Canvas Top

[sgaza10318]

My 1929 Model A Sport Coupe has staining at the edges...can anyone recommend how it can be cleaned & how to prevent this from happening...Thanks

[John_Mereness]

You can call Haartz and ask  http://www.haartz.com/  The owner is Eric Haartz and is an automobile enthusiast and you may be able to ask for him or an email or ..... 

[trimacar]

It would appear that the gutter along the edge might be rusting on the back side, thus causing the stain.  The stain seems to start at that point, and then gradually lessen as it gets further away.

 

Very difficult, if not impossible, to get rid of a stain like that, usually nothing really gets into the fabric weave to remove it.  You might try some of the foamy upholstery cleaner and a soft brush.  You have to be careful not to apply too much pressure on the top fabric, or you'll start breaking threads.

 

What it's really going to take is a new top, clean and make sure all metal parts are well primed and sealed, stainless staples (if the trimmer uses staples)…….

[Spinneyhill]

What about a little Evaporust on the stain? Will that damage the fabric? I would suggest oxalic acid too, but that might bleach the fabric and you would need to neutralise it as well. You'll have to fix the rusting steel too!

[bryankazmer]

You don't necessarily need to talk to the owner, but contacting Haartz in Acton, Massachusetts and asking for tech support is a good idea.  The company is still very active in supplying the automotive industry.  If you know it, have ready which specific Haartz product was used.

[Akstraw]

I had a similar problem with stains on the top on my 1930 Franklin.  It was coming from the staples rusting underneath the trim welting.    I scrubbed it about five iterations with a foaming upholstery cleaner called Tuff Stuff, using a soft scrub brush followed by a dry cloth.  Scrub a little bit each time; not so much to soak the fabric.  Purpose of the dry cloth was to absorb andwipe away the cleaner before The fabric got saturated.   If the fabric gets soaked, then it triggers more staining.  I'd say I got out 90% of the stain.  Then I sealed with Raggtopp.   Of course now I don't want the top to ever get wet, as I expect it will trigger more staining.  I think the long term fix would be to pull put the welting, remove all the existing staples and tacks that are rusting, and replace with stainless steel staples, and then remount or replace the welting.  As mentioned above, it may be some other metal part beneath the fabric that is rusting.