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Does anyone know where to get a 40’s model koken chair completely restored in or near North Carolina?
I am looking for parts to rebuild the hydraulic pump for my emil j paidar chair. I am having a very difficult time. Please help.
I do not know of any company in North Carolina that restores barber chairs exclusively. I know there is a company online (I won’t name them here because I found them unethical) with an operation in Georgia.
The beautiful thing about these chairs is how simple they are! You can restore the chair yourself with a little time, thought and of course money. I have a 1928 Koken that I have just finished tearing down. I will now take the metal components and hardware (screws, nuts and bolts) to a local nickel plating operation. They quoted me between $400 and $600 (which I felt was on the higher side but they are local and convenient). I anticipate the re-upholstery will run in the neighborhood of $500 as well. with the $500 I spent on the chair and the work I am farming out I will have $1600 invested in the chair and I expect it to appraise for around $3000.00
I have a pretty solid mechanical background. I had the chair dismantled in about 2 hours. These are the pointers I can offer you if you decide to do this yourself:
-Most of your chair is cast iron…NEVER HIT CAST IRON!!! No matter how frustrated you get at that stuck bold/handle/piston (whatever) don’t hit it! Cast Iron cracks easily when dropped/struck with a hammer.
-Never scour porcelain with abrasive cleaners, its like enamel on your teeth…once its gone its gone and the material underneath is porous so the surface will gather oil and debris and stain.
-My chair’s hydraulics were locked up, the chair wouldn’t even rotate. Engine degreaser worked wonders to break up the nastiest sludgy oil I’ve ever encountered. Bottom line, don’t let someone sell you a $500 new/remanufactured pump. These things are built to last forever and are very very simple mechanisms.
If you have any questions along the way post here!
Hello, I need help with one of my moments barber chairs. It will only recline when I loosen some screws on the other side of the chair then the handle. But then it does not stay put, it will just recline when anyone sits down in it. I also can’t pump the chair up. It has hydrologic fluid but must be missing another part. Please help!
