SEAT OF LEARNING

I READ a recent article on your website about David Loye and the model cars he built. I’m curious how he made the upholstered seats, as I have a close family friend who makes custom model cars (see photo), and he’s currently working on the interior seats by stitching leather glove scraps and foam. I’m curious if you had a suggestion for a different technique or knew of where I could look to help him out. Steve, email DAVID Loye writes: “The three basic methods I use for interiors are: build from scratch; enhance what’s supplied in the kit; or use an alternative. Building from scratch usually means building the seat frame or base and adding layers of differentshaped plastic to create the desired look, such as tuck-and-roll. I may also use modeller’s putty to add shape and contours. Enhancing what’s supplied in the kit usually involves using odds and ends to add piping or homemade decal insets into the seats. As for using an alternative, there is a massive range of household items and clothing you can take a pattern of and then duplicate in resin. Resin casting is easy and cheap to do, and once you have a master mould of an item you can create multiple copies by casting. The resin is very easy to work with; it can be cut, shaped and bent, and you can paint it with all types of paints to replicate leather, tuck-and-roll, embossed or any custom pattern.”