Hello readers! Welcome back to our weekly blogs.
We're sure you’re all busy keeping up with your new year's resolution which is great so hopefully, you’ll have a moment to catch your breath while reading this blog post.
Or better yet, your new year's resolution may, in fact, be to read more blog posts! In which case we’re happy to help.
So Christmas feels like it was a while ago now, but hopefully, you got what you wanted. A gift you may have received from a loved one is an Eames Shell Chair.
Eames fiberglass shells are some of the most versatile Eames furniture in our marketplace, so they make a really good gift for any household.
They hold a lot of value due to their rarity and the build quality. As some of them are already vintage, the older they get, the more their value increases.
However, to ensure that yours is kept in top condition, it’s important to give it a clean now and again.
This will not only help it to look newer than it is, but it will also help to restore and retain the fiberglass of your shell.
Now, it wouldn’t be helpful if we were to just provide this information without actually advising you guys on how you can go about maintaining the quality of your Eames Fiberglass shell, so we will take you through a few steps on what level of ‘cleaning’ you can do with your shell, without overdoing it or under doing it.
Whether you’ve had your fiberglass shell chair for a while or whether you’ve just bought it second hand, you may find that the fiberglass is rough and in some areas, there can be fiberglass splinters.
In addition to this, depending on where or who you got it from and the condition it’s in, there could be hardened dirt on it. For example, gum.
The best way to go about this issue is to sand it down with fine sandpaper.
This doesn’t mean you have to use all your force to get the dirt off, but it’s more about using a consistent motion to even out the surface, which increases the smoothness.
You may have seen a fiberglass shell picture on the internet and it looks bright and shiny.
But then when you open your delivery, you may find that it’s not as glossy as the pictures showed. Not to worry! All it needs is some Penetrol.
Penetrol is a type of substance that helps to maintain the color of paint.
Furthermore, it adds a layer of protection to the surface which not only retains the color, but it also restores the loss of color on a faded shell.
It’s important to keep in mind, not to use too much in one go. But if you put a teaspoon amount on a cloth, and consistently rub it evenly through the fiberglass shell.
If the chair still looks like it could do with more Penetrol, leave the chair to dry and settle after the first layer of Penetrolling and then do the same process again after a couple of hours.
If you have a small mark that doesn’t look too strong or deep, it may be as simple as using a little bit of warm water and the rough side of a kitchen sponge to remove the mark.
Here at Eames.com, we would recommend that if you see any kind of mark on your fiberglass chair, use a sponge and some water first before trying sandpaper or any other substances like Acetone.
A few swipes with a warm wet sponge and then wipe down with a dry towel should do the trick!
Some of you may or may not know what Acetone is. If you are unsure, Acetone is a spirit type of substance to help remove deeper stains.
Although it is a cleaning solution, please do not go overboard with it. Dampen a very small section of the towel or sponge with it and slowly rub the area where the mark is.
As it is quite acidic, please use a minimal amount because otherwise, it could do more harm than good. But, if you do have a stain that cannot be removed with water and a sponge, then feel free to use Acetone.
Acetone can often remove the Penetrol that you may have used on your fiberglass shell, so once you’ve finished with the acetone, you are able to Penetrole the small part that you Acetoned to restore any color.
Only Penetrol the Acetone section, because if you do the whole shell, you will only be adding to the layer that already has it on which could then make the color/gloss look uneven.
Although we have given you advice on how to keep your fiberglass shell in top condition using Penetrol and acetone, please remember to use gloves, try not to inhale and if you do feel light headed due to the smell, take a break.
Furthermore, if you do get either of those substances on your skin, please wash immediately.
And that’s it! That is how you keep a fiberglass shell chair in tip-top condition.
We felt that since many of you reading our blogs have an interest in Eames products, you may even have an Eames piece like a fiberglass shell at home.
So it would be beneficial for you to know how to manage it.
We hope you enjoyed this week's blog!
Until next time, have fun browsing!