How To?

ROBERT G. LOCK

Ma ke insp e c tion cover and drain g rommet doilies

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

I N T H E O L D D AY S of Grade A cotton fabric, inspection rings and drain grommets were secured to the fabric using butyrate dope. Since the material used in making these pieces was acetate plastic and the dope was made from cellulose acetate butyrate, the two were compatible and the bond was good. However, with the advent of synthetic fabric processes, the bond was not all that good, and the inspection rings would commonly come loose, which made for a messy repair to correct the situation.

Synthetic fabric manufacturers suggest that inspection rings and drain grommets should be covered with a layer of fabric to securely bond them in place. Here is an easy way to make the doilies used to reinforce rings and grommets.

Make a frame of any size; mine measures 2-by-3 feet. Obtain some lightweight Dacron fabric and then stretch and tack it to the frame. I use nailing strips to hold the fabric in place. Then lightly shrink the fabric to remove all the wrinkles (they won’t come out after bonding to the fabric).

I use the lid from a 1-gallon paint container as the diameter to cut the doilies to size. Mark each doily while the fabric is still stretched in the panel. Mark with a pencil, then brush Poly Brush (or whatever the base coat is) around the pencil marks and allow it to dry. Note that I have drilled a hole in the center of the can lid so the center of the circle can be located. Cut out the doilies with pinking shears — the base coat will hold fibers in place and prevent raveling of threads and filaments. Drain grommet covers can be made the same way but, of course, use a smaller diameter circle — something around 2 inches.

At the proper time in the process, locate and bond the inspection rings and drain grommets to the fabric and allow them to cure thoroughly.

Figure 1

Figure 3

Wet out the center of the inspection ring with a brush and the base coat material, and place the doily in the center of the ring using the center dot as a guide. Press the doily well into the base coat and use the paintbrush handle to work the doily tightly against the plastic ring. Allow it to dry before going on to the next step.

Now, wet out the remaining area under the doily using a paintbrush and smooth the doily down, being careful to remove all air bubbles and again pushing the doily against the ring with the handle of the paintbrush.

With a little care and patience the final product will look something like Figure 3. By using a two-step method of bonding the doily to the fabric surface, a good air bubble and wrinkle-free covering of the inspection ring will occur. If you don’t let the center dry before sticking down the outer part, the doily will continue to creep around and you will never get it centered, remove all the air bubbles, and get it stuck securely to the plastic ring.

Figure 2