Preproduction DKR...for LRF or anyone  

The paint should be able...
The paint should be able to be removed with any good paint remover that has a acid base, take the chair by Lowes or home depot and have the guys in the paint dept look at it. you want to get that acid base on and off real quick, and please use gloves, the fact that it is just paint it should come off with no problem. and then you will have a nice Zenith chair.
Some of the old paint will settle in the old cracks and give you a streaky look, no matter how much elbo crease you use, it will remain, as it more than likely was in need of a freshening up when they painted it,
also after the paint is off clean it with the good solvents like Lime,Orange etc stuff, same stuff you clean the shower calcium with.

Chair fag
See below.
http://chairfag.com/?p=3

might sound crazy...
but I found that using Easy-Off brand oven cleaner works great for removing paint on fiberglass. It does not hurt the fiberglass or color.
Simply follow the directions on can, spray on, wait, and have plenty of paper towels to wipe off the paint. Make sure you wear chemical gloves and safety glasses as this stuff will burn your skin fast. After flush clean withsoap and water.

Proceed with caution
If you truly have a PRE-production Eames chair, I trust you know how much more valuable it is than a common fiberglass armshell. I'd be very careful before I undertook any "restoration" project on it. In fact, sometimes it's worth more if you leave it alone. Do whatever you want, it's your chair. But I'd give it a lot of consideration before doing anything to it myself.

Thanks 4 sharing...
Thank y'all for the Wisdom...LRF & Co. I'm emboldened by these inputs!

I echo Pegboards sentiments
Ever watch Antiques Roadshow? When the appraiser says "In PERFECT condition this walnut banquette would be valued, at auction, for 20-40,000$ dollars....BUT, if we look here on the surface we can see a slight sheen, indicating that the wood was refinished in a polyurethane. Such a restoration certainly makes the piece look better, but significantly decreases the value. THIS piece, restored as it is, might as well be chucked in the ash can on the way out. "
And, technical note: I think you mean you have a DAX or DAR. The K indicates wire. DKR = Dining, K-wire, Rod (eiffel) base. A DAX are Dining, Arm-shell, X-base (four legs)

DKR advice noted & valued...
Lucifersum & Pegboard...I certainly appreciate the word of the wise. I'm, admittedly, reluctant to change it's current condition. But auction reached price of $28,000.00 & $8,000.00 are serenading me w/ their siren songs. Granted this will not reach these astronomical sums I do have fantasies...that maybe. The chair was purchased for a relatively paltry sum, considering it's potential. It is listed as a DKR Pre-production in the auction houses. It does have the Rod (Eiffel) wire base w/ applied ball feet & rough, bumpy fiberglass underside w/ the air vent circular mold mark for mold removal. I'm a closet Antique Roadshow viewer. And, yes I have seen those segments where the wood & baseballs have been lacquered...sigh. I probably will not go merc. The chair is a reminder of one of the many reasons we become collectors. There is priceless history attached to these inanimate objects. They are remnants of humanity's evolution & high aspirations. I have seen these vintage furnishings side by side with current & much later ones. They hold so much character & plus they look great in brownstones.

Not Convinced
I'm not entirely convinced that Wright20 got it right (pun intended) on the $28,000 "preproduction" model.
The fact that they screwed up the name is one indicator - K always refers to the wire shell chair. The one they show listed is a DAR. Dining Armshel Rod base. No questions about that. (They also list DSRs as DARs)
Secondly - there are some other dating issues I've noticed with Wright, including a funny collar on a LCW that they list as "prototype" which later turned out to be from 1952.
I have to do some research when I get home, but I've got some other flags that have popped up looking at the auction listing.

Ooofta
Chairfag? What a lovely name.

1940's post charrette Zenith/Eames/et al. Chair
Overdue topic for forum....
Auction house quote....
"...This example has been authenticated by Sol Fingerhut, chief engineer at Zenith Plastics and a close collaborator of Charles Eames on the project.
Exhibited: Eames Connections, San Francisco Airport Museum, 2001
Eames Design, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and Suntory Museum, Osaka, 2001-2002, Japan
Eames Chair Exhibition, Eames Office Gallery,..."
.....

What struck me
And naturally I forgot to post last night, while the info was fresh in my head - is the shape of the chair.
In Eames Primer Mr. Demetrios shows a single prototype that Charles had hired a guy to make up very early (I think 47 or 8 - will verify at home). The prototype was one of two the Charles commissioned out of fiberglass. The shape of the chair is almost identical to the chairs in production. And so one has to ask why - if a very early and well documented prototype so closely resembles the production chair - would there be such a dramatic change in the shape of the chair as shown on Wright.
Also - in terms of documentation and verification: We all inflate our resumes. And, when we work with superstars its understandable to align ourselves with them. Don Albinson is quoted as saying he (almost) solely designed the 670. He claims no knowledge of Ray working on the chair - and yet we have documentation from Ray to Charles explaining that she DID in fact work on the chair, along with Alexander Girard.
I'm not saying Mr. Fingerhut is deliberately lying, but perhaps his memory has been fogged in the past 58 years. (no disrespect - hell, I can't even remember what I had for dinner 3 days ago)

Sol Fingerhut's press agent...
He's a sweet & nice old man...a little slow maybe, but who wouldn't be at his age.
Great discussions...hard to stay productive in the office.
Our building study models go through a rigorous process before the final shape takes place...especially with Green architecture & the holistic approach it encompasses. We have seen some interesting evolutions.
Strange about these Canadian/Zenith/Eames/et al. chairs they share the same shock mounts & base construction with later ones....
RE: North of the border neighbors...Please send pictures of your fiberglass porch chairs. International buyers (Asia) willing to pay top dollar (USD 2,000-3,000/270,000¥).

Perhaps I missed this earlier...
But do you have photos of the chair in question?

http://chicago.craigslist.org?...http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/fuo/1031830347.html
same style of base ....i don't think its a herman miller at all....right?