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NULL NULL
(@steskebna-com)
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Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 54
05/04/2008 2:51 am  

I'm thinking about buying a Modernica shell chair, but I seem to recall someone on this site saying they were not very well made. Do I recall correctly?


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NULL NULL
(@sonnypippoyahoo-com)
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Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 102
05/04/2008 2:55 am  

hi
i have an arm shell which came with some surface cracks along the underside edges. i exchanged it for another which had the same issue.
they are pretty nice but definitely not as nice as a herman miller original.
the modernica shell that i have is quite thick (maybe even thicker than HM) but does not have the same "fiber appeal" as the vintage HM shells.


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LRF
 LRF
(@lrf)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2967
05/04/2008 3:00 am  

from every thing that i h...
from every thing that i have seen they a re made real well and the cool thing with them is they come with 17 great colors.
They are supposedly made on the same presses that Herman Miller used in there California plant, and from what there ads say the same man who made them in the 1950s got them up in running for Modernica, ( g-d help him, i am surprised he is still alive after fooling with that evil fiberglass fibers all those years,)
I have seen lots of the modernica shells and if you like the fibers running through them, like the originals i would go for them,
I am so unimpressed with the poly plastic that Herman miller reintroduced last year, they are light and flimsy so, if i was the sole judge on this one i would say advantage Modernica on this one.
Some of the chairs i have seen have some issues and when i called the company they say that is the way they are cause they are all hand made, some have imperfections some do not, and a lot of them have a light film around them,
so if you have the chance go buy the store and hand pick yours out.


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rockland
(@rockland)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 984
05/04/2008 11:12 pm  

Good advice from LRF.
If...
Good advice from LRF.
If you must buy new... But originals are so easy to find. Just no comparison.
Maybe if your are set on a specific color? I did wait a few months but eventually
found exactly what i wanted on ebay.
I wandered through DWR yesterday on 14th across from the mac store.
I'm always surprised, once again, how weird they look. (these are not fiberglass)
Even if i was obsessed on using a set of six for dining, i would still go for vintage.
may have to mix colors on my budget, but still possible and affordable!
Looking at mine this very minute, it is a pleasure to own. Just this small icon that carries
alot of baggage about design and its history. I don't think i would look at it the same
way if it was a reproduction.


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NULL NULL
(@nhofersbcglobal-net)
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Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 68
05/04/2008 11:17 pm  

I say...
Go original if you can. Though I do appreciate that they make all (I think) the bases HM used to make. Specifically I'm thinking of the dowel rod base.


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LRF
 LRF
(@lrf)
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05/04/2008 11:57 pm  

rockland
I bought a ...
rockland
I bought a set of six shells on ebay and they came in really crappy and dirty,
when i buy I always look for the worst shells cause we have the shop that can strip them, repaint, and recover them,
Since i have a account with Herman miller i could have bought the white poly so cheap, but i was so unimpressed, I am as i write having the six shells repainted, in white, and having a semi gloss sprayed on them, i am recovering them in a wonderful silver and white fabric from S.Harris/fabricut and using the chrome effiel tower stands , that i buy from Moderica, this is for my kitchen set so i am real excited that they will be over the top looking. photo to follow in three weeks,
always try to find vintage, but if you want color moderica is really the only game out there, it is just a shame that Herman miller discontinued the fiberglass, but it is cause the company went green and sorry to say these are about as environmentally unfriendly as any chair could be, and also as the surgeon general would say fooling with fiberglass can be hazardous to your health,


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NULL NULL
(@paul-lanhamuk-lockton-com)
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Posts: 40
06/04/2008 12:21 am  

i recently had a set of HM ...
i recently had a set of HM shells shipped over to London from USA & my God they are FILTHY. Must have 30 odd years of, gum, nicotene stains etc. Haven't got round to cleaning them up yet but any tips on getting them looking nice & fresh?


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NULL NULL
(@sonnypippoyahoo-com)
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Posts: 102
06/04/2008 4:44 am  

eco
the originals are not that unfriendly because if they are properly taken care of, they will last "forever" (both structurally and aesthetically speaking)


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LRF
 LRF
(@lrf)
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Joined: 15 years ago
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06/04/2008 5:24 am  

the boy...
the boy...
We clean them up with mineral spirts and turban tine
It will get all the old gump off but be prepared to
use that old British elbow crease they should clean up real nice after that ,
on the white color the brown dirt and grime seems to get embedded in the shell, if you clean it up real good it will make the fibers stand out and look kinda cool
i have done it several times
Do clean it outside with gloves,


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LRF
 LRF
(@lrf)
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06/04/2008 5:29 am  

sonnypippo
They will l...
sonnypippo
They will last forever, at least another 50 years some of the shells that we see coming around are at least that old, and they still have a good look to them.
some of the more contract colors have faded but, there are not really that many out in the general population
I had a call from a gal who had four blue ones, that wanted them recovered, and last week we did a great red one, and a olive green, i know there are still many out there but it is always fun to see the cool colors to see how they have held up.


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rockland
(@rockland)
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Posts: 984
06/04/2008 8:48 am  

I got a bit lucky? not...
I got a bit lucky? not sure. but the ebay seller was the type that posted a hundred
photos to the point of boredom. A base foot was damaged and he obsessed over it.
I only cared about the shell, so i got a steal of a price.
The arms show a tiny bit of grime that shows the fibers a bit more. Never noticed it
until now.
A curious question. The naked shell where one sits is glossy. The back is more matt.
Was it perhaps cleaned to death and clear lacquered to hide an extreme clean?
Not important really. If it was cleaned by someone else, i appreciate the effort.
I doubt i could do better.


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NULL NULL
(@sonnypippoyahoo-com)
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Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 102
06/04/2008 10:18 am  

contract colors
some of them are rather hard to come by... i really like black, ochre dark, turquoise, and light blue. modernica offers some colors that are similar.


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LRF
 LRF
(@lrf)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2967
06/04/2008 8:14 pm  

rock the reason they are ...
rock the reason they are shiny in the seat is cause in 40 years they have been shined by many butts, and have become well polished,


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LuciferSum
(@lucifersum)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 1874
07/04/2008 12:03 am  

LRF and I agree?
Stop the presses!
The Modernica shells will arrive a more matte finish like the back of your shell. This is what LRF describes as the Butt Polish - totally accurate. I found 2 shells of dead stock HM shells - never in circulation, the color was a matte finish.
As for the original post - I'd only go Modernica if you have a color that you MUST have that isnt available anywhere else - Hot pink, for example. Otherwise a little patience and some familiarity with Ebay (or with Olive- as per her recent post) will net you an original.
One other issue of Fiberglas V Poly: temperature. The fiberglass ones stay COLD for hours! I had one as my desk chair and I had to throw a sheepskin over it in wintertime.
Interestingly enough - a friend of mine has a newer poly shell thats a few years old, and it too is starting to develop a shine. The backrest is still pretty matte, but the seat and especially the armrests and foredge are glossing up nicely. Perhaps these will follow true to the originals after all?


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NULL NULL
(@steskebna-com)
Trusted Member
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 54
07/04/2008 1:33 am  

modernica shell chairs
Thanks for everyone's input. I was looking for an orange shell, which is why I was considering Modernica. But I found a HM shell with orange Girard fabric on Ebay for a decent price ($299), so I went with that instead.


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