Looking for advice on Eames LCM clean up  

I also just noticed on one of the old shockmounts removed from the seat that there is a small imprint, appears to read "W R - 53".  This imprint appears on all three of the shockmounts, but is only clearly visible on one.  Does anyone know whether that 53 is a reference to the production year of the shockmount?  

@coastcoaster, I like naphtha because it seems to work a little better and dry faster, but mineral spirits works fine, too. This is the one step that's hard to overdo. If you can find some old linen dish towels, those work best for me. Otherwise, any clean cotton rags will do. Lay on the elbow grease, don't skimp on the solvent, try not to snag any loose veneer, and stay away from that label! You really want to get any and all grime, old wax, etc. off to prepare surfaces for good adhesion of repairs and new finish. An old toothbrush is good for cleaning out little crannies like your dings and veneer losses. A very light scuff-sanding with P320 or higher after cleaning to add a little tooth is OK, too. Just watch the patina at those edges and make sure to remove all dust and let everything dry completely before finishing. Oh, and remember to mask off the back shock mounts with painter's tape while you work, too. You want to protect those! (3M blue tape is a finder's-keepers item in my world - always ends up in someone else's tool bag no matter whose initials are written on it!)

I recommended the nitro lacquer because that's what HM put on these chairs originally. It dries fast, is relatively hard, is easy to repair, and offers decent protection. Stinks to high heaven when applying, though, so take proper precautions.

What brand of shock mounts and epoxy did you get? Just curious.

This is a great project to learn on. Good luck. Check in with any questions or concerns. Post pics.

Edit: No clue as to imprint, but the foil labels were used from '1951 through '56 so 53 would put it squarely in the middle!

@tktoo2 I appreciate all the further detail.  I'll give the mineral spirits a go and see how it turns out.   I think this going to take me a while to do over the next few weeks, but I will happily post pics as things progress and continue to check in.

I have in hand the SK Products replacement shockmount kits which includes their epoxy.  But I may also be able to check out the ones from @design-restorat before committing to those.  

With the shockmount discussion and photos, I thought I'd post a few images from a 1st Gen DCW restoration I did last year. The oval lozenge backrest shockmount had failed and sheared in the middle. The lozenge shape stayed affixed to the spine, while the two steel disks inside resulted in only circular shockmount residue remaining on the backrest portion. It was a bit confusing to see, since if you only saw the backrest portion, it looked like there were double round shockmounts rather than a single lozenge. I did recall how part of the old neoprene had stayed adhered to one of the steel disks, but seemed to be the failure point for the other disk.

As the above photos show, previous "restoration" efforts on this chair were not of the highest caliber. The poor chair had gone through some abuse. Even with all of the condition issues when I acquired the chair, since it was a 1st gen Evans, I only replaced both sets of shockmounts, and left the finish as is.

@cdsilva, I think I remember you posting these photos back when. Is that walnut veneer? Great patina, and on a great chair! Would you mind sharing where you sourced replacement shock mounts? The OP has urethane replacements from SK. I've never seen those so I'm hesitant to comment on use, though my gut says stick with neoprene.

I can't remember whether I got them from Design Restoration Spares or Modern Conscience. I thought it was the former, but checking the websites right now, I only see the lozenge option offered in the latter.

It is indeed walnut.