AY Honors/Upholstery/Answer Key
1. Know five of the following terms used in upholstery to describe the tools and give their uses:
a. Tack Claw
A tack claw is a tool used for pulling tacks out of furniture. One end has a handle by which the tool is gripped. The other end has a claw which is wedged underneath the head of the tack. The handle is then either lifted or pushed down, levering out the tack.
b. Staple Remover
A staple knocker is a tool resembling a screwdriver, used for removing staples and shredded material. It is called a knocker because a hammer can be used to hit the end of it and remove long lines of shorter staples.
c. Regulator, Mattress Needle
An upholstery regulator is an upholstery tool which smooths irregularities in the stuffing beneath the coverings.
Whilst it looks similar to a needle it is heavier; like needles the regulator comes in various gauges and lengths. It is used to poke through the various layers to adjust the stuffing before the final cover is put in place.
A related tool is the stuffing iron, which is used to push the stuffing into the curves and corners of a piece of furniture; it has a narrow piece of steel with one toothed edge to grab loose stuffing and place it in the hard to reach spots.
d. Magnetic Hammer
e. Sharp Knife or “Snap” blade knife
f. Work Table
g. Industrial Sewing Machine
h. Sundry Items.
2. Explain the use of the following items:
a. Webbing
Webbing is used in couches and chairs as a base for the seating areas that is both strong and flexible. Many types of outdoor furniture use little more than thin light webbing for the seating areas. Webbing is also used to reinforce joints and areas that tend to flex.
b. Staples and Tacks
c. Hessian
d. Buttoning Cord or Waxed Flax
e. Calico
Calico is a textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may contain unseparated husk parts, for example. The fabric is less coarse and thick than canvas or denim, but owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance, it is still very cheap.
f. Fibre
g. Flock
Flocking is a type of texture applied to a surface.
"Flocking" is a decoration process that enhances the way a wide variety of products are experienced by making ordinary surfaces seem far more magical and special. "Flocking" is the process of depositing millions of little individual cut fiber particles (called "flock") onto the surface of an article for the purpose of increasing its value in terms of the tactile sensation, aesthetics, color and appearance, and/or a wide variety of other functions--such as insulation, slip-or-grip friction, etc.
