Eames Aluminum Group Lounge Ottoman Aluminum Finish repair  

Bring it to a metal polisher
I have done the job that you are looking at. I went from a coarse metal-file (for gouges), to several grits of emery paper etc, to plastic polish on flannel (finer than metal polish). Took way longer than expected. I tried electric sanders, polishing wheels... There may be a better way, I just didn't find one. I have not priced it but you should look into having it done by a pro. Something else to consider is that some years were also chromed.

Its not that hard, is it clea...
Its not that hard, is it clear coated and is it worth the trouble?
If you go ahead you'll need to strip the clear coat with thinners. There are heaps of sites that tell how to polish motorcycle parts, you just need wet and dry sandpaper (180 - 800 grit) a half day and some metal polish to finish, something called Mothers aluminium polish seems popular in the US.
I went from harshly scraped back powder coat to this in a couple of hours, I stopped at 400 and polished it though.
If you do strip the clear coat you'll either need to get it resprayed or give it the occasional polish.
Good luck.
Edit... lounge AND ottoman, 1 and a half days, you can do it watching tv or listening to the radio, its fun if you like that sort of thing. You'd have to be confident of getting the chair back together too...
Chrome plated?

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Heath, was your chair an older one? There may be a significant difference in hardness from early models to later. I can't see your example spot on the base in the photo, its hazy. What did you use for your final round, the stuff that you mentioned?
I have subjected motorcycles to some serious abuse and I can tell you that the casings and cover plates are hardened alloys. The chair that I did was first generation and I only did the frame, not the base. It was extremely soft. This is significant to the process needed. On my final stage I tried three different polishes but they left a slight fog. Thus the plastic polish.
You can tell if it is chromed (a.k.a. chrome plated) by the color. I see chrome as being blueish and you can see the layering where it is gouged.
I would like to hear details from others who have done these chairs. Thanks

1'd say say they were mid 90'...
1'd say say they were mid 90's bases, like anything just give it a shot in an inconspicous spot, I did wince a bit when you said you used a file, was that necesary? I found the wet and dry paper to be easy and if its not working out yeah take it somewhere to get done, its not hard if you can work efficiently and don't stop and start.
Getting a mirror finish is a bit of a job though and the law of diminishing returns seems to kick in after awhile, I've got more to do and will probabaly stop at 600 and polish, clear coting seems a waste of time when once every few month you can run some metal polish over it, I use autosol.

It's that last bit that is the trick
The rest is just cutting. I did use a file only when needed. It's a great way to shape out dents etc. fast.

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yeah for the last bit of polishing you need the soap and the mop for a mirror finish and room to move the pieces around, not so easy on a bench grinder, the workshop here has a wide tool and cutter grinder thing that is handy but it gets really hot and dirty.