Hey everybody -
I was wondering if any of you out there have a Mr. Chair (The original) from Plycraft. I picked one of these up last year and it's been sitting in my storage unit because the piece that mounts the base to the plywood shell is messed up.
I think I'm ready to try to figure it out, but I don't have anything as a reference. Was wondering if anyone with one of these chairs could take some upclose pics of the bottom of the chair where they mount up?
The pic below is the type of chair. I have yet to take any pics of my chair. Any help would be much appreciated!
Update: It's the larger of the 2 chairs, with the seam in the back, but it has a wooden base like the chair in the first pic. I believe both of these chairs have different mounting/tilt mechanisms. Mine would be the one in the 2nd photo.
No - when I saw the base is...
No - when I say the base is messed up, I mean that the base mechanism - I should have been more clear. I know nothing attaches to where you have circled in yellow. The mechanism is in 2 parts - I don't know if it's missing a spring or it just needs to be re-welded or what. I was hoping someone could post a photo of one up close. There is a piece that mounts to the bottom of the chair, and there is a piece that sticks up from the ply base. These two pieces attached together with a pin - but when i put them together, it is very loose and shakey - does not sit upright, it just falls into a reclined position. Does that make sense? I will get photos and post when I can.
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I would have thought hopeless since the original mechanism is such
crap. Never knew about the replacement part link! thanks for that.
Good to know.
I have a Mr. Chair in my studio. The squeaking bump left, then right,
a bit of vertigo when it settles back abruptly is charming.
It was my Father-in-laws so i'll keep it wonky for now.
problem
problem with many of the plycraft chairs is that there is a plastic hub liner that inserts into the tube exiting the chair platform (legs). Although only a few mm in thickness, once it is shot the chair will wobble side to side...my search for replacemet hubs has been fruitless. That website I provided has them but the walls are too thick. They will fit into the the tube but will not receive the rod exiting the chair bottom.
Plycraft Chair
I've had one of these chairs for the past 10 years. I think I bought it for around $300, which was a lot of money for me back then. When I bought it it was missing the spring so I replaced it with skateboard truck clouds. I wouldn't recommend that as a permeant fix but it helped it from flopping backwards every time you sat in it.
Any luck sourcing a replacement spring?
I think I looked into that swivel chair parts web site before but they only sell the entire base for the eames knock off and I don't think it lined up with the hole pattern of the Mr. Chair and I didn't want to drill into my chair to make it work.
Plycraft Mulhauser Mr. Chair Spring Fix?
I own one of these lovely Plycraft Mulhauser Mr. Chairs and have recovered the black vinyl at a local upholsterer. It is gorgeous and looks very original. However, my chair suffers from the spring / extreme tilt issue others have discussed here.
I'd be willing to try and remanufacture the spring if there were enough owners who would want to replace it.
Just a bit of information I need. Look at where the original knob and bolt terminates under the chair. This is the knob that is captured, along with a set-nut, through a pivoting arm, which is in turn captured on the cylindrical spring housing.
Now look at the end of this knob / bolt - opposite from the knob end. Does it look as if there was a receiving flange at the dead end of the bolt that might be broken-off on your chairs? I detect what might be broken flange on the metal chair base.
Perhaps this knob / bolt was captured or terminated there, which would mean that the adjustment happens as the knob / bolt passes through the pivot arm?
If anyone has a functioning reclining mechanism, you could help us all answer these questions with a picture! Thanks all, I know the Mr. Chair deserves this fix!
Flange, yes.
I just had taken mine apart to clean. I wish I had taken pictures while it was apart. I'll take it apart for you soon. I remember there being an L bracket or block or something welded to the housing. It was there to keep the bolt from turning. The bolt has a square head on one end and the knob at the other. My chair went all the way to the ground before I took it apart and cleaned it. The threads on mine had light rust that kept the knob from turning. Mine also has a bolt in the back that you can adjust to keep it from going back too far.
PS- I posted my chair on the "Last Thing You Acquired #26"
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