WEIRD Eames shell - brown vinyl (maybe leather)  

The tape on my chair pulled o...
The tape on my chair pulled of easily. There is a bit or residue that I was able to remove with a citrus based adhesive remover. I may try to remove the paint with acetone if it won't remove the gelcoat. How do I remove the acetone from the chair once the paint is coming of. Is it as simple as wiping it down with a dry cloth? If I venture down this path, I'll certainly start with the bottom before the back. BTW, sorry to hijack this thread, but it does relate to OP

It is my understanding
That the back side never had a gel coat to begin with....

The plot thickens as the gel ...
The plot thickens as the gel coat thins.

On second thought
tynell, I believe you are probably correct about the gel coat being on the back side since these were likely factory rejects. My bad!

Hoorayyyy!!
I woke this morning and ate wheathies and now I know the color the shell underneath the once mysterious brown vinyl.
drum roll please.................
.........................
.....................................
Baby Blue!!!!!
(not really)

Looks like maybe Light Ochre...
Looks like maybe Light Ochre to me?

To peel or not to peel, that is the question...
I recently found a 99 executive chair with upholstery and caster wheels.
The chair has great bones, but upholstery has seen better days.
The question is: Is it better to peel off the upholstery or leave on? I noticed the chair has "airholes" to let the air escape from under the upholstery. I don't know if this would be visible afterward.
The other option, of course, is to try to clean it. Has anyone tried? There appears to be water damage and dirt.