So this is my first and hopefully not last Original Eames score. I picked these up from a school and they were outside for sometime. The vinyl is intact and when you sit in them they are like a reclining glove.
Here is my dilemma: all three are about the same in terms of physical condition. Overtime the sun and rain have had there way with the metal which I believe is aluminum but please correct me if i am wrong.
There is some type of clear coating on the metal arms and such. It has broken down only to expose the metal. On one of the chairs I see the wording Void several times as if it was a warning to not remove the coating or perhaps it voided the warranty if removed. When I peeled of the coating the metal was shiny, however, the parts that have been exposed to the elements are dull and bit rough looking.
So can I salvage the metal to shiny and what can I use to take off the hard tarnish? Secondly, should I spend time removing the broken down coating or leave it intact? Was it supposed to be removed as protection for the chairs until the owner received them or is meant to stay on them, indefinitely?
Any information to the type would be helpful? I believe i read somewhere that initally the Eames's developed these chairs to be used outside as patio furniture, however, they eventually made their way into offices. Any thoughts?
Yes they are dirty. I just unpacked my vehicle and it is too late to complete their cleaning. Seriously, community these chairs are extremely comfortable so if you are considering I would say retain them for your collection. I wonder how the vitra models compare to the original, any knowledge?
Be blessed
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The coating
The coating is meant to stay on permanently; as you've discovered, the aluminum underneath will oxidize if the coating's removed. According to Herman Miller's promotional material, the coating also keeps the arms from feeling too cold to the touch... But honestly, I haven't noticed that it has any such effect.
Unfortunately, the arms of that chair are pretty high, so they tend to bang against the underside of any desk the user's sitting at, and that abuse makes the coating crack and peel. You'll notice that most of the management chairs on Ebay have worn arms while the lounge chairs hardly ever do; partly that's because the lounges don't get as much use as the desk chairs, but mostly it's just because the lounges don't get slid under desks.
There are a couple people who periodically offer their arm-polishing services on Ebay, and someone here may be able to recommend a polisher in your area, but you can probably find one yourself. Any good metal-finishing shop should be able to strip your arms, polish them, and then either re-enamel them or clear-anodize them for protection.
Congrats! - Avoid hand polishing
Those are indeed great chairs.
There was recently a thread on here about DIY polishing. I've done it, by hand, and it sucks and yeilds only moderate results.
The metal is aluminum, and the chairs were initially intended for outdoor use; specifically for a project Eero Saarinen and Alexander Girard were doing. Raw aluminum will oxidize from shiny to matte fairly quickly, but so long as it is buffed down once in a while the actual metal will hold up well.
As for the coating...it is pretty much impossible to repair, so picking it off, or having it sandblasted off isn't a bad idea. Otherwise you're stuck with the mottled polished/oxidized.
If you want to try the DIY approach, get a good polish, buff them out, then paste wax them periodically. if the chairs are really oxidized your best result will probably be a glossy satin finish. The bright mirror finish is very difficult to acheive by hand. The wax will act like the initial plastic coating and keep the aluminum relatively shiny. But it requires maintenance. Good luck!
I've done this before
Nice score! I've removed the clear coat from these chairs before. You can use an aircraft paint remover spray to do it, but you'll want to take the arms off first. Spray it on, let it do it's magic for about 5 minutes, and wipe it off..the clear coat (or most of it) should come right off. It may take a couple of applications and a little elbow grease before you get it all off. I did 6 chairs like this, and they came out beautifully. You can leave them bare and just polish them from time to time. I left them bare and I didn't have to do anything to it for the 2 years I had the chair.
Or you can save yourself the time and hassle and have a shop do it. If you have a lot of these chairs (not sure how many you picked up), this might be the best route for you.
How are the bases? If they're oxidized, I'd have them polished at the same time.
fm
Herman Miller Corporate Office
A representative informed me that I should not remove the acrylic and the also stated to use wadding polish. They also stated that if not removed correctly the leaning tension bar which is held by the sides can become less in its effect. So use caution. Blessings, Lenox
Lenox
I think the HM representative meant that you shouldn't remove the coating if it's intact -- he was explaining that it's not just a temporary coating to prevent shipping damage, etc.
In your case, with much of the coating already peeled off, you don't really have a choice; if you want a uniform finish on the arms, you MUST remove the rest of the coating.
Or, more precisely, you must find a professional to remove the coating... And then polish the arms, and finally re-coat them. The results you get from using a Dremel at home won't be anywhere near as good as what a decent shop can achieve.
Clearing up
FastForward is correct - you can either leave the chairs as they are now - blotched and chipped, or peel off the rest of the plastic coating.
The tortion bar is the mechanism that allows the chairs to tilt backwards and then return to their upright position. You can remove the arms with 3 screws, and you won't be in any danger of harming the tortion bars.
My earlier post suggested that hand polishing will only get you a satin finish, not that you need satin (as in the fabric) to polish. A professional polisher will bring these to a bright, mirror finish.
Once the plastic is off, and the arms are repolished - either by hand or professionally - you will have the option to have them re-coated (clear powdercoat - professionally applied) or waxed (easier to apply by hand, but requires upkeep...but will never chip)
Personally I would leave the bases alone. Herman Miller doesn't coat them, which allows them to develop a lovely silvery patina, which will match the worn look of the upholstery. Imagine if your chair were superbly polished, but the upholstery was worn and vintage... would look funny. And trust me, you DONT want the hassle/considerable expense of having these reupholstered.
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