I recently won a set of five vintage aluminum GoodForm chairs on eBay from a local consignor.  I’d planned on simply reupholstering the school bus green vinyl seats with something more akin to my tastes.  However, after getting them home, I discovered a few issues that would turn my little reupholstering project into a full-blown chair restoration.

The Damage

The chairs had been exposed to a damp environment because they reeked of mildew from moldy cotton batting. Many of the metal glides were rusted and crumbling. The removable steel seat frames had active rust in places with small hairline cracks at stress points near the front rim. Fortunately, other than a few small dings the tubular aluminum frames were in pretty good shape.

The Restoration

1.  I removed the vinyl upholstery and scraped away the moldy cotton batting.  Unfortunately, the upholsterer who recovered the chairs in school bus green used a ridiculous amount of industrial glue that required a couple hours of steel wool and acetone to loosen and remove before the seats could be bead blasted.

2.  The seats had cool cloth and paper GoodForm labels on the underside.  I was not able to save the paper labels, but I successfully used steam to remove the cloth labels and re adhered them later (see pic).

3.  I had my friend Bill give me a lesson on MIG welding as he kindly repaired the small cracks on the the chair seats.

4.  After bead blasting the seats, I sprayed them with a coat of Rustoleum gray that nicely matched their original finish.

5.  Now for the challenging part… Modern office chairs have a completely hollow tubular leg that uses a chair glide secured with a spring clip.  This method is not how glides are secured on vintage GoodForm and Emeco aluminum chairs.  The GoodForm and Emeco chair have a 1 inch hollow tubular leg, but the base of each leg is closed with a 5/8″ hole drilled in the center.  A slightly over sized rubber compression fitting (which I’ll refer to as a “coupling”) is used to slide over chair glides’ threading (see pic) with a nut on top for tightening.  This rubber coupling is squeezed through the 5/8″ hole until it fully passes through.  Over 60+ years the rubber couplings deteriorate and I could not find a single vendor that offers a comparable replacement.

I had to improvise using rubber stoppers purchased from the local hardware store.  I cut each stopper in half horizontally, drilled a hole in the center, then removed and shaped the excess material with a drum attachment on my drill press (see pic).  Before pushing the rubber couplings through the 5/8″ holes, I rubbed liquid hand soap over them to make the process a bit easier.  Note: Do not lubricate with WD-40 or oil because it will break down the rubber.  Prior to pushing the coupling through hole, I secured the nylon nut on top of the threading.  With the soapy coupling pushed completely through, I pulled firmly on the glide to create tension against the coupling and nut.  I turned the glide clock-wise, thus tightening the nut along the threading to create a snug fit.  Lastly, felt pads were stuck to the glide bottoms to save my wood floors.

5.  Initially, I was going to use firm, mildew resistant 1/2 inch foam rubber pad to cushion the seats, but after a dry fitting, I did not like how the foam obscured the contour of the seat.  I ended up using a 1/2 inch nylon batting that compressed under the vinyl resulting in better looking profile.

6.  I put considerable thought into how I would reupholster the chairs.  I considered using waxed canvas.  I even ordered yards of vintage looking oilcloth in an “aluminum” color only to find the material in hand looked too much like duct tape.  I was fortunate to locally find vinyl auto upholstery in a very nice grayish green that I feel compliments the chairs and their surroundings.

7.  I only used a damp rag to clean off the aluminum chair frames, so as not to disturb their wonderful patina.

The chairs ended up taking more time and money than I had intended, but I am very pleased with the results.

A short story before the waxed canvas. A few years ago I purchased a Bolens string trimmer (weed whacker) from Lowes for around $95.00 USD.  It has been a complete piece of crap since it came out of the box.  No matter what I do with the fuel, choke, etc it repeatedly sputters out or under performs.  A week ago I took the Bolens out from winter storage and turned it over only to find that when throttled, the head no longer spins.  After taking it apart I found a broken flexible drive shaft, which costs around $40.00 to replace and in my opinion, not worth the investment.

After salvaging what parts I could use from the Bolens, I junked it and called my brother-in-law (who owns a lawn service) and asked him for a recommendation for a dependable trimmer.  He hooked me up with a new RedMax BC250 and it is a joy to use!

As I was picking up my new trimmer from my brother-in-law, I checked out his other lawn equipment and noticed his blower’s straps were completely worn out (see pic).  As a token of my gratitude for the hookup on the new trimmer, I offered to replace his withered blower straps with new padded ones in waxed canvas.

I reused the old d-rings, adjustment buckles, and parts of the nylon webbing.  The new straps are made from olive 14 oz. waxed cotton and lined with 1/2″ industrial felt.  Since the original straps were sewn to the frame and non removable,  I opted to use a hand stitching awl to reattach the new straps to the blower frame (see pic).  I’m excited to see what the waxed canvas will look like at the end of the mowing season.

I finished this No. 175 “tool tote” in black waxed canvas just in time to be donated for auction at the Doughnut Hill Skate Park Fundraiser this Friday, April 9th.  The bag is handmade using the following materials:

• 18 oz waxed canvas w/ double-ply bottom
• 10 oz veg tanned harness leather handles/straps
• Hand hammered copper rivets
• Industrial weight “mil spec” nylon thread
• Solid brass snaps in gunmetal black finish

Click here to purchase your own No. 175 tote in black or brown canvas.

I recently added two more pieces of equipment to my growing arsenal of industrial sewing machines.  The top sewer is an Adler model 30-70.  It’s the largest of the long-armed Adler machines and is commonly used to repair luggage, shoes/boots, and hockey equipment.  It has a top fed walking foot that can rotate 360 degrees, enabling the sewer to get into very tight spots without having to shift a cumbersome work piece.  The Adler is German-made and has a heavy cast iron hand wheel for precise manual stitching.  This machine is also belt driven via a clutch motor with a foot feed.

The next sewer is a 1905 Singer model 94-4.  It’s designed to do exactly what the Adler does.  I marvel at how little the engineering differs between the two sewers considering they were made approximately 75 years apart.  The Singer was given to me by a boot maker who had acquired the machine years ago for $15.00 from a fur trapper who used it to mend pelts.  The Singer was coated in dust and grim, but I had a great time cleaning it up and it runs like a top now.  Sadly, it will be relegated to a display piece because the Adler’s long arm makes it a much more versatile machine.

Both machines are fascinating to watch run and a great time to sew with.

I visited a flea market with my friend this morning and found this nice industrial shop light in perfectly used condition for my workshop.  It has its original cloth cord and the socket has a cool Bakelite switch.  The cast base can strangely double as an ash tray.  I bought the lamp as-is for $4.00 and when I returned home, I was glad to find it still works.  I also found a WWII overseas cap with ordnance piping, but my friend got the score of the day when he turned up two rare soul 45′s for $2.00.

Over the weekend I made this Artifact waxed canvas tote for a carpenter who was in need of a sturdy bag to carry his tools in.  While I was sewing the canvas panels, it tickled me to know this bag is going to get daily use/abuse by a craftsman.  Imagine how great this bag will look in the years to come when the waxed canvas, copper rivets, and leather develop a rich patina.

This carpenter’s tote is made with 18 oz canvas and is double ply on the bottom.  Web straps are sewn between the layers for added strength.  The leather handles are 10 oz harness leather with a water resistant finish.  The handles are secured with hand hammered solid copper rivets.  Military issue snaps secure the center strap and everything is sewn with mil spec nylon thread.

Click here to view Artifact Bags for sale.

Snow and cold resulted in fewer dealers, but I was about to walk away with something for my bookshelf.  Originally published in 1934 by Popular Science Publishing.  The intro reads, “Nothing could be more American than the simple cabin.”.  Good reading for those interested in self reliance, historic architecture, and outdoors.  You can purchase a copy for yourself at Abebooks.