Hi All -
I ended up getting a somewhat beat up soft pad this week. The seller was really wanted it out of her garage. So I was able to get it for a song...
A lot of the aluminum is in somewhat no perfect condition. A lot of tape residue that I am sure will come off, but there is also some pitting (corrosion?) which might or might not come off with some aluminum polisher or some other method. Does anyone have any tried and true methods for removing some light pitting in aluminum like this?
Also, the leather on the seat has some large cracks, but they aren't full tears / rips yet. Since you can pull out the foam, I would imagine I could apply some kind of a patch to the inside that would stop the cracks from becoming tears. The back pads are in good condition. But there is some scuffing of the leather around the end of the top frames (I have seen that on a lot of the soft pads)
I don't have much experience restoring leather. There are some large scuffed areas on the seat and I am assuming that I will just need to live with that. Maybe there is a product that can even out the look of those types of areas as well?
Height adjustment works, tilt mech turns, but is a bit rusty. All castors are working. Overall I am pretty happy.
Dated '96, so it is about 20 years old...not quite vintage. If anyone has any ideas to help bring the life back in this I would love to hear them.
cheers!
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Congratulation on the pick up. I'm sitting in one right now. For the leather I'd recommend a conditioner and cleaner like the products from Leatherique. Something from an automotive store that you can buy locally like Lexol will work too. Keeping the chair in a humid / warm environment (bathroom after a shower) for a while might also help.
The aluminum should clean up with an aluminum polish (again from the auto store) or something like brasso or barkeeper's friend. Be aware that the arms of the chair have a clear coat on them, so don't try to polish them. If it's chipped or peeling badly you can strip it with soy gel and polish the arms. Othewise goof off, denatured alcohol, or just warm soapy water and a microfiber cloth will remove the adhesive residue. I'd test denatured and goof off first to make sure they don't cloud the clear coat.
A little bit of sewing machine oil, or pretty much anything on the tilt adjustment screw will help.
If it were my chair, I wouldn't stress the wear on the front edge of the seat or mess around with trying to dye it (although kiwi leather dye is easy to find). Just keep it conditioned and embrace the patina. It's easy enough to replace the foam, but I don't know about trying to make any repairs. It's awkward to get your hands in there, not to mention you're working blind. The frame doesn't look too corroded, and that base has aged to a nice color so I wouldn't even touch it. Just take care of the leather and enjoy it.
What's the cat think about it?
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