Page 1 of 1

Veltrim?

Posted: Thu, 08 Nov 2012, 6:46 pm
by 70sfreak
Veltrim

Well, just noticed this stuff mentioned on here and as I have been searching for something to cover the inner walls with (to complement the newly trimed cushions and curtains !) is it as good as it looks on you tube ? where best do you get it from ? colours ? amd any other tips ?
Cheers Steve :wave:

Re: Veltrim?

Posted: Thu, 08 Nov 2012, 8:18 pm
by RayH
Hi Steve,
I found some on Ebay (seems to be a lot of suppliers there)- 5 mtrs x 2 mtrs + adhesive =£60 delivered. I rang one of them (0161 633 0290) and prices for other quantities were:

6mtrs x 2 mtrs + adhesive = £72 delivered
3mtrs x 2 mtrs + adhesive = £45 delivered (proportionally more due to delivery but will probably do the roof)

Looks fairly easy to fit. I'm Interested to hear what others think about it as well.
Cheers
Ray

Re: Veltrim?

Posted: Sun, 11 Nov 2012, 5:35 pm
by 70sfreak
Thanks Ray, yes seen ebay now , just wonder how much we would need and what would be the best colour?
Steve

Re: Veltrim?

Posted: Tue, 20 Nov 2012, 6:58 pm
by Ambubird
We have done ours in Veltrim. Wheat colour.
It was fairly easy to do. It stretches & can be hammered (gently) into corners. It stops any condensation & is really cosy!
It was our first attempt & came out pretty well we think.
It is definitely a two, if not three person job though. You will need at least a tin of high temp spray adhesive per meter of fabric which is normally supplied as part of the deal if you buy on ebay.
There was a few wrinkles & we went through loads of blades (the fabric will blunt the edge pretty quick) & my cutting wasn't as careful as it should have been but still pretty happy & much better than it was! :)
021.jpg
480318_10150944688955547_185478692_n.jpg

Re: Veltrim?

Posted: Mon, 10 Dec 2012, 8:38 pm
by 70sfreak
Thanks for the update , think I'll do the same as it looks great !

Veltrim Article

Posted: Tue, 04 Nov 2014, 11:06 am
by Admin
Thanks to Seònaid and Mike who wrote this article originally for the Essex TR Club magazine and they've sent it to me for publishing on the forum for everyone to read:


‘Adventures in the Interior’ (Portafold that is…) or Headlining with Veltrim
By Seònaid and Mike Forrester
(Originally written for the Essex TR club magazine at the end of 2013.)


Those of you who know us will also know that between us we have a hobby or three. In 2006 I took ownership of a period Portafold folding caravan which was displayed for the first time at Battlesbridge on the TR stand, alongside the 2 (TR2) and again in 2013. (‘Before’ and ‘After’, if you like.)

It has always been my intention to restore the Portafold to something like her former glory. The problems have always been: time (work tends to get in the way of our interests) the weather and finding the right materials for the jobs. A key area for restoration was the roof lining and this is where you will find that this brief article also has some relevance for classic car owners. Originally flocked, in the dim and distant history of the Portafold, a previous owner had seen fit to emulsion the interior of the roof and she was now suffering from Flaky Ceiling Syndrome. I looked into having her re-flocked but high cost made it prohibitive. In a reckless hour (or two), Mike manfully sanded the emulsion off the fibreglass but we were left now with a bare and rather patchy ceiling.

In August we attended the RetroFestival (formerly Wings and Wheels) at White Waltham airfield for the Portafold ‘5th National Gathering’ weekend. (There were 33 Portafold attendees, including mine, many towed by classic and interesting vehicles, ranging from our TR to a beautiful Bristol, a Fairlane - with Portafold painted to match the car livery – various hot-rods and possibly Mike’s favourite: a Chevy truck painted in red oxide!) Fortuitously, we were stationed opposite someone who is in the business of motor restoration (at the very posh end of the market). He mentioned in conversation the magic word ‘Veltrim’, a material used widely in the vehicle restoration business and a possible alternative to the super-expensive flocking.

We were barely through the door on our return before researching Veltrim online. We investigated, and decided against, cheaper – and possibly inferior – alternatives in favour of a Veltrim four way stretch fabric, sometimes referred to as (don’t be put off) ‘carpet’. This is the kind of material which you will have seen covering many car interiors, such as campers and transit vans, and the kind of thing which would happily act as a headlining or cover a transmission tunnel. Online we found Vanguard Conversions’ website useful and professional and there is a link to a YouTube clip of one of their guys covering a wheel arch in a transit van, which is worth watching before embarking on the task, even though your Portafold roof, being concave and complex, will present more of a challenge

After trawling the internet for some hours, decision made, we decided to use this company, also purchasing their ‘Trim Fix’ aerosol cans of adhesive. Hint: if you do this, a) don’t skimp on fabric, b) it’s well worth paying a little extra if necessary for the real McCoy – adhesive and fabric - and c) buy more of both than you think you need. The company will estimate how many cans of adhesive are needed but I’d say get an extra couple ‘for luck’ and, because Mike is generous (and you will want to be) with the glue, we needed those extra cans. I ordered all the materials over the ‘phone, rather than online (just because I like to speak to a human being) and they were with us within 24 hours, despite having come from Fort William!

Now, a simple job would be straightforward and very manageable but a Portafold roof interior is a challenge, with its fins and quirky mouldings (see photos) and we had no idea how this would go. My middle name is caution but Mike is Yang to my Yin and, while I was all for being conservative, with a join to make the job easier, Mike’s default setting of Let’s Go For It was kicking in. He was determined to complete in one piece! Granted, he has a long history of Making Things (ranging from his famous building aTR4a from the ground up, to his work in advertising, to his model-making etc…) and therefore has a range of competencies but this was a job to make even an old (as in ‘ex’, of course) ad man blanch…

Some blood, sweat, co-operation and cursing were involved but we remain married and, for a big or complex job like this, there is no doubt that two pairs of hands were needed and definitely the four-way stretch fabric. We took the roof off first and cushioned her with old blankets and pillows to protect the upper surface and preserve and support the shape. Working from the middle outwards, with generous applications of adhesive to both surfaces and working in narrowish strips at a time made the work more manageable and the second pair of hands is vital for, a) pulling like stink to keep the material really taut for a good finish and b) for holding the fabric away from the other glued surface until the other person is ready to push down and smooth like crazy. (I’d recommend having very clearly defined roles and one of you has to be prepared to take instructions quickly from the other.) Within the first twenty four hours, there is a little leeway for lifting it away from the surface and reattaching if a crease or wrinkle appears in spite of all your exertions but this is not wallpaper hanging and expect the adhesive to grip extraordinarily hard (which, of course, it needs to, given the fact that you don’t want the fabric to lift once the job is complete). Be prepared for a Stanley knife (‘other craft knives are available’) or scalpel to blunt almost instantly and working with dressmaking scissors proved the best option when cutting/trimming was needed at the edges where there is overlap. The adhesive is especially designed to withstand the high temperatures that can be encountered in vehicles and it is important not to skimp on quantity or the quality if you want a decent finish – and one which will last. It is also well worth clamping or pegging the edges of the fabric to the edge of the roof to avoid the dreaded ‘fabric creep’ away from the edge.

A two-way stretch Veltrim would work for a smaller or more straightforward job and more colours are available in the two-way stretch fabric but the four-way stretch was absolutely essential for us and for any job with weird and wonderful shapes/structures as, for instance, if you want to preserve those quirky lines of the roof moulding of the Portafold.

A big job like this has to be thought through carefully and we are happy to give our ‘twopenn’orth’ to anyone thinking of using Veltrim, based on the benefit of our experience. There were utterly breath-holding moments when we could scarcely believe it was going to work (and, by golly, it was going to look great) and other gut-wrenching moments when it seemed as if it might not. Blood pressure and marital tension aside, the end result is fabulous and, yes, we would use the product again though we probably wouldn’t choose to do a Portafold roof interior again in a hurry!
1.jpg
2.jpg
3.jpg
4.jpg