Search result for: the-last-thing-you-aquired-
| # | Post Title | Result Info | Date | User | Forum |
| So yesterday I learned that | 1 Relevance | 8 years ago | mgee76 | Repair | |
| So yesterday I learned that if a bunch of people who do a thing for a living tell you they don't want to do something, that something probably isn't very fun to do. Actually, that's not exactly true; the last one was a little bit exciting, but that might have been because I was almost done. Thankfully, I ordered an extra sheet of cane. On my first attempt at pressing it into the groove, the wedge I'd made completely sheered the cane. Turns out that thinner wedges are best, and that they should really be rounded on the edges. I completed it out for practice, sans glue, and it didn't look too bad. I decided to soak the remaining sheets for a few hours longer than had been recommended, which I think helped quite a bit. I also decided not to trim the cane down to shape first, and I think that was the right decision. It wasn't exactly difficult, just really stressful because I was convinced I was going to break the cane with each tap of the hammer, and you have to move fast to avoid it drying out. The narrow strip just inside the armrests was especially nerve-wracking because the weave had the most tendency to move there. Black lacquer may have been the right choice for finish, with how badly damaged the frame was, but it made the job a whole lot more tedious. I had to tape off all the brass and fill the groove with paper cord, then be really careful not to mar the color, as a spray touch-up wasn't really an option. Anyway, thanks all for the votes of confidence. Here are some crappy phone pictures: the finished frame prior to caning (and aforementioned spline chisel), my clumsy initial attempt, a shot of the wedges pressed in place, and installing the spline. | |||||
| It is actually a nail with a ... | 1 Relevance | 18 years ago | tchp | General discussion | |
| It is actually a nail with a ... It is actually a nail with a specialized head, and not a staple. The seat is made from cord made of twisted paper, woven in a specific fashion, and is not pre-fab. Weaving a Danish cord seat is a quite a lot of work, or at least that is what I have been told. But, that is probably obvious just from looking at one. One thing that might complicate re-cording a seat is how far these original nails have been driven in. On my Moller chairs, it looks like it could be difficult to get new cord under these nail heads without pulling the nails out, or having to replace them with new nails. That is the main reason I have been thinking of using black leather or vinyl. I guess what I am uncertain about with the leather/vinyl Moller seats is what supports the seat/padding itself -- Be it a wood panel, or some kind of canvas webbing, etc., stapled to the stretchers. I am just guessing, but right now I assume that the Moller chairs in Rockland's photo above have some kind of woven canvas strapping as a seat support, followed by some kind of batting/padding material, followed by a leather or vinyl covering that is stretched over everything and stapled to the stretchers. In that case, both the leather/vinyl chairs and the corded chairs would have identical physical construction, and either seat covering could be used. In the end, I may need to purchase a single Moller side chair with a vinyl seat so I can dissect it and see how it was done at the factory, since I would want to re-do mine as closely to the way it was originally done as possible. | |||||
| Racoons and coyotes and bears...Oh My! | 1 Relevance | 21 years ago | Olive | General discussion | |
| Racoons and coyotes and bears...Oh My! Heavens!! I had no idea that someone could actually have an in-built dislike of nature, how sad! My home has a 48'Lx5'H expanse of glass that looks directly out into a woodland nature preserve. I can't even see another house from my house, yet I am only 50 miles or so from Boston. Besides songbirds, we regularly see, raccoons (yes, the stripey guys), skunks, porcupines, fisher cats, minks, fox, coyotes, deer, beaver, herons, turkeys, quail, hawks, owls and occasionally black bear and bald eagles. (Oh yeah and snakes, lots of snakes, I could do without those, thank you). One year we had a porcupine that enjoyed munching the wood posts of our deck, my husband had to beat him off with a broom, the stupid thing liked the taste of pressure treated lumber. Another year we had 5 coyote puppies running around in our driveway. (Damn, they were cute, I've got pix if you're curious) We also have a pond on our property that has fish and frogs. One of our neighbors has a real farm and we get eggs and organic fruit & veggies right from the grower. Yet, I can get to the symphony, museums, shopping, dining or the theatre in about an hour...life couldn't be better! You should try it some time. But, PLEASE, doesn't anyone have any clever ideas for a bird feeding station? I was wondering about a steel or aluminum post of some type that might discourage my gluttonous and freakishly clever squirrels. | |||||
| "High End" | 1 Relevance | 13 years ago | objectworship | General discussion | |
| "High End" Practically speaking, I consider "high end" to simply mean Fine Furniture, the kind of thing that is not disposable, but not necessarily only for movie star and aristocrat incomes etc. If you buy from Internet Lifestyle Catalog type companies you are buying all of their associated marketing and convenience policies too, this will not ultimately reflect a good comparative value... these companies are importers with healthy profit margins. Some good American solid wood furniture- Thos. Moser (as mentioned above) can indeed take one's breath away, this is pretty expensive, can be 2k for a dining side chair Harden furniture has some similar pieces, lesser priced Also Copeland, and Lyndon still nice but simpler and cheaper There are Amish companies such as Abner Henry that do very good work as well, "craftsman" style for the upper end of the interior decorating market (middle class, anyway), these sources will be like Stickley but with greater customization. All of these things can potentially work with mid-century modern styles but are often more influenced by American Colonial styles, Shaker in particular. In my experience, though, middle class consumers will often pay premium prices for what could be described as junk (relatively) because the pictures are so pretty and you can just click and her friend did it and it got so many facebook likes etc. Perceptions of quality vary very widely by demographic, and most people don't know how to see. | |||||
| Process continued | 1 Relevance | 17 years ago | Poach | General discussion | |
| Process continued To make sure everything was rock solid, I let the whole thing sit out in the garage for a week (fiberglass stinks). Then I grabbed my handy sander again, and went to town smoothing it out. Now, I haven't decided yet how to finish the surface. I could feather in a new piece of rosewood veneer. I could just hit it with a bit of dark brown paint. As you'll see when I start assembling the chair, the repair area is almost entirely obscured by the cushions. In any case, I knew that I wanted the shock mount to be adhered directly to the fiberglass structural component. I could decide on the aesthetic surface later. Digging into my big box of adhesives, I pull out the mighty Scotchweld 1838. This is the real deal. The stuff the Herman Miller factory used. I've had this pair of tubes for well over 10 years, and have repaired dozens of shock mounts - no failures. The 3M spec sheet rates it for 2500 pounds of shear force! That's some serious sticky. With the fiberglass resin, you've gotta work kinda fast, before it starts to set up. With the 1838, you've got all the time in the world. This is no 5 minute epoxy. It takes about 8 hours before it even starts to gel. I measured the placement of the other shock mount, and matched it on the repair side, making an outline with a sharpie. Then I mixed up the 1838, slathered it on both the shock mount and in the sharpie outline, and clamped them together. | |||||
| Golly, getting sick of people grousing about 1st Dibs | 1 Relevance | 19 years ago | barrympls | General discussion | |
| Golly, getting sick of people grousing about 1st Dibs Yes, most of the stuff is overpriced, but at least they show the damn price up front (as long as you sign-in). Many of the DA's sponsors play the P.O.A. game, not providing up front pricing. 1st Dibs are not only the MCM source to be overpriced. Ever check out Rewire? But, geez, they DO get amazing stuff and it's a useful tool to see what some dealers consider to be on the higher side of pricing. (check out Tri-State's prices...very high too....) You can also bet that most of the stuff being offered is in tip-top condition, and at least they DO provide a clear picture of the items. One of my grips about eBay live auctions, in comparison, is that although they show a picture and give a price range, they almost never provide much of a description and almost never mention condition. THAT you have to contact them about. Also, I believe that all of the 1st Dibs dealers will work with the seller to arrange shipping. The eBay Live Auctioners basically want their money immediately and you have to make all arrangements for shipment....just like a real live auction room. (Which is why I don't do live auctions....) If you're located out in the boondocks, like me, you need resources like 1st Dibs to see what's out there. It's one of my resources and I'm getting a bit sick and tired of the cheapskates complaining about them. Who on this forum has actually bought anything from 1st Dibs and had a terrible experience? One last thing....it's the DEALER who bought this man's Kagan piece and jacked up the price. NOT 1st Dibs. So...take a Valuum and get chill, huh? | |||||
| New acquisition -- Score! Oh wait, what do I do about THIS? Help a novice, please. | 1 Relevance | 12 years ago | chelle | General discussion | |
| So I finally score on CL! (pic 1)But then -- oops! (pics 2 & 3)Guess someone in the 70s decided to cut off the legs and update with this lovely mirror effect (plywood underneath.) Yay!What should I do? I'm keeping these, this is the only way I'll ever get an Arne Vodder into my house. Should I: 1) take it off and put them on the ground, 2) make a new, less noticeable plinth thing and paint it, or 3) try to get someone to make legs -- anyone got a set of Arne Vodder legs lying around? Wait, make that two sets! Or 4) something else? I am confused.Also, there are multiple scapes, nicks, etc. Is this solid or just a really really good veneer? Can I sand it and re-finish with teak oil like I would with Moller chairs? Or bad idea?Finally, the drawers were all out of order. Does the V shape on the double one go so that, were you hypothetically to be able to look at it through the back, it would make a V? Or the other way around? (pics 4 & 5)Thanks for bearing with all my noob questions! | |||||
| Timelines | 1 Relevance | 22 years ago | Olive | General discussion | |
| Timelines Well a drug has a pretty short lifespan. There's always something new being developed. Possibly this idea translates to the other areas? ie: a book is considered to be timeless since it can be read by generations of people and still in effect be 'new'? And a piece of furniture is more like the drug in that something 'better' will be developed? I don't know if I agree with that but I'm just tossing out a thought here. Maybe we think of furniture more like cars? Have it for 3-7 years then get a new one, except for a few that go 'classic'. But even classic cars have replicas and no one goes non-linear over that idea. I struggle with the thought that a design should be controlled by one company, it sound like an anthi-trust kind of thing and that's bad for an ecomony. Although I do think that faithfulness to original specs and production quality should be the topmost priorities. But, does a patent actually guarantee this? I don't think it does. And from what I've been reading it seems that companies that claim ownership over certain designs are not acutally doing this via patent, but by copyrights to the designer's names or the name of the product. Which definitely guarantees nothing in the way of faithfulness to the original design other than the company telling you it does. Now in the case of drugs, when the drug goes off patent and is made as a generic, the generic manufacturing company has two choices. It can either manufacture the drug EXACTLY like the original manufacturer or they can re-formulate. If they opt for reformulation they must have the new drug completely retested to assure that it performs the same as the original. Maybe something like this only on a much smaller scale would make sense for design classics. BUT, wouldn't you know, this was tried before here in the US and it failed. So as I've said on other threads, I think that anything other than a vintage piece is a replica some better than others, but still a replica. | |||||
| It'll look stunning, that's | 1 Relevance | 10 years ago | Spanky | Identification | |
| It'll look stunning, that's how it'll look! I have done this with a bunch of beech chairs that had old stained finishes that had gone bad (one had actually turned greenish). You do have to remove every last bit of finish, otherwise the ink will just bead up. But you're almost there now. I wouldn't worry about the specks of finish that are deep in the pores, since they're dark in color anyway. Just get it smooth and clean. The ink will raise the grain a little bit in some places, maybe overall, kinda depends on several factors but it doesn't matter, just sand it very lightly with 300 when it's dry, wipe off the dust completely, and do one more coat. Permanent India ink has a little shellac in it and that means you can't keep going over the same place with more ink. The shellac needs to dry before you go over it again. But it covers really well with one coat so that won't be much of an issue. If you buff it down a bit on the ends of the arms, it'll look like the kind of wear that happens over many years. The actual wood color on ebonized pieces will eventually show through on the points of wear and this is a desirable thing. Just don't overdue it. Less is more. Apply the ink with a small makeup sponge or foam brush and make SURE you wear rubber gloves. Disposable ones are fine. The ink is hard to get out from around your nails and just looks like dirt. The finer the texture of the application sponge, the better---more coarse foam tends to leave bubbles. Let the ink set for a few days, then buff with a clean rag. A microfiber towel is great. You can apply a clear finish to keep the ink from ever rubbing off on clothing. I have used paste wax for a soft glow and adequate protection. It's VERY easy to do. (this is the chair that had turned green on one side) | |||||
| Barry | 1 Relevance | 15 years ago | Pegboard Modern | General discussion | |
| Barry Please try not to be thin-skinned or take everything personally when someone replies to your post. I think the snarky tone of tynelbuyer's response came from their distain for the falseness of most "reality" television. I don't think that they were criticizing you personally. Or maybe they did not mean to sound cynical at all and were just trying to be humorous. However, I do think that the question tynelbuyer asked is a valid one. If you had an item that had stumped the design addicts here on the forum and took that in to try and find out more about it, I could certainly understand. But I don't know why anyone would go to the effort to take something that they know the complete history and value of unless they wanted to sell it and thought that the exposure on TV would make it more marketable or if they simply wanted to appear on television themselves. I understand that a lot of people want to be on TV. It seems like an exciting thing. I've been on television and radio a few times myself and I can honestly say that it's not that big of a deal. If you have a strong sense of modesty like I do, it's actually kind of embarrassing. You don't exactly look like you do in the mirror, and have you ever really listened to your own voice? I did a radio show in college and would refuse to listen to the sound-check tapes. Hearing my recorded voice makes my skin crawl. But maybe that's just me. Anyway, I think it could be an interesting opportunity if you have something that you really would like to find out more about (and not just the monetary value, to me that is the least interesting aspect). I have watched the show "History's Detectives" on PBS and found it very compelling how they do research and find out things that are as interesting, if not more so, than the item in question. If I were you, I'd be rooting around in the back of the closet and the bottom of drawers to see if I could find some obscure item that I had no idea about or might actually stump the "experts". Good luck on the program. | |||||
| The trick is to | 1 Relevance | 13 years ago | tktoo | General discussion | |
| The trick is to "work through the grades". Quality sandpapers are graded by grit particle size and leave a pattern of scratches correspondingly deep. It's really a series of steps working with incrementally finer grades to level the surface with a pattern of shallower scratches. The higher number of the grade, the finer the scratches. The finest grades of abrasives are usually sold as buffing compounds and polishes suspended in either wax, paste, or liquid. They will not, however, remove enough material to level the deeper scratches left by lower-grade sandpapers. It seems that you'd like to polish the tops of your cast aluminum bases to appear as new, but you've got a few spots that might be corroded. I'd try carefully scraping just those areas with a sharp steel blade held at a shallow angle followed by a series of the finest grade wet/dry papers you can get. Micro-Mesh is one brand I've used. They have kits for restoring acrylic aircraft windshields that might work well. 3M offers kits for automobile headlamp lens restoration that would probably work well on aluminum, too, and are readily obtained. Technically, aluminum is nearly as soft as acrylics like Plexiglas. In practice, you can often skip a few grades here and there as you work up. At least it works out that way with wood, but metal is less forgiving, especially if a mirror finish is your goal. Be careful, though, there is such a thing as "too shiny"! | |||||
| To assume that everybody on... | 1 Relevance | 15 years ago | Lit Up | General discussion | |
| To assume that everybody on... To assume that everybody on here is against knockoffs is wrong, as evidenced by some of the replies to this thread. Some knockoffs aren't worth buying. Others are. It depends on whether the materials, process and transportation costs in the 'branded' version justify an exclusive price. In the case of an Eames lounge, of course there is a difference between a vintage Herman Miller in Brazilian rosewood for several grand and a generic high street one for a couple of hundred. But in the case of a lampshade made of sprayed vinyl, starting at £350, going all the way to £1500, which others on here have attested does not represent good value for money, bearing in mind its fragility... well that's ridiculous. It's not that I can't muster up 300 quid. I'll happily pay that for something that is durable. It's that I just don't think anybody in their right mind, including the majority of people on this forum, would pay hundreds of pounds for a lampshade made of vinyl. That material hardly makes for an 'investment piece', does it? I'd rather 'invest' my money in solid materials... wood, metal, glass, bronze. You have to be seriously profligate to throw between 350-1500GBP at something as flimsy as one of the previous posters can attest to. Robert said "good for them" for maintaining the high price, but I'm sure he has enough sense not to blow his cash on something so fragile, so it was a bit incongruent. And it's fine to admit that one wouldn't make such a profligate purchase. In fact, that's the first thing I wrote when I realised the price tag. | |||||
| Quality. Good quality is the ... | 1 Relevance | 15 years ago | TinyArmada | General discussion | |
| Quality. Good quality is the ... Quality. Good quality is the first thing to look for. Obviously looking for the original labels/ stickers is a easy way to ID. I have 2 Wassily Chairs that were produced by Gavina in 1963. Knoll produced them after 1968 (by purchasing Gavin group) They have a label giving that info on the middle back horizontal chrome bar. However those stickers can come off over time. Later versions of Knoll wassilys have a label on the straps. Sometimes even if the sticker is gone you can still see proof/remains of a sticker being on the piece for years. Yes, there should be a small line connect on the bottom chrome, the interlock with each other. Other than that the screw and caps (or lack of caps) is key. I Thought the leather straps look shoddy, as in not quite right, but my partner disagreed with me. I was surprised to see the leather peeling like that - I thought good quality leather (like knoll used) would not peel like that but he said any painted leather could do that. Just need high resolution photos of key areas to be sure of anything, camera phone photos just don't cut it. The bottom line is they look good and will last you a long time. I recommend putting plastic tubing over the bottom to prevent he bars on the ground being rubbed and worn away. If you are planning to sell them, now is not the right time - vintages can be purchased for less than newer, less well made ones. Perhaps the market will bounce back as they are great chairs. | |||||
| Dear Barry | 1 Relevance | 21 years ago | koen | General discussion | |
| Dear Barry I agree that calling it a mistake was somewhat overzealous. I corrected myself by pointing at the importance of PM in looking at other relationships between users than functional ones. I still think that it is a common mistake to be against something in order to attract attention when it would have been so much more productive to do it within a "rational" approach. I am not fighting emotions, but we all know from history how easily they can be manipulated. As someone who was born during one of these devastating effects of emotional manipulation (WW2) I am still fearfull of the unwillingness to rationalize emotional needs. We all know how important emotions are, we should also know how difficult it is to control them. Our emotional links with products and man made environments are based is fenomena that can be looked at rationally: the need to belong to a certain group, the need to feel a certain "surplus" around us (especially for people that are in unconfortable financial situation...which is one of the reasons behind the greater presence of "kitch" in the homes of poor people) etc. etc. all these factors can be seen as the emotional content of a product, but it can also be seen as secondary functions. I for my part have studied for somne time the emotional links we have with products that we do not own or not own yet, and how the perceived value is reduced by the act of buying. It is of course a range of emotional reactions, but I prefer to see it as a particular additional function that the designer should take into account. I see no need in "kicking" modernism because they forgot about these functions. It will take many more generations before we have developed a mature attitude toward the abondance of goods that the industrial revolution has offered. I think that the important thing is to contribute to that evolution, not to get impatient and expect taht everything will happen whithin one's lifetime. | |||||
| I agree with you pegboard... | 1 Relevance | 15 years ago | bobbdavs (UK) | General discussion | |
| I agree with you pegboard... I agree with you pegboard entirely that type of language is not accetable on here, equally i think negative sarcastic responses such as riki's is exactly the type of thing that puts new potential users off joining, makes them cautious about asking questions (silly as they may appear) and will get peoples backs up. Lets not foget Tommy wasnt the only user making cock refrences. If when you say new users you're are refering to myself, i have been a member for quite a considerable amount of time, i just dont tend to comment very often. Nonetheless when it coes to price and cost its a matter of prespective and perception, as you evidenced with the jeans, and similarly for a student who may never have brought mcm, 200 dollars may feel like a bit of cash spent. It All comes down to the amount of disposable income sitting in your pocket, as little or big as it maybe. I think people need to be a little more patient and curtious to one another. At end of the day everybody likes to feel like theyve got a deal, if it sounds a stupid question (through inexperience) and the person replying has nothing constructive or helpful to say just dont post a reply, it really is that simple.. A friendly bit of joking and banter is fine, but there is no place for judgemental, preducjuce and insulting, unhelful behaviour, regardless of how long someone has been a member of this forum - share it, or spare us it. Refering to young collecters picking off a tree and the like, is just insulting and discouranging. Afterall we all share the same passion. | |||||
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