More Frame Damage,..and Bear!

Here is a photo of the fabric that covered the blog chair's seat.  Notice the deep cut out of the fabric just behind Bear’s tail and on the opposite side in front of his wet nose.  

Photo: SHS

These cuts are made to allow the fabric to go around the arms posts. It is probable that a pattern was made for the the seat fabric when it was first manufactured at the factory. As later upholsterers recovered the seat, these cuts were more likely made during the process of applying the fabric. An astute upholsterer would use the old fabric as a pattern after discerning if its application was accurate. 

Here is a picture of the arm post around which the cutout of the fabric was placed. The majority of the padding that covers the seat is a natural unbleached cotton batting. it is off white and contains tiny dark brown bits of the cotton seed hull. Notice the whiter  filling closest to and surrounding the post.

Photo: SHS

This is a Dacron like substitute for cotton and curled hair. It is similar to the fill inside most contemporary pillows. Any type of fill will compacts over years of use. When the most recent upholsterer recovered the seat, the Dacron was used to fill in the space around the post that had worn down. It is likely the most recent addition to the padding of the chair seat.  It follows that is is probable that the chair seat was not rebuilt by the most recent upholsterer. 

Recall the photo of the long 5/8" staples in yesterday’s blog. 

Photo: SHS

Here is a photo of their removal.  

Photo: SHS

Notice that the pliers grip the fabric. I pull the fabric away from the frame at an angle perpendicular to it. The staples are applied at the same angle.  By removing the staples at the same angle at which they were installed, less wood is taken out with them thereby minimizing damage to the frame. Notice the staples are clean and no shards of wood attached to them. 

The good news is that the 5/8” long staples were not used around the entire perimeter of the chair. 1/2” staples were used around the rest. The 5/8” long staples  were only used on the left side chair rail as you face it.  We call that LSF, or left side facing.  Bad news is that is my clue that the wood on the LSF rail is probably very dry and in poor condition. Longer staples are usually employed to compensate for this condition.  I hope it is not dry rotted. 

Bear would say this frame has had it.....ruff! (:

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

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For more on the wood's qualities and how people crafted in the medium, see John T. Kirk's, American Furniture, Understanding Styles, Construction and Quality, New York, Harry N. Abrams. Section 2, pp 17-25.
 

Nails, Heat and Lack of Moisture = Frame Damage

Greetings from my favorite furry friend Bear!

Photo: SHS

The summary of last weeks work is that nails used in ways unanticipated by the blog chair frame’s designer damage the integrity of its structure. Today we document some of the damage.

In this first photo the webbing is pictured how I found it; metal straps placed over the jute.

Photo: SHS

Next the metal is removed and just the vinyl strips and jute remain. Recall that these thin vinyl strips were nailed through the webbing and into the inner sides of the frame. 

Photo: SHS

Finally, all the quick fixes are removed and we can see how the webbing bulges down from the wood frame.

Photo: SHS

This is a direct result of releasing the metal strapping and vinyl strips used to shore it up.  Re-webbing plus re-installing and retying the springs would have been the proper way fix the sagging webbing, but that takes more time and effort. 

Recall that both of the "quick fix" efforts drove more nails deeper into the chair’s frame and at angles unforeseen by its designer.  In this photo of the under side of the back seat rail, notice the large crack extending from the right and spreading left towards the center. This occurred over time as nails were repeatedly driven into the wood.  

Photo: SHS

Notice the placement of the last nail head on the right side of the webbing. It is below the crack.  This leads me to believe that the crack to the frame existed for quite some time. The damage was obvious and the nail placed under it to keep the crack from spreading further.  This had to be done by the last person to web the chair

Also playing into this picture are heat and humidity. The wood is dry and there is very little moisture left in its fiber. It was probably stored in an attic or placed near a heat vent when in use.  I would have preferred storage in a barn as there would have been more humidity present. The lack of moisture in the wood causes it to crack more easily, especially when all those nails are used.

Further evidence of parched dried wood is in the use of extremely long staples by the chair’s most recent upholsterer technician; used to apply the decorative fabric. 

Photo: SHS

These staples are 5/8” long. The industry standard is 3/8” long. The added 1/4” penetration helps the fabric stay put but also damages the chair further by forcing the staples further into the wood and spreading its fibers.

Undoubtedly I will discover more damage as I remove the rest of the cover. 

So the moral of the today's story is?  Understand the importance of employing an upholsterer who understands that she/he should repair your frame before attempting to recover it.  

Love your dog,..and give him something yummy to chew on! 

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

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For more on the wood's qualities and how people crafted in the medium, see John T. Kirk's, American Furniture, Understanding Styles, Construction and Quality, New York, Harry N. Abrams. Section 2, pp 17-25.

ReUpholstery 101 Part II

As mentioned earlier today I am posting some photos of the rip-down process.

The rip-down is the first step of the re-upholstery process; during which the spent materials such as webbing, fabric, tacks, twine, etc. are removed. This enables us to get a good look at the frame and see if it needs repair.  I always flip my pieces upside down and take a look at the bottom.

Photo: SHS

Then I place the chair upside down on a set of padded work horses. 

The first items to be removed here are the metal webbing strips because they were installed over the jute webbing in lieu of replacing it when it became weak and sagged. This method of shoring up the jute webbing should be avoided at all costs. It employs a twist nail driven through the holes in the strap and into the frame.  They do a great job of holding the strap in place at a dear cost to the chair: when they are both installed and removed the twisting motion weakens the chair's frame.  

 Notice the twist of the metal on the of the nail protruding from the metal strap webbing I've removed.

Photo: SHS

Look at the head of the nail in the metal strap and notice the faint black line I drew across it. The line is vertical in this shot.

Photo: SHS

Now look at the same nail and again and notice the faint black line is at a different angle.  This corkscrew effect occurred as I pried the nail from the frame by means of a tack puller. If this were a standard tack or nail the line would have stayed in the same vertical direction it was in the previous photo

.

Photo: SHS

The twisting action grinds against the wood of the frame as it moves. We will be able to see the damage once the jute webbing is removed.


As the nail turns....

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

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