Design Addict

Cart

Fiberglass Eames ne...
 

Fiberglass Eames need some love  

  RSS

mjosta
(@mjosta)
Active Member
Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 6
17/09/2015 10:42 pm  

Recently bought 6 HM side chairs.
The stacking bases have seen better days. They will eventually be replaced with dowel bases.

The epoxy around the shockmounts look sloppy to me. Is that original? There are also bumps as part of the molded chair on the bottom set for narrow bases, but the shock mounts are mounted at the wide configuration. Is that typical?

How do I date these?
Markings include HM logo, circle S (summit plastics) a couple are stamped with numbers (306192, 861902) and “ind grade” (industrial? not sure what this is)

I would like to clean these up possibly doing a nice overhaul - pulling off the old shockmounts, replacing in the narrow config, wet sanding the whole chair and recoating. Thoughts? Should I move the mounts if dowel bases can fit either way? Solvent/oil coating vs wax coating vs Penetrol vs linseed oil?

Thanks for your help!
<img class="wpforo-default-image-attachment wpf


Quote
toomanychairs
(@toomanychairs)
Trusted Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 71
18/09/2015 3:14 am  

The epoxy is almost surely original. A lot of HM shell chairs look like that.
I think these are on the newer side, because older chairs I have seen are date-stamped in the format OCT 6 57. Later ones have the date encoded, and I'm not sure how the codes work; 861902 may mean February 19, 1986, but don't take that as a fact.
IND GRADE may have been added by the buyer, not the manufacturer.
Show us the stamps? That may help.


ReplyQuote
mjosta
(@mjosta)
Active Member
Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 6
18/09/2015 5:24 am  

Photos attached. Were they making the fiberglass chairs into the 80's?
Also of note, they are stacking bases, but do not interlock side to side.



ReplyQuote
Eameshead
(@eameshead)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 13 years ago
Posts: 1366
18/09/2015 5:10 pm  

These particular chairs are 1960 or later. The circled S and raised letters began in around 1960. And yes, the side shell chairs were definitely made well into the 1980s.
I would not wet sand and re-coat the entire chair. The seat side looks shiny and serviceable, and at least you can say the surface is original, even if not much else is going to be.


ReplyQuote
mjosta
(@mjosta)
Active Member
Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 6
23/09/2015 9:19 pm  

how do I know if the stacking bases are zinc or aluminum?


ReplyQuote
tktoo
(@tktoo)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2275
23/09/2015 11:54 pm  

Well, your bases are zinc-plated steel and appear to both stack and lock together side-by-side. I remember seeing somewhere aftermarket dowel-leg bases configured to fit wide-spaced shock mounts. Perhaps a little web searching will determine if these are still available?


ReplyQuote
heavymetalsculpture
(@heavymetalsculpture)
Trusted Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 70
24/09/2015 4:18 pm  

I bought my wide mount dowel base from Modern Conscience without any issues, but see the post below about them before you buy.


ReplyQuote
mjosta
(@mjosta)
Active Member
Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 6
10/10/2015 7:25 am  

I minimally cleaned the chairs (soap and water) attached all the legs, brought them inside, and ran a cloth across them to dust off. When I looked at the cloth it was covered in loose fiberglass...and my arms were itchy. Short of wet sand/Penetrol what can I do to them to seal in the fibers?


ReplyQuote
Share:

If you need any help, please contact us at – info@designaddict.com

  
Working

Please Login or Register