Can I repair it? Saucer chair edition

June 20, 2024 2:24 PM

We have a Pottery Barn teen saucer chair whose frame has been bent. I'm trying to figure out if I could easily repair the frame and if not what I should do with it.

TBH I'm kind of meh on the chair - I bought it for my office during the pandemic so I'd have a place to sit alone when I wasn't at my desk but the vegan leather squeaks and it was bigger than I imagined it being in my space. OTOH our tweens and cat seem to like it and it wasn't cheap for what it is so maybe it could have a life beyond my office and I just hate that this might have to be junked just b/c of this bend in the pipe. So I have a small level of effort I'm willing to put into repairing it. I'm trying to figure out:
- is it repairable to a safe condition? If it's not easy but it is repairable with the right skills/time and would be safe afterwards I'll try to offer it on FB. Could I find someone to fix it inexpensively? I'm concerned that even if you can fix the frame the metal won't be sound enough to support someone sitting in it.
- The pillow doesn't come off it (stupid design) but I could cut the parts/pull the seam out where it wraps around the frame off the back (those are sewn on to the pillow but are at least separate from the pillow itself)and either just use it as a very expensive cat bed or try to get a replacement frame. Maybe? Other ideas?

Thanks mefi for helping me try to keep this out of the dump

posted by snowymorninblues to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

I think your link to the chair in question is broken
posted by kbanas at 2:27 PM on June 20 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: huh, I'm not quite sure what's going on with the link, it seems to work fine for me, even from an incognito window or other device (and I don't have an imgur login) But I don't use imgur very often so open to suggestions.
posted by snowymorninblues at 2:42 PM on June 20

Your link to the picture you took works, your link to the "Pottery Barn teen saucer chair" does not.
posted by notjustthefish at 2:43 PM on June 20

Response by poster: Oh thank you, misread kbanas comment. Here is the chair in all it's glory!
posted by snowymorninblues at 2:45 PM on June 20

Mod note: fixed the link, carry on
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:11 PM on June 20

When you have that sort of bend in a tent pole, you straighten it as best you can and reinforce it with a slightly larger tube that slides over the original pole. The extra difficulty for you there comes in two steps: (1) can you even disconnect the tube at the top end so you can slide a brace over it? and (2) even if you can slide a brace over it, you’ll have to drill two holes through the brace to allow the frame bolt to go through. And you’d probably need to buy a replacement frame bolt that was slightly longer, to account for the extra tube it has to go through.

It’s not irreparable, but repairing it in a way that would hold weight is going to be tricky.

TBH I’d reach out to Pottery Barn and ask if they’ll sell you a replacement frame.
posted by fedward at 4:14 PM on June 20 [1 favorite]

if you're concerned a replacement frame will just break &/or would prefer not to deal with "Pottery Barn, Crafted to Last™ (30 days)" again, fedward's reinforcement idea is worth trying. disassembly may not be required, however.

this is offered only as a thought experiment* (please don't sue me):
hose clamps [wiki] should be available at a local hardware store. one could get ones that will fit over the frame+support (flat metal?) bars, place the bars extending above, below & around the affected area (maybe 3, in a 'C' shape?), wrap all with hose clamps on both sides. the dimension/material of the reinforcement bars is something i'm unsure about. i'd likely err on the side of caution...

*theoretically, one principle involved is Thomas
Young's modulus of elasticity
posted by HearHere at 4:49 PM on June 20

You could overcome the bend by building a wooden support/frame. Build two boxes and support one box over the other with four legs. You could do it with all 2x4s. Wouldn't be pretty (could paint it and sand the 2x4s and make it pretty I suppose), but it would work. Would not even have to take off the metal frame. Just build the wooden frame such that this entire chair sits in and rests on the new frame.

Here is a link to instructions on how to build it. It is simple. So simple that your tween who would benefit from it can build it and build confidence at the same time.

You could even build sides with plywood and hinge one side for storage inside. You could paint to look like a die (dice). It would be a darn good teen chair.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:10 PM on June 20 [1 favorite]

I would add: Building a wooden frame out of 2x4s in a box/square configuration is a common first project for DIYers. It's a great way to learn about cutting wood, using fasteners, and creating a square structure. The frame can then be used for a variety of purposes, such as a raised garden bed, a sandbox, or even a simple piece of furniture.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:13 PM on June 20

It can certainly be fixed if you have some basic tools (a drill, a couple of spanners and one or more hammers).

I would remove the bolt right where the bend/break is and the one at the end of that pipe that shows in the picture. They look like they may be rivets, in which case you'll have to drill them out or grind the heads off and replace them with bolts.

Wander over to your local hardware and purchase a piece of pipe about a foot long that slips neatly over the existing frame with as little gap as possible. If there are rivets holding the frame rather than bolts, purchase two bolts long enough to go through the new piece of pipe, as well as nuts and washers (nyloc nuts would be best). if there are bolts on the existing frame, make sure they will go through the new pipe or purchase new ones.

Using your nearest hammer, hold the pipe firmly on a hard surface (you may need someone to hold up the rest of the frame) and carefully but firmly bang at it until it's as straight and round as you can get it. Try not to get any body parts you want to keep between the hammer and pipe. Then slide the piece of tube over the frame, centering the piece over the break. Drill holes through the new pipe to align with where the bolts need to go. Try not to get your hair or any clothing caught in the drill bit. Insert and tighten the bolts/nuts sufficiently to allow the joint to move but not wobble.

You may wish to do the same on the other side to reinforce the chair in case it breaks in the same place.

Place the chair on the floor soft side up and sit on it. You're done!
posted by dg at 11:32 PM on June 20