Last year I sent my 1970's Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair to Herman Miller for replacement of the shock mounts (all four). One of my shock mounts disconnected from the plywood shell with (fortunately) no damages. When I called Herman Miller I asked them specifically how they were going to do the repair and the answer I was given two separate times was that they would remove each shock mount and clean off any residual glue on the plywood then adhere the new shock mount to the respective shells. I was fairly familiar with the method as I also read about how Hume Modern did their shock mount repairs. I did not want any wood blocks or alternative method of repair especially given the value of these chairs. When I received my shells back from Herman Miller I was in disbelief as they not only did a poor job of aligning the shock mounts (almost 1/2 inch difference in gaps between the left and right side of the shells) they routed out a space about 5/16 inch deep to insert the shock mounts. Apparently this is how Herman Miller is doing the repairs for the shock mounts now. Very different from the way I was originally told.
I wanted to ask the members of designaddict what their thoughts are on this? does it affect the value, structural integrity, of the chair? If I had a chance to do this repair again I would definitely send it to Hume Modern for what I believe is the proper way to repair the shock mounts.
Sincerely,
Dave
I have heard of Herman Miller routing out wood to repair shockmounts, its the fastest way to remove the old adhesive. It shouldn't structurally weaken your chair at all. However, the mis-alignment may be a potential issue as it could stress one side of the lower seat panel more than the other.
I don't think a Herman Miller repair would lower the value of your chair. After all, you sent it back to the original factory to be re-conditioned. If you had a classic Ferrari and it had repaired/ reconditioned at the original factory in Maranello, how could that lower value compared to having an independent shop (Hume Modern) perform the work?
One type of Herman Miller repair I have seen photos of appears to use a much improved shockmount design. The shockmount is molded around a larger metal plate that is then attached to the wood panel with screws and adhesive. The screws provided much improvement shear resistance compared to adhesive. IMO as a product designer/ engineer, this how the chair should have been designed from the start.
And I say this as someone who has replaced shockmounts with Hume Modern replacements. The adhesive they provide is EZ-Bond brand cyanoacrylate (super glue). Fingers crossed on long term durability.
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