Thursday, February 13, 2014

Chair Repaired

I was ask to duplicate two table leaves for a client, a former co-worker, and when I went by his house to take a look at the table, I saw one of the chairs from the set in his fire wood pile. He said he had tried to glue it, but it continued to break where the bow goes in the seat. Typical of these types of chairs, most of the critical joints were glued with screws, not through tenons.

Cut off ends of back bow and tapered

Holes in top of bow to hold spindles

I drilled through holes across the top of the bow to accept the ends of the spindles, but also to compensate for the fact that now the bow is shorter and needed to go through the seat.

Drilled the holes careful to keep the original angle of the back. When almost through, I flipped the bow over and drilled through the top to minimize tear out.

Tapered the spindles to allow the bow to mount properly in the seat.

Everything glued and assembled. The spindles as well as the bow are wedged to be sure it stays together for quite a long time.

Finished chair with the black touched

up with some General Finishes Black Stain.

The chair is better than new now.

Dyeing an Upholstered Eames Shell Chair

A few weeks ago we found this Eames shell chair in a consignment store. It was love at first sight for David (hes been wanting an armchair version for a while now) and a "dont you remember how much work the first Eames chairs were", coming from me

We went home and a few hours later, David brought it up again, so I knew that if he couldnt stop thinking about it (which never happens) So I figured we should probably get it. He always supports my crazy ideas, so I could definitely let him have one (even if it did mean sanding it down to the fiberglass).

The chair was in good condition, the upholstery wasnt torn, but nothing screams the 70s like pumpkin orange! Nothing wrong with it, just not our cup of tea :) We tend to prefer brighter, bolder colors.

Our plan of attack was to dye it, then if that didnt work fabric spray paint and if that didnt work reupholstering it and finally, worst case scenario, sanding it down to the fiberglass (SO glad we didnt need to do that!)

First we did a little research, and found that Kara Paslay dyed a chair with similar fabric using Rit dye. She went from blue to purple, so we figured that our only chance would be dark gray or black since we didnt want to go orange to red.

First off, items are supposed to be submerged in a dye bath and then rinsed with water and washed. This is basically impossible with a chair, unless you had a lot of dye and a way to soak it .. So please note, this isnt the intended use for Rit dye.

I boiled water on the stove and added 3 ladles (I think about 1.5 cups) to half a packet of dye and a little vinegar (recommended when dyeing wool) to a large container (good for one coat). I stirred and it looked a little purple, hmm .. So I added a little yellow dye until it looked more neutral. Yellow is the opposite of purple on the color wheel, so it helped neutralize the color.

We applied it with a paint brush, the first coat looked a little patchy, especially when it dried because the water puddled down to the seat and didnt sit on the arms long enough ... We ended up doing 4 coats, and it still looked a little patchy. Wear gloves if you want to avoid dyeing your hands :) Also, put a tarp down to avoid getting dye on the floor.

Heres how I mixed each batch

coat 1 - just gray dye + boiling water + vinegar
coat 2 - gray dye, black and a little yellow + boiling water + vinegar
coat 3 - gray dye, more black, more yellow + boiling water + vinegar
coat 4 - black dye, yellow (higher dye to water ratio) + boiling water + vinegar

I increased the dye in the final coat which was a mistake because it crystallized and got a little powdery in areas. (1.5 cups of water to 1/2 packet of dye worked for me.) I scraped most of the crystals off and decided to try a coat of Simply Spray Soft Fabric paint.

I opted for the soft fabric paint in hopes that it wouldnt change the texture of my fabric and it worked! My fabric doesnt feel at all different!! I emailed Simply Spray and asked about durability for upholstery, but havent received a response, so time will tell. Simply Spray does make an upholstery spray paint, but Ive heard that it changes the texture slightly.

I snapped this pic before applying the second coat (sorry the lighting is weird). Our chair took two coats, and two cans. I taped the plastic edging with packing tape to avoid the dye getting on it and placed a cloth over the base. It was pretty windy, so some got on the back, but it wiped off easily.

It covered well, and removed the unevenness left from the dye AND the fabric feels exactly the same!

Since there was so much liquid from dyeing the fabric, it did take a while to dry, but a few days later, I sat in it and NO dye came off on my clothes, so Id say its a success!

What a difference!! I LOVE how the black instantly modernizes it!

Well most likely sand and polish the base a little later, but for now Ill take it!

What a difference from restoring our last Eames chairs! This took a couple of hours verse several days!!

Ill keep you updated on how it wears with use. If we do end up reupholstering it, this is pretty high on my list (probably not Davids though)!

What do you think, would you try dyeing and spray painting a chair?

Mid century chair woodworking plans

This Mid century chair woodworking plans must see

Mid Century Chair Woodworking Plans

Mid century modern wood chair | ebay - electronics, cars, Find great deals on ebay for mid century modern wood chair in antique items from mid-century modernism. shop with confidence.. Mid century modern furniture chair | ebay, Find great deals on ebay for mid century modern furniture chair in post 1950 antique chairs. shop with confidence.. Sonore solid wood mid-century style dining chair (set of 2, Shop for sonore solid wood mid-century style dining chair (set of 2) and more at everyday discount prices with free shipping over $50* on overstock.com - your online.

Mid-century modern - wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Mid-century modern is an architectural, interior, product and graphic design that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture and. The mid-century modernist, A tribute to the mid-century modern movement as a historical milestone and a living ideal, reflected in today's best furniture, architecture, and design.. Century furniture - infinite possibilities. unlimited, Manufacturer of upholstered and wooden furniture for the living room, dining room, and bedroom. browse collections, order catalogs, or locate a retailer..

Mid-century modern design - collector information, Herman miller eames lounge & ottoman espresso vicenza leather walnut dwr vintage starburst sunburst elgin eames atomic mid century era wall clock yqz original 1950s. Vintage swank - vintage and mid-century modern furniture, Vintage and mid-century modern furniture. we offer both local delivery and shipping on most our furniture items. please contact us to see if you are in our. Antique, vintage, mid-century and modern furniture at 1stdibs, Mid-century mahogany and cork desk and chair by paul frankl for johnson furnitur.

Best Source