Shell Chair Restoration
Here we’re going to walk through an armshell shock mount move and restoral. First of all, in this instance I had run across some orange arm shells that were set up as ‘wide mount’. The first thing that needs to be done is remove the old mounts. I’ve heard a couple ways to go about this such as tightening the bolt all the way down to pull the mount off (which I do not suggest as it can crack the fiberglass on the other side very easily). The way I go about it is to take a sharp flat head screw drive and a rubber mallet and tap around the outside to remove all visable epoxy, then lightly tap under the mount and pry lightly up around the sides untill the mount losens and comes off easily.
After all the shock mounts have been removed, you’ll need to get rid of any existing epoxy left on the chair. I do this by using a coarse sandpaper on an orbital sander to get the majority off, then switch to a medium then to fine for the finish.
Once that work has been completed it’s time to mount the shocks to the standard narrow mount, so it will be able to take any or the various bases available. For this I use a spider base from a tandem set up. I’ve found it to be the best way to get an accurate lay out of the mounts. I first attach the mount directly to the spiderbase finger tight. Make sure that they center in the holes. Then with the chair upside down, place the spiderbase set up onto the chair so that the shock mounts line up on the ‘flat spots’ already on the chair for the narrow mount.
Once that is set and centered outline the outsides of the shock mounts with a marker.
You now have an accurate mark for where to place your mounts. You can use just about any two part epoxy to mount your shocks. I’ve found that JB Weld Quick set seems to work the best for me and looks most original after the fact.
Mix enough of the epoxy so that you can get at least 4 quarter sized globs.
This epoxy sets quick, you only have a couple minutes once you place it on the chair to get your mounts in place. So be hasty when placing your mounts. The reason I suggest a quick set epoxy over one that takes 8 hours to set is because your mounts will drift out of place with other such epoxies unless you keep them held into place.
Once you have them set in place keep them held there for a good 5 minutes to make sure your mounts dont float out of place. After the 5 or 10 minutes, remove the screws and the spider base from the mounts and let the epoxy cure over night. You want to remove the screws before it completely cure as to avoid the screws being epoxied to the mounts.
As far as moving the shocks goes, you’re done. Next we will be restoring the fiberglass back to original luster.
Here we start be smoothing the edges with a fine wet sand. For the wet sand get a squirt bottle, put a couple drops of dish soap on the botton and fill up with warm water. Wetting the area as you sand will prevent fiberglass dust from getting everywhere and save you and your lungs from an uncomfortable itch.
Go around the edges and smooth them out, then move to the rest of the chair doing a fine wet sand to the entire area, until the entire chair is smooth.
Once the entire chair has been done, rinse it off with water to get rid if any of the exsisting dust and let it air dry. (drying with a cloth will leave fibers that will show up in the coating process later).
The chair is now ready to coat. For this I use a product called ‘Penetrol’. This can be picked up at any home center, is used to restore fiberglass and has many other uses such as an oil paint conditioner.
Make sure and wear gloves while applying Penetrol, you don’t want to get this on your hands or anything else as it’s next to impossible to get off.
Use a lint free cloth for application. Soak the cloth in the Penetrol so that it is fully saturated. Apply the Penetrol liberally so that it will not leave streaks. Make sure that you don’t put so much on as to cause dripping or sags though. It may take a little practice.
Apply first to the bottom of the chair, let it it set for a couple hours then attach the base, flip the chair over on it’s base and apply to the rest of the chair.
Once it has been applied, place the chair in a safe dust free enviroment and let it cure for a couple days. Penetrol take quite a while to dry as it’s an oil based product. This as well makes it stronger and much more durible than a standard clear coat.
**NOTE** I do not recommend that penetrol is used on white shells, as it will yellow slightly over time. In that case I’d use a standard clearcoat.
Once your chair has cured, it’s ready for use and will look like new for years to come.
*Disclaimer – This is just what we found effective! We take no responsibility for your chairs
Doug Said,
March 29, 2008 @ 3:56 am
You have done a beautiful job on the chair. I have some older Herman Miller stack chairs that seem to have been made with a coarser fiberglass and over time have developed creases between the fibers that catch every bit of debris. I am wondering if I should try to wet sand down the coarser fibers and then coat with penetrol as you did or should I just give them a good cleaning and hope the penetrol will fill the creases.
Doug
zach Said,
April 1, 2008 @ 5:41 am
greetings doug, for the embedded dirt on your fiberglass chairs, you may try using some of the “foaming oxy cleaners” available, ive had good results with those products on embedded dirt in my eames fiberglass chairs.
the coarser fiberglass you mention is sometimes referred to as “jack straw” pattern and is a little more sought after by some collectors for its unique patterns. one last advice, dont be tempted touse a pressure washer on your fiberglass, it will tear thru its layers and leave you with a bad hole in the glass.
zach
chairfag
AngelsxBoy Said,
April 3, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
This blog is simply smashing. In my humble opinion of course. As this post is rather debatable I don’t think all your blog visitors are going to agree with it.
Vonido Said,
April 6, 2008 @ 7:32 pm
well it’s not the kind of news that is worth discussing. i wonder why are you all here so excited?
Flint Said,
April 9, 2008 @ 10:20 am
This was a fantastically written post and the pics complement the tale wonderfully! I’ll send it to my friend.
JD Said,
April 16, 2008 @ 8:19 pm
is there any hope for reupholstering shell chairs with stiched vinyl padding? numerous searches on the web have produced no experts . . .
\')/* Said,
April 19, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
ekibastos…
ekibastos…
Steven Said,
April 21, 2008 @ 6:43 am
Hi,
Thanks for posting the shell chair restoration. I have 6 original fiberglass chairs, of which about 4 need some attention. The shock mounts are in shatters on about three to four of them. Do you have any idea, where I could get reproductions?
Thanks,
Steven
Steven Said,
April 23, 2008 @ 12:02 am
When i say reproductions, i mean shockmounts, not the chairs of course.
Larry Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
Hi Steven.
The best solution that I have come up with in the past is to find some old damaged or cracked shells and swipe the mounts off of those. If you have any local shops that deal with vintage chairs, talk to the owner, they may have some jacked up chairs they would be willing to part with on the cheap.
-Larry
claus Said,
May 6, 2008 @ 8:55 pm
Hi Larry,
Very nice blog, thanks for sharing your information!
I have a 1962 shell, that was used as garden furniture, and is in a pretty bad shape. no matter what I tried, I could not remove the embed dirt – any advice on that?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17228734@N00/2471951368/sizes/o/
And Steven, just check ebay. There are often mounts available, both vintage and reproductions.
cheers, Claus
alex Said,
May 10, 2008 @ 9:28 pm
hi,
you’ve done a beautiful job on the chair. bravo!
i am wondering if i can seek some advice from you. i have obtained a greige arm chair and there are multiple spots on the shell that the finish/gel coat had been stripped. it seems as if someone tried to remove paint or epoxy from the shell with abrasive stripper. so now the areas have absolutely no shine and the fiberglass is exposed.
is there any way that i can fix this problem? i was thinking perhaps i can wet sand those spots to make them completely smooth and then apply a gel coat on them? do you think spraying clearcoat on them might work too? my concern is to darken those areas so they would blend nicely with the rest of the shell.
thanks in advance,
alex
Anna @ D16 Said,
May 12, 2008 @ 8:58 pm
JD, in the event that you check back in, I thought I’d post a link to this place:
http://www.retroredo.com/
They reupholster the padded Eames shells. I haven’t used them (yet), but I’ve heard great things about their work, and plan to send to send out a wrecked, padded armshell to them in the near future.
mjoe Said,
May 12, 2008 @ 9:37 pm
Great tutorial, thank you for posting this! I got directed here from apartment therapy. Hope someone here can answer my question… Here’s my chair (sounds like the same problem as Alex): http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/painting-fixing-repair/sf-good-questions-rejuvenating-an-eames-shell-chair-050456
Because it is that light grey color, I’m wondering if it will yellow. Should I use a clearcoat instead, or would that not do the trick of covering up the whitened scratched areas?
Thanks!
kevin v Said,
May 24, 2008 @ 12:33 pm
Hi,
Really nice chair and great refinishing advice. I have an old shell without a base. I recently bought a rocker base but do not have bolts to attach it to the mount. Do you know the dimensions of the bolts? Thank you.
LaurenAlane Said,
May 29, 2008 @ 4:53 pm
Just wanted to say thank you so much for this tutorial. I ordered some Eames chairs online, then some new bases, but didn’t realize there were two types of base settings. This is quite a project but I am excited to move the shockmounts and restore the shells to such a pretty condition, like in the last picture in this post. Thanks!
Daniel Said,
June 10, 2008 @ 11:42 pm
Ok…love the person behind this post….yeah sounds crazy, but I’ve been searching for this exact list of steps for about two years now….appreciate your post!!
Larry Said,
June 11, 2008 @ 4:16 pm
Hi Alex, I’d do much the same thing with that as I did in the blog. Just wet sand then apply penetrol. I think you’d be very happy with the end result.
-Larry
Emily Said,
June 15, 2008 @ 11:59 pm
Love the restoration demo – beautifully detailed!
Now, of course I have a question… I just picked up two orange Eames chairs at an estate sale ($1 each!!!), and the seats are in perfect condition… but the legs are are fogged with almost a white rust. The chairs were sitting in a garage for 30 years.
Any suggestions on what to do to brighten up the legs? Regular sanding? chemicals?
Thanks!
-Emily
Michiel Said,
July 30, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
I love what you did on the arm shell chair. But i do have a question.
Have you ever repaired a crack in a fiberglass shell chair, because i have one with a small crack and I have no idea of how to fix it. I also can’t find any useful information on the internet either!
Any thoughts, tips or ideas?
Thanks in advance
Michiel
Larry Said,
August 5, 2008 @ 6:24 pm
I’d probably just use a fine steel whool on them to get back to the zinc plating.
Laura Said,
August 7, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
Great info! I have a chair similar to the one restored, but with a cross base. It also has a rope edge. It is a light orange or salmon color and I think you might call it jack straw pattern. The color is faded in areas. Is there a way to bring up the color again? I am going to try an oxy cleaner to clean fiberglass which will hopefully improve it looks. Also, does changing the bases etc, on these chairs affect their value?
It’s great to find an active site. So many times you go on to one and there hasn’t been a posting for over a year and nobody is responding with helpful advice. Thank you all!
Alex Said,
August 14, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
hi larry,
thanks!
i have another challenge to face. i have a shell chair that’s been painted and i want to remove the paint from the fiberglass without damaging the gel coat. i’ve read that some people recommended citrustrip and some recommended Easy-Off oven cleaner. what is your thought?
cheers,
alex
Larry Said,
August 28, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
Michiel,
I have tried to repair cracks in shells before. Even went as far as to get a set of colors for fiberglass resin to match up with the chairs. I was able to match the colors well enough, and this can eork for filling in drill holes, but as far as cracks, as soon as they are sat on again, they crack again. Sorry to say, but a cracked shell is nothing but garabage. Salvage the shock mounts from it and toss it in the trash.
Larry Said,
August 28, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
Laura,
As for a an old rope edge chiar like that goes, I wouldn’t touch it. Give it a good cleaning and leave it be. Even refinishing it can effect the value, and changing the base will effect the value for sure. That’s one chair you want to leave as is and just enjoy it.
Larry Said,
August 28, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
Alex,
Paint is a tough one. Very hard to get off. I’ve never found a stripper that’ll work well for it, best results I’ve seen are a good wet sand and then a coating of penetrol. Still, the paint can leach into the fiber and be next to impossible to remove.
Jennifer Said,
September 6, 2008 @ 8:42 pm
After a totally jacked “professional” move across the country, my once beautiful blue fiberglass shell chairs were left to shamefully rot in the garage. I was just searching for a suggested method to soften all the scracthes so that I could sell them on eBay. After coming across this post I feel inspired to clean them up so that I can keep them. Thank you! I will love my chairs again.
powkang Said,
September 27, 2008 @ 8:55 pm
hi hi hi
i just got an eames (ok, it’s imitation) shell chair today off craigslist and it is in some dire need of tlc. love love love and thank you!
mila Said,
October 2, 2008 @ 1:53 am
what are the approximate dimensions of a narrow mount vs. a wide mount? i have some chairs with stacking bases that i had always assumed were wide mount until i discovered that there are narrow mount stacking bases, too. mine measure (from center of bolt to center of bolt) about 4 3/4″ in the front of the chair and 7 3/8″ in the back. thanks to all…
eric400 Said,
October 13, 2008 @ 1:37 am
so i recently got a great deal on a set of 6 various shell chairs. 4 are in great condition and the other 2 are the upholstered vinyl ones. the vinyl on one of them is horrible and i want to remove it completely. i’ve searched online for tips, but can’t seem to find much. i don’t want to spend the money to get it redone so…
any advice would be appreciated.
thanks
Dylan Said,
October 25, 2008 @ 9:33 am
Hi, I have a lounge H-base that has some areas where the zinc plating has been scratched off. Does anyone know of a way to touch these areas up so they blend in with the original plating? Thanks, Dylan
LuciferSUm Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
Hey Zach, I’m going through some restorations of broken 670 Lounge chairs, and a complete reupholstery of an aluminum group. I’d love to contribute to your site if you’d have me!
Dylan – you can buff the zinc fairly brightly with some 000 steel wool, but there’s little that can be done to restore the actual plating once it has chipped off.
admin Said,
November 18, 2008 @ 11:18 pm
Hi There!
If you’d like to contribute, then we’d love to host them!
robb Said,
November 21, 2008 @ 3:58 am
heya, so i’ve gone threw all the steps and i’m now ready to apply the flood gunk. reading the warning labels i’m a little freaked out about it however. i was going to apply it in my attic which i has two windows opposing each other. i was going to set an attic fan in one window sucking air out while opening the other window. i have a organic vapor mask i was going to wear and it should only take me about 5 mins to apply the stuff to the seat of the chair before i hightale it out of there…even so i’m a little freaked out. where do you use the stuff? do you wear a mask? what more can you offer on the subject? thanks!!!
www.engel-bedeutung.de Said,
December 2, 2008 @ 6:53 am
Hey! I like your post “Chair Restoration | chairfag.com” so well that I like to ask you whether I should translate into German and linking back. Greetings Engel
alex Said,
December 13, 2008 @ 12:31 am
save to my Bookmarks
K Said,
December 24, 2008 @ 3:53 pm
hey there.
I just found (!) a shell on the street on my walk home last night, and it looks like someone stripped it down. It’s not exactly white, more “colorless”. Can I paint the chair before I clearcoat it? Would you still be able to see the Fibers?
thanks! love the blog.
paul Said,
January 7, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
Hey! I was wondering where i could buy new Shock Mounts. I have 3 chairs to put new legs on and i can’t seem to find them anywhere.
How To: Restore A Fiberglass Shell Chair | The Green TKR Said,
January 14, 2009 @ 5:06 pm
[...] stumbled upon the advice through Land+Living who linked to Chair Fag’s detailed step by step for how to restore an old shell chair. And although they go into detail about [...]
iris Said,
January 16, 2009 @ 9:38 pm
You can find new shock mounts from Hume Modern: http://www.humemodern.com/parts/parts.html
Does anyone know how to remove/replace the plastic H-base glides? My base was missing the circular “foot” of the glide, so I removed the plastic “cap” that fit into the chair’s tubular leg. Now the metal parts (two washers and a nail?) are still stuck inside the tubular leg. I can’t figure out how to wrench it out. And I have a feeling fitting the new/vintage glides back into the chair leg is going to cause more problems.
I’ve illustrated my problem a bit more here: http://byov.blogspot.com/2009/01/dilemma.html
Thanks!
Tony F Said,
January 26, 2009 @ 10:10 pm
I have a yello fiberglass/yellow vinyl covered chair that has some rips in the fabric. My question is: does anyone have vinyl repair recommendations? and if that doesn’t work….Is there a way to fill the fiberglass holes through the seat (and attach new shockmounts), if I choose to remove the vinyl altogether? Thanks!!
jeff Said,
January 27, 2009 @ 4:15 pm
I question the glossy finish that this restoration shows? I have never seen an original so shiny. Is it possible
that they were produced with this finish?
Also am a little wary about sanding these shells. Once you start sanding you remove the original texture finish.
I do not see it necessary to sand at all (unless you are repairing a scuff or hole)?
I’m thinking of using linsead oil as a finish. Has anybody tried this? A lot less toxic plus the finish would perhaps be
closer to the original.
jeff Said,
January 28, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
A follow up to the above post. I just finished two coats of linseed oil and the finish is superb.
Can’t imagine the Penetrol being any better plus the linseed is much less toxic.
I’d post a picture but don’t see any way to do so?
Marcia Said,
February 6, 2009 @ 9:21 pm
great instructions, thanks!!! just bought a fiberglass shell chair and this info will be invaluable.
question: where would i get a spider tandem base set up you use to mark the positions for the shockmounts?
matthew Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 4:47 am
okay,
I’m new to these beautiful chairs, long time admirer, first time owner.
my wife and i just purchased five armchairs from ebay. We received them and we put them together and were so
happy. Then a few minutes later, we both began to itch like crazy! We looked at the chairs in the sun and they
sparkle with bare exposed fiberglass… Upon first glance the chairs look okay, but up close, in the sun, you can see
the raw fibers waiting for your skin. Can anyone tell me if this process will for sure cure our situation? We love the
chairs, but we really want to be able to sit in them!!!
thank you for any response!
-matthew
Larry Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 10:55 pm
Penetrol will solve tis problem. I’d so light wet sand first with a fine paper.
Good luck!
Larry Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 10:57 pm
Hmm, good question. I just happen to have had a few lying around. You can use another base, it’s just a little tougher but it will all come out in the end so long as you’re careful.
Larry Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 10:59 pm
The linseed oil will have to be redone on a regular basis, while the penetrol so far has lasted some of my chairs six plus years now with no real sign of wearing. Oh, and it does look even more brilliant, shines more them linseed oil.
Larry Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 11:02 pm
Sanding doesn’t detract from the final texture at all. Yes, you want to be minimal about it, but if you have exposed fiber, just applying either linseed oil or penetrol will not go smoothly at all. You need to knock off the exposed fibers. Sanding is the only way to do that.
Larry Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 11:07 pm
You can fill the holes. I’ve done this in the past. However, you have to find appropriate fiberglass reson tint, and matching the color is next to impossible, plus where the holes were, you will not get the fibers coming out like in the rest of the chair. In my opinion, it’s just not worth doing. It’s too much work for an end product that you are likley to not be happy with. There are some people that do reupholster them. You’d be better off looking into to going that route.
Larry Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 11:09 pm
As posted above, hume modern http://www.humemodern.com/parts/parts.html
or you can find new sets on eBay as well.
Larry Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 11:12 pm
If you paint it, there is no real reason to clearcoat it, unless you are using a 2 stage paint. You can see the fibers texture still after painting, but it’s the consistant color that makes it look a little stange as you use to seeing slightly different hues in the fibers.
Larry Said,
February 20, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
It’s not as bad as the label makes it seem. I don’t use a mask. just a ventilated area.
jeff Said,
February 23, 2009 @ 7:01 pm
If you’re looking for a glossy finish then use the Penetrol, but these chairs were never produced in such a luster.
And again, I highly discourage sanding. You do not want to touch the finish. As far as exposed fibers go, I have never seen this on a Herman Miller original.
Justin Said,
February 28, 2009 @ 8:07 pm
Hello, any idea how to get spray paint off a shell?
Thanks
tim Said,
March 12, 2009 @ 7:09 pm
Hey!
Great job on the orange one!
I just have a armchair which was upholstered but i took the fabric of and ..oooff.. srcubbed of the damn industrial glue which holds the foam and fabric. took me nearly two hard days.
so my question is if you have some experience with taking of the fabric , especially the glue, without having SO MUCH work like i had..there must be some kind of chemical that doesnt affect the surface but makes it possible to get of the glue easier than rubbing it off for two days..
would be a pleasure if you had an idea!
keep up you blog ! its nice !!
greetings,
tim
Daniel Said,
March 17, 2009 @ 7:34 pm
Hi Larry,
I have just finished reworking eight dark blue Herman Miller Sidechairs (came with stacking base) that had been used for over 30 years in a university. From the years of stacking they had really bad scratches, marks and everything but not one chair was cracked – thank god! After a good lot of sanding, washing and drying I was actually sceptic about the Penetrol keeping the promise… it really DID!
Those eight chairs look like new again (I loooove that dark blue ones!) and have exactly the same shiny finish as my other arm and side chairs have! Thank you so much for posting this restauration manual.
Always a pleasure,
Danny
Larry Said,
March 18, 2009 @ 7:07 pm
You can try mineral spirits, but the paint tends to get in the pores and won’t come out of them. Iif that’s the case, I’ve found that it’s generally more trouble then it’s worth. What I’ve done in the past is just repaint them and then use them for outdoor chairs.
jeff Said,
March 20, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
I find lacquer thinner does a good job. You can use varsol at first to go over the whole shell generally, then finish up with lacquer thinner. If there are even more stubborn areas, acetone is the final resource.
Kennan Said,
March 25, 2009 @ 9:01 pm
I have a nice padded chair that I can not remove the legs from. I can not get the screws out. They just spin, and I thus can not remove the base. Is there an easy way to remove the base without damaging the shock mounts. I think after 20 years of use the base is stuck to the mounts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
By the way this is a great tutorial, do you have one for fixing cracks?
Vintage Eames Chair restoration « le blog Said,
March 31, 2009 @ 11:30 pm
[...] We recently came across this step by step guide to restoring vintage Eames fibregalss chair (click here for the guide). As you probably know, Herman Miller now manufacture all Eames Shell chairs in polypropylene, in [...]
john Said,
April 4, 2009 @ 8:53 pm
hi Larry,
I have 2 original herman miller white buckets (dated Feb 16 1960 underside of the seat) . Just brought home when my daughter declaired that “they are itchy”. They already look as if they have been cleaned and maybe even lightly sanded, do I still need to sand them before clear coating? it has also been said that Penetrol may color them so what is the regular clear coat you mentioned that I should use. I also have 16 month old twins who will be crawling all over these chairs as well.
Would the linseed oil be a better choice after a light sand?
Jeff Cross Said,
April 11, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
Hello, I bought 2 upholstered shell chairs that had no bases off ebay and picked up a few rocker bases and shock mounts separately. Subsequently, I have been unable to figure out how to assemble the chairs, due to the fact that the shells have threaded inserts in the bottom where the shock mounts should go. The inserts actually protrude from the bottom of the chairs about an eighth of an inch, thereby impeding installation of the shock mounts. Are these inserts original to the chairs? They are original Herman Miller, dated December 1973. If original, what bases and mounts are used? If not original, any recomendations on removal?
Thanks!!
Pete Said,
April 17, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
Great job on those. I managed to salvage some shell chairs from the dumpster. They are mounted on a rail in the institiutional style. I would love to have them as separate chairs. Do you have any leads for individual bases?
Doug Said,
April 30, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
I have some shells that I have been doing that have holes in the bottom and need to be filled, can you tell me what you use to fill the holes and how noticable is it when done?
jessimarie33 Said,
June 16, 2009 @ 7:01 pm
Hi, I found this post in a search for help with restoring a vintage fiberglass picnic table I have. This looks great and pretty simple. But, I was wondering if this brings back the color? My table is red, but quite faded. I would like to bring back the color and add a clear coat like this. Would this do both? I have heard of a paint for fiberglass, but would rather not go that route unless all else fails. thanks so much!
D-Rock Said,
June 23, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Larry, you mention you have a couple of the spider bases in one of the comments.Where were you able to find them? I have a shell chair with an aluminum adjustable swivel base with casters in very good condition but the spider where the base connects to the chair is broken. Any help in finding this part would be appreciated.
Larry Said,
June 23, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
Well, the one’s that I use came off a tandom set up and would not work with the aluminum adjustable base. Sorry I’m no help here.
Larry Said,
June 23, 2009 @ 10:36 pm
The Penetrol does help bring the color back out, alot more than you might think it would. I just depends on how deep your fading is into the fiber glass. I’d give it a go. Worst case is that you decide to paint it after the fact.
Kyle Said,
June 24, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
I’ve just picked up 33 white stacking “jack straw” pattern shell chairs at auction for pennies. You mentioned just using “clear coat” on white shells because they may yellow. Do you have a more specific brand suggestion? Also, I would like to clean up the aluminum bases. What is the best (and quickest x 33) way to restore their luster?
p.s. awesome site, aptly titled. I’m out of the closet on the topic.
Larry Said,
June 24, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
Well, as far as for stark white, if they are stark white I’d shoot them with a high quality automotive clear. I really can’t be specific in brand. If they are an off white color, the penetrol is still the best thing to use in my opinion.
The only way that I’ve been able to restore any good luster on the zinc plated bases is just with a fine steel wool. Unless you want to spend the money to have them re-plated. I’ve priced that out before at about 40 bucks a pop, but that was a few years back.
ModFruGal Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 8:41 pm
I haven’t been able to find anything online about refinishing a Burke/Saarinen style fiberglass shell so here seems to be the best info so far….it’s an off white shell which has now been wet sanded but now I am contemplating the clear coating options…has anyone done one of these?
» Eames chair restoration - More On Design Said,
July 24, 2009 @ 10:25 am
[...] click here for more [...]
Margaret Said,
July 27, 2009 @ 8:36 pm
I reluctantly purchased two side chairs on ebay. One is in okay condition, but the other has a pretty sever crack over one of the shock mounts on the seat. The crack does not go all the way through, but seems to have a lot of dirt in it. I have sanded it is little and used the Oxy clean like suggested, but it is still dirty. Do you have any other suggestions on cleaning and perhaps filling a crack?
Thanks!
How To : Restore Fiberglass Shell Chairs Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
[...] a couple vintage shell chairs she saved from a remodeled dog track. So, I hunted around and found this article about restoring them to an almost original [...]
hailey Said,
August 9, 2009 @ 3:03 am
hi
thanks for the wonderful blog post!
just wondering, I have 4 fiberglass chairs 2 different colors and I want to paint them all the same but still have a great looking chairs like yours.
Do you have any paint you recommend?? I don’t like the color these are. I think 2 of them were painted by previous owners but they are not good looking and the other 2 are so yuckky and pale… I want nice bright chairs….
many thanks in advace
hailey
Grimmlok Said,
September 4, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
Fantastic! Just what I was looking for. I just snapped up 4 vintage Burke chairs with steel star bases for metaphorical pennies and the white fiberglass seats have a definite age patina to them.
This will be perfect for restoring them to their mid 70’s, made in Texas glory.
Thanks from Toronto!
- Grimmlok
Contemporary Gardens Said,
September 9, 2009 @ 9:51 am
Brilliant post… Gives us the confidence to get our Shell chairs back to their former glory. Could not find Penetrol in the UK… Any suggestions anyone? I saw the Linseed oil idea, but I’m sure this would come off on clothes over a short space of time…?
Larry Said,
September 9, 2009 @ 4:51 pm
I’d maybe try ordering the Penetrol on-line. I’ve not run across anything that is even close to it. Maybe another oil paint conditioner? You could maybe do a test patch with something else…
Jerome Said,
September 16, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
Thank you so much for the Great tutorial, and I have enjoyed reading everyone else’s adventures in Mid century furniture!
I recently found a couple of grey shells in the sub-basement of my work that were collecting dust, so I replaced the stackable bases with Eiffel Tower bases I purchased on ebay and I refinished the shells following your tutorial and I am so happy with the way they turned out. My next project is a green arm shell chair I recovered from a dumpster, Eiffel base and all.
Keep up the good work!
Elle Said,
October 12, 2009 @ 1:08 am
Hello
I have picked up two royal blue colored herman miller brand shell arm chairs, but I think they are the plastic type. I can’t find any information on them, they have the raised herman miller logo and name on the bottom, to the right of the name is an upside down looking N and above that is an S with a circle around it. Any ideas on this?
Any information would be very helpful.
Thanks,
Elle
Elle Said,
October 12, 2009 @ 1:10 am
….also, is it bad to use the same process described above since this is plastic? There aren’t any mounts on the bottom of either chair right now.
Elle
Larry Said,
October 14, 2009 @ 9:40 pm
If they are the new plastic, then the shock mounts are molded plastic and part of the shell, not removable. If the chairs are fiberglass, then the mounts are black rubber that are epoxied to the shell. Hope that helps.
Larry Said,
October 14, 2009 @ 9:43 pm
If plastic, then the mounts are molded in as part of the chair, if they have no mounts and just holes through the shell then they would be fiberglass. Probably previously upholstered. If they are plastic, I would not use this method to restore them, it won’t work. I don’t think there is anyway to redo the newer plastic chairs.
TK Said,
October 16, 2009 @ 5:02 am
I found this shell at a garage sale and decided to restore it. It had some paint splashes and the rubber mounts were badly glued, so I decided to use paint stripper to reduce the sanding work… BIG MISTAKE!!!!! It melted the shell surface!!! Stupid me, but thank God that I tried it on the bottom side first.
It was pretty dirty shell to begin with, but now I have to spend extra time sanding to cover up the checmical damage as much as possible. After that, I’ll use some kind of clearcoat. I can’t use Penetrol since the shell is white, right? Any recommendation??
Larry Said,
October 19, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
I’f still use penetrol, still way better than any other coating for the chair. Chances are your chair is off white anyway, you’ll never never be able to tell.
m.cole Said,
October 21, 2009 @ 9:48 pm
Has anyone ever tried using a heat gun to take paint off shells? Thermo-set plastic doesn’t melt like polyurethane, but it can burn… I’ve never used a heat gun for anything before, so I’m not sure that would be a good idea to try. I found a set of four sideshells for five bucks, painted with green (exterior house?) paint. From the looks of it, the original finish may very well be fine under there, so i am leery of solvents. Citrus strip is supposed to be safe for many finished materials but it is some really messy stuff that I really don’t want to screw around with on the grounds of my apartment building. Latex paint peels off lots of things fairly easily but I haven’t yet experimented on these…
Also, when replacing bases, I have found that I can’t get all four holes to line up and accept all the bolts, only three will fit. I’ve experienced this with multiple bases of similar vintage to each other (and the shell) and in good shape (not damaged) etc. ??? Maybe stresses incurred during use corrupt the integrity of the chair base to the extent that it is no longer universal? Have not yet tried new replacement bases on chairs…
I have been able to remove the nylon glides with minimal damage by inserting a very small flathead screwdriver and just clunking them out with a hammer. It takes some practice, some of them pop right out but some of them are really stuck and get destroyed in the process (not an issue of course, if you’re removing broken ones).
Tyler Nelson Said,
October 24, 2009 @ 5:51 pm
Hello,
This is an excellent write up. I have 2 orange chairs wit the stackable base, I was wondering how I go about taking out the feet, One leg on my base the foot is broken and i cant figure out how to remove it.
Thanks
Larry Said,
October 26, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
You have to drill out the center pin from the bottom to remove the feet.
TK Said,
October 27, 2009 @ 2:05 pm
Thanks Larry, it went well!
Diana Said,
October 28, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
Having recently found a discarded shell chair that has suffered a lot of neglect, I’m really grateful to have found the restoration info that you provided on this site.
And I, too, am a huge fan of furniture design.
However I wish you would have spent a few more seconds thinking through the site name and tagline. Regardless of your intentions, surely you recognize that the word fag/faggot is the product of a long legacy of homophobia and violence, and carries the pain of that legacy – even when used in a joking manner. Saying that anyone is “gay for chairs” is just dumb, and careless.
A Roaring Home » eBay wins! Said,
October 29, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
[...] plan on refurbishing the chair soon. ChairFag has a great tutorial on how to properly restore these fiberglass chairs. I plan on starting on that [...]
Larry Said,
October 29, 2009 @ 7:10 pm
One could argue that the world has gotten far too hyper sensitive and can’t decide whether we should celebrate our diversity or negate it all together. The word fag can be a very offensive word when used in a negative context, I’ll agree. This is not the case here. Definitions of words are in a constant flux and every evolving and changing. Not too far back the word ‘gay’ meant happy or cheerful. I’ll let you take the meaning of ‘gay for chairs’ however you want. I’d just suggest maybe lightening up a bit. I do hope that you find this tutorial helpful. Please post some pics after you have done the resto. We love to see how everyone’s projects come out.
1. Arm Shell Chair Bench « Redo Retro Said,
October 29, 2009 @ 9:24 pm
[...] There are many resources for purchasing and restoring shell chairs. Here are a few; Herman Miller, Modernica, The Brick House, ChairFag. [...]
Trevor Said,
November 11, 2009 @ 2:53 am
you mentioned your ability to patch screw holes in chairs. how do you do this and color match the chair?
redoretro » 1. Arm Shell Chair Bench Said,
November 19, 2009 @ 3:58 am
[...] There are many resources for purchasing and restoring shell chairs. Here are a some that I liked; Herman Miller, Modernica, The Brick House, ChairFag. [...]
Greg Said,
December 6, 2009 @ 9:43 pm
hey everyone,
after reading all the comments I really feel sorry ’bout asking for some information where to get reproductions of eames chair bases (like modernica)?
Do you have better ideas?
thanks in advance!
Greg
The Brick House Said,
January 9, 2010 @ 1:39 am
[...] and find it difficult to stop and take pictures in the middle of working things out. I used the Chairfag restoration tutorial to help me through the process, and hope that this little DIY may help someone [...]
The Brick House Said,
January 9, 2010 @ 1:43 am
[...] we are nearing the finish. I will be posting a how to – but I have totally been referencing this great step by step instruction on how to remount shocks and refinish Eames shell chairs. So most of [...]
Kyle H Said,
January 21, 2010 @ 8:29 pm
Awesome site, and threads. Last summer I purchased 33 parchment tint Eames Zenith stackers at auction for $50. I found that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work great to get in the tiny grooves of the fiberglass. Just be sure not to over work an area, as I think the magic erasers remove a bit of the finish, although I’m not totally sure how they work. When replacing glides, the easiest thing to do is cut away the existing plastic and hammer the metal pin and washer up into the leg. They are near impossible to retrieve, and this method does not damage the leg at all.
Larry Said,
January 21, 2010 @ 10:24 pm
Or just drill the pin out from the bottom, even easier.
Dan Said,
January 24, 2010 @ 2:55 pm
I’m currently restoring an Eames rocker and have done all the preparation following your very helpful instructions. I’m now ready to affix the base to the shell but am finding it difficult to work out the correct position. When I position it where it was previously attached the rear two shock mounts are not flat to the shell, so I can’t see how I will get a good fixing. The only way I can get all four shock mounts flat to the shell is if I bring forward the overall position, which doesn’t seem the right thing to do. Any advice gratefully received! Thanks very much indeed.
danny wu Said,
February 6, 2010 @ 8:25 pm
hi my name is danny wu come to Taiwan .
can you help me buy Penetrol . because i want Restoration my shell chair . but in Taiwan no sell Penetrol . so can you help me buy . i can pay you money in PAYPAL . thanks
Larry Said,
February 8, 2010 @ 5:03 pm
You can purchase it online.
http://www.google.com/products?q=penetrol&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=dkNwS8_aAZShnQeT5ISpBg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CBwQrQQwAg