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How to recover suede feet

Started by BDM, March 24, 2009, 01:21:38 AM

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BDM

By Dan/Panther

I will try to show you how to recover your suede, felt, or leather feet.
D/P
NOTE:
Several of these photos show the work being done by one hand. Most required two hands, and I only posed the photo to hold the camera.

In photo #4, I just wanted to let everyone know I can spell SCISSORS, it was too much trouble to replace the photo as I would have had to replace photos 4,5,6,7, an 8, to correct the error. You can't insert photos in between others, it always adds them to the bottom of the list.
Unless someone can tell me how to place them in different order.

D/P

--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI

BDM

Continued...
In photo 8, by tightening the mounting screw you will tighten the suede. So getting the suede tight is not critical at this point, as the insert will make it tight. Getting the suede fairly even around is more important, and not baggy.
You do, however, want as little slack in the suede as is possible before you tighten down the insert. if you find the suede is too difficult to hold, you may increase the size of the pattern to 1/2" oversized.

D/P
--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI

dencins

#2
Nice job but some people may have difficulty getting the suede to tuck in even using two hands.  A fixture can help with this.  You can see the process I use here:

http://atcaonline.com/Footpad.html

(must be a ATCA member to read this topic - link below)

https://atcaonline.com/member-articles/how-to-re-cover-feet-to-a-western-electric-302-telephone/

Not being critical but a few of comments:

1.  302 footpads should have a 1/8" felt cushion.  Only the 1936/1937 riveted on footpad did not have a cushion.  Pre-WWII footpads used something like black tar as a cushion but post-WWII used 1/8" felt cushions.  This also helps keep the leather tighter.
2.  Using suede 0.030" to 0.040" thick reduces the effort to get the suede tucked in between the plates.  Thicker suede tends to bunch up at the corners.
3.  The original color used by WECo was chocolate suede.  Same color was used for WECo candlesticks, A1, B1 and D1 desk stands when done in leather.  Difficult to tell the color from the outside of a footpad but if you find an original one in reasonable shape, the inside of the suede will be dark brown.  Probably just me being picky or maybe it is the lighting but your suede looks a light tan. 

Dennis

Dan/Panther

#3
Dennis;
The felt pad is mentioned, with a caution NOT to forget it.
I just happened to have about 5 pounds of very thin beige suede at the time, so that is what I used. Most I've taken off have looked dark, but I assumed it was age.
This was my first attempt at the feet, after collecting phones for about 6 months, so to have gotten it that close makes me feel pretty good, the fixture is definitely a plus.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

dencins

Definitely a good job on your part.  Sorry, I did miss the caution "NOT to forget the felt".

I use Chocolate Brown Sheer Cowhide Suede Splits from Tandy Leather.  The downside is the minimum order size is 12 sq ft.

You can get the replacement felt in 12" x 12" sheets from McMaster-Carr.  I use F26 industrial grade felt (1/8" thick).  One sheet makes about 100 cushions.  I cut the replacement cushions in the shape of the larger steel plate.

Not sure if it is allowed on this board but I do offer a footpad recover service for 302's, early leather 500's and 7H6 Galion as well as base plates for A1, B1, D1 desk stands and WECo candlesticks.  You send me the old pads or base plates, I clean them up and recover them for a fee.  If it is a riveted leather footpad like the early 302's and early 500's, you send be the base and I remove, recover and re-rivet the footpads.

If anyone is interested they can contact me at my email address.

Dennis

Dan/Panther

Dennis;
How close are 500 rivets rto original.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

dencins

#6
They are the same.  These are only for the leather covered footpads not the neoprene.  The neoprene are unique that I have not located.  You can see the leather here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dencins/500Footpads#   --->  dead link 6-21-17

Dennis

Phonesrfun

By the way, Dennis, welcome to the forum.  You are such a familiar name, it hadn't occurred to me you were new here.
-Bill G

Netdewt

Any suggestions for a source for the suede? Can you get it at a fabric store?

Dan/Panther

Tandy Leather, mine is the beige, but Dennis says the original was a chocolate brown, I bought mine as remnants, about $5.00 for a large bag of it.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

Netdewt

What type of store sells it? Would I have to buy it online?

cihensley@aol.com

Dennis (Decins) is too modest. If you ever see the quality of his work you won't go to the trouble of trying to do your own suede work.

Chuck Hensley

Dennis Markham

Chuck, I agree.  Dennis' work is very very nice.  He has recovered 302 pads for me, recovered a D1 base and riveted on Model 500 foot pads.  All top-notch, professional and look like original installations.  His fee is so reasonable that even with shipping it seems to me that I couldn't do it myself for much less and get the same result.

foots

  On the bottom of several 202s that I've seen, including my own I've noticed that there are several dark triangular shaped areas around the circumference on the leather that puzzled me. I've since learned that there were pads that were on the bottom that appeared to be made of cork and I actually missed buying a pack of these on E-bay. Were these pads used in the earlier days and then removed? Or did they just fall off or what?
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

Dan/Panther

Once you have everything set up, it takes about 45 minutes to cut and replace 4 feet. The photos of the ones I redid seem to show the suede as being loose, it is not it is very snug and if it were the chocolate brown would look very nice. Then again, I'm just thrifty. Plus the added satisfaction of something learned, and being able to say;"I did it myself."

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson