I picked up a pair DCM chairs, and I wanted to get a little advice before touching them...one is in good condition, but the other needs work.Does anyone have advice on the estimated date based on the label?I am wonder what is the best way to re-mount the back pieces...as you will see in the photos, some of the rubber from the shock mounts is left in the space on the back piece. Also, is it recommended to attempt to restore the metal or leave it as is? It has some light rust, nothing major. Thanks for the help!
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this might help for frame-brasso and alumium foil
http://eamesrestorationproject.tumblr.com/post/50705909270/eames-dcm-walnut
if the shockounts have dimmples in them then its either 1st or 2nd generation. i am not a expert in labels so i dont know much more than that. i am sure eamesjunkie or someone will pitch in.
but here is a website for replacement shockounts and there is a ton of DIY's on here and the internet
http://www.modernconscience.com/store/page186.html
you clean the backrest of all the old shockmount rubber. some people do dremel. i like to use a proper size forstner bit which i think is 3/4 in a hand held mult-speed drill and in a very very low and slow max speed and slowly slice the rubber off. some people are iffy to this as that is a bit that should be in a drill press
Sorry, dif, but I have to pipe in here and again disagree with you about using a Forstner-style bit freehand in an electric drill. To do so risks both damage and personal injury and, IMO, is an invitation to disaster.
FTR, I've replaced 9 of these on my own chairs and I used small carving gouges to remove glue residue from the sockets. Tedious work, for sure, and not without risk, but infinitely safer than using any power tool.
You may have had some success with your technique and I appreciate your willingness to offer help, but that's just bad advice.
I agree completely about that that bit or a spade bit being dangerous in a hand held and should only use in drill press with clamps when drilling through wood due to when it breaks through the one side and possibility throwing the object if not clamped or kicking the drill from your hands
But I am talking about using a nicer drill with 24 speed and 2 gears and putting it in a very very very slow speed and letting it very slowly slice the rubber off. Your speed setting would be in 2 or 3 of this out of the 24/drill emblem which at that point it would be moving at the rate you would be with a gouge with the exception it going in a circle from one center point
I've only done 2 chairs though but in a total of 7 shock mounts it has been very controlled
I know Tktoo you are much more versed and skilled than me with furniture restoration and I greatly respect your input, and by no means am i trying to offer up advice that is hazardes to execute but if you were just try it, you would see how little risk there and how much control there is, you might make this one exception.
almost all the accidents that did happen in the shop I was at, came from gouges and chisels which in the hands of someone like the OP who maybe has never used one might posed mattempting
But it the end, it comes down to what you feel comfortable with and not with, no? Because a safe technique is still dangerous if the operator/user is uncomfortable or untrained in the matter he is attempting
Is there no at least semi-permanent solution in which original mounts can be cheaply restored? Talking prior to total separation, that is.
Your chair has a desirable label and attractive grain figure. Your hands plus a towel and a little warm water will clean off grime and surface rust but leave the patina on the frame.
Slacker, often when a failure like that happens, when a layer of rubber is left behind, it's a sign that the shock mounts have hardened and become prone to cracking. If that's the case, it's time to replace them. I've never seen the modern concience repros, but they look pretty good on their site and are cheap enough that it might be worth getting a pair to have a good look at them. If they're acceptable and you do a proper job of attaching them, they shouldn't devalue the chair much if at all. I wonder if they'll accept the original screws?
If the original shock mounts remain resiliant, show no signs of cracking, and are otherwise intact, I suppose you could try to reattach those, too. Either way, though, the old glue and/or rubber residue should be carefully removed from both the mounts and the recesses on the back panel first. Fresh wood and rubber surfaces are ideal. Use whatever technique you're comfortable with for this, but do exercise extreme caution. The edges of the recesses are highly visible features of the chair and are quite vulnerable at this point to damage that would be difficult to repair well. You want to end up with clean, flat mating surfaces at the glue joint.
I'd avoid using anything abrasive on the metal frame. The existing patina should be preserved. As objectworship suggested, a thorough and vigorous rub down with a rag dampened with mineral spirits or mild detergent and water is probably best. Following up with a paste wax and buff might add a little protection and sheen and certainly wouldn't hurt. I like Rennaissance Wax for metal, but any furniture wax will do.
Lastly, I noticed what appears to be a small veneer loss at the front edge of the seat panel. You might want to make sure there is no lifting or additional separation going on there that could catch on clothing and cause additional damage nevermind painful splinters.
You've got a nice example of early production DCMs there. It's definitely worth keeping in good, usable condition.
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