chrisjr761 Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) Here's the problem:This image shows the underside of a thin metal (probably steel) seat on an old aluminum straight-backed chair. The three yellow arrows indicate cracks in the seat. The cracks have broken through the thin (disintegrating) Best Portable Chairs padding layer on top, so now they pinch whatever pants/padding weighs down on them. No doubt the cracks will continue to spread until the seat eventually fails.The brownish-yellow dots are the thin top padding, visible through holes in the seat created by the manufacturer.I think the metal must be too thin to weld. It is not even as thick as the cardstock at the back of a pad of notepaper. I could try laying on a layer of resin and fiberglass cloth, on top and/or on the bottom, but I'm afraid the metal will continue to flex under load, eventually breaking the resin and severing the cloth.I could replace the seat with something fabricated from plywood, but I'd like to preserve the original parts of the chair if possible. Wood also wouldn't have the contoured shape of the metal seat, and it would make the lightweight chair heavier. It would require a lot more effort (and expense, no doubt, given the price of lumber these days) compared to something like fiberglass. Depending on how I made it, it might also raise the seat height, which is not desirable.I was looking at paint-on rubber treatments. They would be more flexible than fiberglass, but wouldn't do anything to stabilize the steel seat.I'm wondering if there's a kind of steel tape or strapping that would stay attached for years or some other paint-on treatment that would preserve the existing seat and its contoured shape. If not, is there some material that would function at least as well as plywood? My tools are basically a drill, a hand jigsaw, and a sanding block. Edited December 17, 2021 by chrisjr761 spelling mistakes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post steven100 Posted December 17, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted December 17, 2021 what image ? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liverpool Lou Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 1 minute ago, steven100 said: what image ? You can't see it, how come?! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsxrnz Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 This is like having read the book and waiting for the movie to come out!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 2 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said: You can't see it, how come?! not sure ... nothing shown 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralf001 Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Bit of steel strapping and some pop rivets wil sort that. give it a lick of paint after and it will last years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsxrnz Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbko Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Epoxy Putty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Liverpool Lou Posted December 17, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) 40 minutes ago, steven100 said: 43 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said: You can't see it, how come?! not sure ... nothing shown You need to click harder on the blank space under or alongside the last sentence of his OP. Edited December 17, 2021 by Liverpool Lou 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimewoodworker Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) 6 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said: You can't see it, how come?! Probably because it’s not there! Edited December 17, 2021 by sometimewoodworker 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liverpool Lou Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 5 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said: Probably because it’s not there! No? Really? Amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaibeachlovers Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 On 12/18/2021 at 4:23 AM, Liverpool Lou said: No? Really? Amazing. No image in your quote. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimewoodworker Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 2 hours ago, heightshare said: Has anybody made anything like this, A picture is worth 1,000 words! Without pictures of what you are talking about, while you understand what you are talking about, I certainly don’t 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowtail Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 (edited) Drilling a small hole at the very end of a crack in sheet steel or aluminum will generally stop it from getting longer. The duct tape is a good idea after you drill the hole. Edited December 24, 2021 by Yellowtail clarity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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