Ski Chair Restoration

[ss20]

I picked up this sweet chair from Mohawk today.


It was an awesome deal. 100$, including the safety bar, footrest, and working grip. I want to re-paint it blue and green. What paint and how do I do it? Should I hang it first before painting it, or paint it first? I have no clue what I'm doing, but it feels great to own a piece of Mohawk history!

 

[WoodCore]

What chair number did you get?? Picked up chairs 1 and 17 this morning.

 

[Sotto]

Picked up number 8 and got it onto the pourch, going to mount test fit it later when its not so hot.

 

[HowieT2]

We got one from butternut a few years ago. Strip it, sand it and spray paint it.

Ill try and post picture tomorrow.

 

[drjeff]

I picked up this sweet chair from Mohawk today.
View attachment 8973

It was an awesome deal. 100$, including the safety bar, footrest, and working grip. I want to re-paint it blue and green. What paint and how do I do it? Should I hang it first before painting it, or paint it first? I have no clue what I'm doing, but it feels great to own a piece of Mohawk history!

A good pass with and orbital sander and some 120 grit paper, a post sanding water bath, and then a generous coat of your favorite colored glossy rustoleum with a subsequent coat of clear acrylic and you're done! At least that's what the guys at Mount Snow told me to do with the old grand summit chair I bought 2 years ago!

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[ss20]

Thank you Dr. Jeff. Will do!
I picked up chair #12, nothing special!

 

[Bene288]

I would recommend a multi-tool with a sander attachment. An orbital sander may leave swirls on the metal, which could show through the rustoleum, plus the triangle shape sanding pad is great for getting into all of the nooks and crannies. Not as big of a deal on metal as it is on wood, but with how thin paint is made these days you can't be too safe. Before you start painting, wash it down with mineral spirits to get rid of any grease on the surface.

Are you spraying or brushing? Spraying is very tough if you don't have much experience. It's hard to find a balance to ensure a smooth finish with no drips. Orange peel texture is a huge problem with painting old metal. If you're worried about brush strokes and set on spraying, I would recommend a HVLP (High Volume, Low Pressure) spray gun IF you have access to an air compressor. It's a much better choice than regular aerosol cans. You can get one for around $25 at Harbor Freight. I usually go this route when finishing certain furniture and metal parts. Air spray guns can be hard to clean, so for $25 who cares if you just chuck it? Good luck!

 

[ss20]

Do I have to remove the paint? I see that under the black paint there is yellow that never got removed? I should paint for a career!:lol:

 

[Bene288]

Do I have to remove the paint? I see that under the black paint there is yellow that never got removed? I should paint for a career!:lol:

Unless you want to get crazy about it, I wouldn't worry about stripping the existing paint. You would need to sand blast it to strip it properly. A nice finish is rooted in the prep. So just take your time sanding and cleaning before you start laying some color. With old layers showing through you may want to think about priming the chair with a good oil based primer. If the current paint is glossy you DEFINITELY want to prime first. Even after sanding, glossy spots can show through new paint if the sheens don't match.

If you go the route of brushing, find a good paint and a good quality brush designed for oil paint. No 'economy' brushes from Home Depot. Using a good paint and a good brush will make the paint lay flatter and minimize brush strokes. Spraying is a pain, but the best way to get a 'factory finish'.

I'm curious, how heavy is the chair?

 

[mister moose]

There's enough about painting to write a book (In fact I'm sure someone already has) but here's a few tips:

Disassemble as much as possible. It will make sanding easier, exposed hidden areas that might be corroding, and make painting easier.

Sanding is half the job in how it will look, and 3/4 of the job in work. Don't scrimp. If you can get access to a compressor use a body shop style D/A sander. If not, plan on a combination of electric orbitals, detail sanders and hand sanding with blocks and fingers. Any pitting not sanded out will show - either use filler and sand smooth or live with a pitted finish.

Use quality sandpaper. Sanding paint will clog the paper fairly fast. There are coated papers the resist clogging. Also use a decent abrasive like silicon carbide. If the paint is really thick consider using a paint stripper.

I don't think spraying from a can is all that hard, and you can get very good results. Your prep work will determine the quality of the finish possible. If you haven't sanded all surfaces smooth, filled all pitting, primed all bare metal, and repaired any missed spots and scratches that the primer shows, then there is no point talking about which paint, which brush, or which spray gun. It won't matter. Just slap on some paint. (FYI, a good quality paint applied out of the sun with a good brush and reduced to provide good flow time will give an excellent finish. Spraying is not always necessary.

If you want to go high end and have some painting skill look at the 2 part polyurethane paints like Imron and Awlgrip.


Replace the wood slats with new, varnished oak (open grain) or even cherry (closed grain)

 

[SIKSKIER]

I just lightley sanded and used Rustoleum.Looked fine when I did it 10 years ago.Needs more love again.I couldn't get the Cannon #1 Old Peabody chair but I got the next best one...69.

 

[RichT]

I have one from Hunter's Westside, (left it as is), but before I paint it I'd figure out where/how I'd be mounting it! Picking it up and putting in a truck is alot easier than lifting it to mount. I hung mine from a tree on a chain, just like it would if it was around your neck. Remember if you want to sit in it, the top is going to be at least 8-10ft from the ground!

 

[shpride]

A good pass with and orbital sander and some 120 grit paper, a post sanding water bath, and then a generous coat of your favorite colored glossy rustoleum with a subsequent coat of clear acrylic and you're done! At least that's what the guys at Mount Snow told me to do with the old grand summit chair I bought 2 years ago!

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Did you end up hanging your grand summit chair yet on anything yet? If so what did you do? I am still hoping to build a swing with mine but with the lack of time I have it is still sitting on pallets in my back yard.

 

[drjeff]

Did you end up hanging your grand summit chair yet on anything yet? If so what did you do? I am still hoping to build a swing with mine but with the lack of time I have it is still sitting on pallets in my back yard.

I actually brought mine to a local welding shop and had them weld a stand onto each side. The swing option just wasn't going to happen in the spaces that I was contemplating putting it. Cost me about $125 for the welding shop to fabricate the stands and weld them to my chair when I had it done almost 2 years ago

 

[shpride]

Bringing it to a welder sounds like a great idea. I originally bought it with the intention of making it a bench, but the more I have it the more I was leaning towards making it into a swing. I have plenty of space but no trees. I am thinking of building the swing but it would have to be very sturdy with the weight of the chair plus possibly four people.

Thanks for the info

 

[drjeff]

Bringing it to a welder sounds like a great idea. I originally bought it with the intention of making it a bench, but the more I have it the more I was leaning towards making it into a swing. I have plenty of space but no trees. I am thinking of building the swing but it would have to be very sturdy with the weight of the chair plus possibly four people.

Thanks for the info

The build was pretty simple - 4 pieces of 2" square tube steel cut to 4 foot lengths. My welder put the pieces together as 2 "T" shaped pieces with the base of my chair set at 20" off the ground. He then finished all the ends with a 45* bevel and welded an end cap in place. The same time he did my welding, he did the same for Vcunning from this board and I know he's been very happy with his results too!

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[ss20]

After two months of procrastination, I'm ready to start this project. I've got a never used sander with 120 grit paper. I've decided to keep the wood. It's in good shape and I don't want to drop a couple hundred more dollars into getting new wood. I'd like to know which paint to use on the metal, acrylic, or enamel.