fixed in the hand, it is easier for the driver to react to unexpected traffic situations.
• The leather steering wheel looks discreet and elegant or young and perky, depending on the color and quality of the material.

We prepare materials and tools

For work, we need the following tools and materials:

• Narrow masking tape;
• Stationery cardboard;
• Roll of cling film;
• Marker with a thick core;
• Manicure scissors or stationery knife;
• Two hardened steel needles for leather;
• Durable synthetic thread of a suitable color;
• Pair of thimbles;
• Two-component adhesive for skin;
• Dryer for drying home or industrial.

We make a pattern for a leather braid on the steering wheel with our own hands

The steering wheel in each car has its own configuration and features, so we will experiment with the pattern. Remove the steering wheel and wrap the steering wheel with cling film. This material is elastic and fits perfectly on the base. On top of the film, we evenly wind a layer of masking tape. We especially carefully process the places at the base of the spokes.

We carefully examine our work and decide how the skin will lie, how many parts we will divide the circle into, three, four or six. The proportions between the parts of the braid are a matter of your personal preference. The eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing. With a marker, we apply the borders of future pieces of material on the surface of the adhesive tape, seams will run along them. We mark each part, determine the serial number.

Cut the paper layers along the drawn lines with a clerical knife. We refine the forms with scissors. We put the resulting templates for alignment for a day under the press. It could be a stack of books or a weight. If there is no time to wait, then iron the parts with a slightly heated iron. According to the size of the templates, we cut out blanks from cardboard, be sure to transfer the numbering of the pieces to them.

Note: Let's reveal one more secret. If the cutting process seems too complicated for you, look at the market for "semi-finished" braids made of perforated or smooth leather. A strong needle and nylon thread are included. All you have to do is wrap the steering wheel yourself.

Choosing a skin

The choice of material for tuning is a fascinating process. The color scheme, the combination of leather of various textures, the price and the availability of materials in stores ... Black is universal, it is an eternal classic of the genre, but it is unlikely to be appropriate in a beige interior. Choose soft leather, think perforated options. Such material is well fixed by hand and has a high coefficient of friction.

Where to buy wrapping material? Go to an auto shop, go around fabric stores or look at catalogs of online stores. The required amount of leather will tell you the pattern of the product.

Note: Leather ALCANTARA Alcantara (artificial suede). Thanks to the adhesive base and protective adhesive paper, it is easy to work with. The pattern is drawn on adhesive paper, cut out with scissors, the protective layer is removed, the skin is stretched exactly according to the shape of the steering wheel and glued in the right places.

How to cover the steering wheel with leather with your own hands: steps

1. So, the patterns are ready, the skin is bought, you can start the process of tightening. We lay out the templates on the wrong side of the material and, taking into account the allowance in the places where the pieces are stitched together, we make markings. We leave allowances of 2-3 mm. Cut out.

2. We sew the joints of leather flaps on a sewing machine. If desired, decorative stitching can be laid on the front side. Feel free to try on the resulting layout on the steering wheel. Check that the product fits snugly, without sagging or bubbles. Make any necessary adjustments.

Note: Another secret to the perfect fit. So that the seams at the joints of the pieces do not stick out, and the surface of the braid is smooth everywhere, it is recommended to cut shallow grooves on the steering wheel at the seams with a clerical knife. Exactly such recesses are made near the steering wheel spokes.

3. At the next stage, we tighten the braid with a strong nylon thread. To do this, we need two hardened steel needles and two thimbles. Start the firmware from the docking seam. Threads go from two sides, cross each other. At the junction of the spokes, the thread is drawn from the back of the rim. In order for the braid to lie as tightly as possible, do not forget to tighten the material.

Fix the tie at the start of the firmware with a high-quality double knot. In the case when the edges were stitched on a typewriter, the screed can be done with one needle, using the existing holes for punctures. Such a seam will turn out to be more even and smooth.

Note: the secret of strong fastening of knots of nylon threads. To prevent knots from untying and sagging threads during operation, soak them with superglue. You do not have to worry about the reliability of the connection of slippery nylon fibers.

4. The work is ready. You can dry the steering wheel with a hairdryer and return it to its place. If you still doubt that you can do the steering wheel wrap yourself, experienced specialists share tips on how to simplify the process:

• Instead of a screed, put the parts on epoxy or rubber glue, use leather with an adhesive base. Thus, cut errors will be less noticeable.
• You can pierce even holes along the edges of the blanks using a sewing machine without threads. Your seams will be neat and even without the hassle.
• Soak the skin in warm water first, it will become elastic. After drying, the material will fit more closely to the base due to the reduction in size.

As you can see, it is not difficult to wrap the steering wheel in leather. You just have to start and everything will work out for you. The leather steering wheel will give the interior of the car a stylish appearance and emphasize your individuality.

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.

Making sure all lines match real 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 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).

Hello dear friends! I hope you are in good mood and are 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.

1. Naturalness. Faux leather not suitable, not those properties. And in general, once you get down to work, do everything qualitatively.
2. 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.
3. Extensibility. Strictly average. Elasticity should ensure a snug fit to the wheel.
4. 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 chose smooth skin when tightening 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, according to the model 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 really gain beautiful steering wheel made by hand.

• 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 problem 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. Everything will be done for you there. at its best albeit for a decent amount of money.

Share your stories on self-tightening the steering wheel or a bad experience in contacting the studio, if any. To do this, write in the comments.

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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 case, it can be made from genuine leather, and from "ECOLEAT".

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 on a BMW would have looked just awful, so it was decided to remove the "steering wheel" - to do everything from quality leather, in general, restore the external "former" appearance. 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.

6) Now we pull the cover on the steering wheel, it will be difficult to enter, this is normal!

7) After we begin to connect our seam, then whoever wants, you can use any seam - “sports”, “herringbone”, asterisk, etc.

8) The banner is ready.

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

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

Well, the most basic material for work is leather. Skin is better bro good quality, and if you want to work out, then 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 the end result does not turn out to be a braid bigger size.

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, we take the steering wheel braid and sew the edges to perform this procedure better 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.