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Does anyone know of any other sources for broadcloth besides Hirsch?
Thanks for any help, Jim
Jim,
You should look at SMS Auto Fabrics.
Here is their web address: https://smsautofabrics.com.
I had good luck with them.
Peter
Thanks Peter, I have requested samples from them.
Jim
Hello Jim,
SMS made some custom interior cloth for me.
It took a looong time, but they eventually produced a nice roll of material that matches the interior cloth of my 1925 Series 80, 7-passenger, DeLuxe sedan.
I probably waited for a year or so, but finally, after some harassment on my part, the material arrived.
I have some idea that the delay was caused by their having an out-of-country, independent mill produce it.
I paid about $100.00 per yard, which I thought was reasonable, considering that it was a full custom weave job.
They have a good number of stock fabrics, but my Chauncey (my Series 80) needed matching fabric, and I used some other material that was “close” for a few years.
When the wait was over, then all I had to do was get my upholstery Gent to use it to redo the seat bottoms and backs.
That is a work in progress, and I anticipate it being done by Summer (Please!).
My Gent does top flight work, but can be a bit too considered when working on Pierce-Arrow pieces.
He reproduced the three rear seating area silk roller shades, which he first did in a polyester material, but it would not roll up properly.
I then bought silk, and it Works Like A Charm.
He also commented on the complexity of the sewing done by the PAMCC in making those shades.
Apparently, the shade edges had multiple seams, some French seams on the edges.
He was impressed, but then again, he does a good deal of work for a Gent who owns and has restored, fancy 1930s Chrysler cars.
His Chrysler cars are beautiful, but they are Not a Pierce-Arrow.
Petter (my upholstery Gent- a Norwegian – that’s why 2-Ts) also fabricated for me two leather front kick panel pockets, With Flaps that are both spectacular and extremely useful.
PHEW!
That’s my story, so if you like their offerings, you should have the material quickly.
Custom is different.
As a note, I am redoing my seats and not the door panels or headliner. Not because they are in wonderful condition, but because at least for the door panels, they are extremely complex and I don’t believe they an be replicated as crafted by the PAMCC.
Okay, that’s enough for now.
I’m going to finish my cigar, sip my Laphroaig scotch and wait for the 18 to 28-inches of SNOW that is supposed to blow in tonight as a blizzard and stay All DAY tomorrow. EESCH!
Be well and be in touch if you wish.
Cheers,
Peter
Sent from Dr. Peter’s iPhone
Thanks Peter and David, SMS was a good lead. I have striped broadcloth material on the way, more expensive than Hirsch but I was having problems getting samples from Hirsch. Samples supposedly sent that never arrived and then not sending more after two weeks of waiting. I have had good service from them in the past but I think they are slammed with orders, and understaffed.
Well… SMS turned out to be a very unhappy choice. They had a broadcloth sample very close to what I was after, the sample card said they had it, I ordered it and the following week I didn’t have a tracking number so contacted them. They then said it was two week minimum to ship. Three weeks went by and no response. Finally I got a response that they had to make the material – first time that was mentioned. Repeated emails and voice mails asking for some idea of time frame brought no answers. Tried Hirsch again, they had received some new stock in the meantime and I ordered from them. Had it the following week. Canceled my order from SMS who feigned ignorance, but finally got my refund posted today. A 3 month fiasco.
SMS may be the only source for custom fabrics but useful only if you don’t mind being treated like a mushroom and don’t need the material for a year or more. I am lucky to have gotten a refund based on the many BBB complaints.
Jim,
I believe that you know that I had a similar experience with SMS, however I hung in there and after more than one year, perhaps two. I finally received my upholstery material.
The quality is excellent and my upholstery Gent got going and completed the recovering of my seat cushions.
I am afraid that they are the premier auto fabric producers in the country.
One involvement with them was plenty.
In defense of SMS, but not much, they did create a fabric that was not on their list and they needed to disassemble a swath of my cloth so that they could determine how many different colored threads there were in my original P-A upholstery material, and then had to create a fabric that accurately replicated the original cloth.
I was upset about waiting for so long, but the wait seems to be necessary to get exactly what one wants and needs.
No other fabric reseller that I know offers what SMS produces.
Those seats look very nice!
I was scheduled to upholster a 1931 Chrysler two door sedan, and the owner ordered material from SMS, sending them the money for it.
Months went by, no material, and SMS saying it would be a few weeks, every time he called. Finally demanded his money back and bought material elsewhere. Meanwhile, he substituted another (open) car for me to trim out, and the Chrysler went to a friend of mine in Ohio to be done. Didn’t hurt my feelings at all, I have trouble crawling around in a closed car these days!
Peter, I’d love to see a picture of the door panel you state would be difficult to replicate. I’ve done some pretty complicated panels before, even to the extent of having to make special feet for my sewing machine to accommodate the pattern.
As to the shades, there is a gentleman who specializes in restoring and recovering antique automobile window shades. Here is his website. Cost around $100 per shade, not counting mounting hardware.
Services Page 2 (heritageaai.com)
Dave,
You have an extra a in address. It should be heritageaai.com.
Sorry, sideways and cannot rotate?
David, your guy at least got more respnse than me, answering with a few weeks which never came. My repeated inquiries via voice mail and email specifically asking whether the timeframe was in weeks, months or years brought no response except they would check with the owner and get back to me the next day which never happened. It would have been fine if they had just been upfront and admitted they didn’t know so I could act accordingly.
On the other hand Marcus at Heritage doing window shades was great, prompt with what he could and couldn’t do and how long it would take.
Sorry, I tried a couple of times to post the curtain site and failed.
Door panels are no hill for a stepper, nor a trimmer… half oval rubber to form the pattern, sewn on each side, carpet melded into bottom of door panel, pockets with elastic….have done many like that.
But, those are great original fabrics and work, I agree to just leave them alone.
The pockets sag a bit, but don’t we all as we grow older…