Eames Wire Chair  

i am pretty sure it will rust or otherwise corrode
if not stripped and powdercoated/varnished.
I didn't strip and polish 2 steel desks I got for that reason, I realized after my big plan that they would start corroding at the first sign of spring.

Options
You could do a number of things if you want the look of an all metal Eames chair.
a) have it sandblasted and then powdercoated in clear.
b) have it sandblasted and then chromed
c) buy the Modernica version of the wire chair, which comes chromed already and only costs about 200$
Bertoias you could do option a) or b)
http://www.modernica.net/browseProducts.asp?CatId=1039

Options - Thanks Lucifer
Lucifer.
Thanks for the advice - will it effect the chair in any negative ways - aesthetically, structurally, or comfort wise? And would a stripping company also clear coat or is that a seperate job altogether

Bertoia wire chairs rusting
AS i replied in anothr thread I just finished having two Bertoias striped and redone . re powder coated, You only gain on the value not loose . It is sad but true if you not have them sand blashed and coated they will rust in 2 rain storms I bought 2 shiny metals on the internaet for around 200.00 each I will not call them stainless and we had two days of rain last week and I put them out before the rain and I noticed that there was already rust on them , Now this is two rain storms not a season
I have had knoll Bertoias for 12 years and they were the original black paint and they only started rusting last year after owning them for 10 years . and keeping them outside .
Just thirty minutes ago i sprayed the new chairs with clear rustolum
in the joints and screws and put them under a overhang instead of exposing them to direct rain and moisture, hopefully we stoped the rusting we will see.

Rusting Bertoias
I plan on keeping them indoors and using them as dinig chairs - could i treat them myself with some sort of spray on metal laquer - when i think of powder coating I think of a think layer of something - I want the chairs to be coated clear and have the actual metal exposed.

eames wires
yes rustolium comes in clear take them out side and spray them but it is impossible to get t he old black paint off with out powder coating and then they have a wierd look from the sand blasting that is why most often they have to be colorcoated but maybe your guy can do a even job.

Professionally done
I cant say whether refinishing the chairs will affect their monetary value. A lot of things people did to 'fix' their chairs in the past are considered huge defects now. However, if you're planning on keeping them for yourself I'd say go for it. You can get a spray lacquer done at an auto-body shop that will be thinner than powdercoating. I wouldnt recommend doing it yourself any more than I'd recommend spray painting them yourself - unless you've had a lot of experience you're liable to get get drips and globs and crap. Also, most spray shops are working in a dust free environment thats pretty tricky to achieve at home - especially outdoors. If you want a test, take a piece of wood, take it outside and spray paint it white. When its dry look at all the crap that managed to float in.