Replacing Cord on Danish Side Chairs  

Bubs is one of the characters...
Bubs is one of the characters. Just wondered.

any luck finding suitable flat pleated cord in colors?
Have 6 chairs that need it. Originally in blue. Now tattered and stained. Mrs. thinks she wants Aubergine.
http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/Jx7Zzw3K/1/5278165

gg
That's called flat braid. I can't tell from the photos what the fiber is---cotton, straw, paper...? It looks like the straw braid used in making straw hats but I know it could be some other fiber completely. I've never seen it used in woven chair seats.
But try searching for "flat braid" or "flat [whatever the fiber is] braid". Good luck!

I think it is wool
Thanks Spanky.
Some more sleuthing reveals that they are old Moller 78 side chairs. Further up in this thread someone posted an old catalog image showing all the colors they used to offer. I reached out to the factory, but they now only make them with danish cord or upholstered. Turns out you can pick one up at your local Design Within Reach.
I'm still luckless trying to find a source for the material. Web searches for variants of flat wool braid tend to return rug results or braiding instructions.

Did Moller tell you that they...
Did Moller tell you that they ever used flat braid material like that for their chairs? To my knowledge, paper cord or upholstery were the only seat materials Moller used.
The 1960's catalog photo above, of the colored chairs, were all done with dyed paper cord, which it is true they no longer offer (they now only offer natural colored paper cord, and black dyed paper cord).

Wool!
Well, that's a new one. I agree with tchp; I don't think Moller wove these seats.
If you really want color, you could experiment with dying paper cord. Maybe an aniline dye would work. I'd just do conventional paper cord, though. I think it looks beautiful.

yup, wool
The nice moller folks just enlightened me:
"The material was made from 100% wool and produced in Germany, but that factory went out of business about 20 years ago. Regarding the flat cord, it has unfortunately not been in production for the past 30 years. If you have any further questions, please don´t hesitate to ask."
But the idea of coloring the paper cord may work.
Thanks,
gg

So does that mean that...
So does that mean that Moller used that stuff on their chairs?
I once saw a set of Moller chairs in highly figured walnut with seats woven of flat, narrow, glossy leather strips. They were breathtaking! I picked up my set of rosewood chairs from an Ebay seller in New Paltz, NY and he showed me this other set in his storage building. I was buying the rosewood chairs to go with a rosewood table. If I'd had a table that would have worked with the walnut chairs, I'd have tried to negotiate for them instead. They were really stunning and I've never seen anything like them from Moller.

Yes, Moller used the wool on their chairs
It is really nice and I've gotten attached to it over the decades. These ones date back to some time in the 1970s.
I'm starting to give up on finding a source for replacement flat wool cord, but am now wondering if I can bring the wool on my chairs back to luster with some kind of washing and some minor patching of the single torn lace.

I just had a thought. I've...
I just had a thought. I've seen flat braid like that for dressmaking for traditional European folk costumes. It's expensive and I think only comes in small amounts. It's a long shot. Probably only comes in red, black, maybe dark green---probably not that medium blue and probably not aubergine.
Panduro Hobby in Denmark carries stuff like that and I know other places do, too.

Is replacing the cord really that simple?
I have 4 danish cord Farstrup style chairs that are in need of repair, and I'm considering ordering the cord and nails and giving it a go. The results shown here look amazing, is it really that simple to do?

Yes, it is a simple process. ...
Yes, it is a simple process. Some aspects of it are a little tricky and it's hard on the hands. But if you check your work as you go and fix even the smallest problems as they occur---an overlapping cord, too much or too little space between cords---you can do it. Get the Caner's Handbook (or other good how-to) and re-read the directions several times as you work. It's the kind of thing that you have to do to understand, sort of. The directions will make more sense once you're into it.
The weave looks really complex, but it's actually not. If you are even a little bit handy, it's worth a try. And the materials are cheap so if you decide you can't handle it, you're not out a lot of money.

Oh, and gg---
---I asked some dealer friends about the flat braid and they said they've seen it before but always in a sort of flax color, never blue! So there you go.
There could be another manufacturer of it somewhere. Moller may have used only the German firm that is now gone but there could be others.

Will try it!
Thanks! I picked up the Caner's Handbook from the library today and I'm going to order the cord and nails tomorrow. Will post before and after pics when I have them!

Spanky, by chance do you...
Spanky, by chance do you happen to know what this strong mesh upholstery support material is called? I have looked, but had no luck finding any new stuff to use on this Danish rocking chair I am working on. It sort of looks like window screen, and I assume it is nylon coated with a vinyl material.