How-to: Make an Eames Fiberglass Shell Chair.
I love watching manufacturing processes in general, but this video (made for Herman Miller by the Eames Office in 1970) is extra cool since I have so many of these chairs in my house. I just hope that poor guy trimming the fiberglass was wearing a good dust mask. Yikes.
Music by Buddy Collette.
(Thank you, Catherine, for sharing this with me!)
rad video, no wonder these chairs last forever. i did cringe a little watching that guy pull the excess fiberglass off the chair with his bare hands.
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Did you see the notation about newer production techniques at the end? Heh.
I must say, though, the new “safe” polypropylene shell chairs that Vitra makes for HM are just not the same thing. That’s why I only buy vintage.
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Ah, you’re welcome! It’s so interesting to see all of the careful crafting and measuring that went into them. If only they weren’t so expensive in Europe… sigh…
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Interesting. I’ve been considering, when I have some time, of making some chairs out of a wood veneer mesh using the Herman Miller fiberglass shells as a mould. I got the idea from the work that Joe Harmon is doing, building Splinter (http://www.joeharmondesign.com/). I love the way that the chairs feel, but my better half wants a slightly more formal looking dining room.
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This was such an interesting video! I agree about the fiberglass, yikes. Unfortunately that type music so popular at the time always makes me feel anxious so I was on nerves watching all 8 minutes.
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I agree about the music. DH sitting next to me while I watched asked if it was like Peter and the Wolf: the hi-hat is the sewing machine and the flute is the clay, and the upright bass is the fiberglass?
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are you sure that the music wasn’t ron burgundy on the jazz flute?
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