Lloyd Flanders wicker repair.

[kodydog]

The owner of a outdoor patio furniture store was referred to me by a refinishing friend.

She has a line of wicker furniture by the name of Lloyd Flanders. Very high end. They have an exclusive process that allows the furniture to stay outdoors in the elements.

Her problem is she can't find anyone who can do repairs. I went to her store to have a look. The frames are aluminum. The wicker is made from a paper product which is wrapped around a wire then woven on a loom. This wicker fabric is then stretched onto the frame then fastened to the frame just like an upholsterer would stretch and fasten fabric on a wood frame.

For the life of me I couldn't figure how they fastened it to the aluminum frame. So I found this Youtub video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCKaxedXwVM

The video gets interesting at the 4:30 mark. This is a state of the art facility. After weaving the fabric it next goes to the cutting room where patterns are cut by a computer controlled Gerber cutter

Next is where it gets really interesting. They feed the wicker fabric into a press where it crimps a metal band around the bottom. This metal band is what gets screwed to the bottom of the chair. I'm sure If I decided to pursue this venture the fabric would come pre-cut with the bands attached.

At the 5:00 mark they show stretching and fastening the fabric to the aluminum frame using... stainless steal staples.

Does anyone know of a gun that will shoot a staple into aluminum?

Here's the other thing. The fabric comes unpainted. You cannot paint the fabric before you stretch it on. The paint would crack plus the staples that hold the trim on need to be painted at the end of the process.

The store owner said she can get touch-up paint in spray cans. I'm thinking this is fine for touching up but I don't think it would work to paint a large area like the back and arms. Also the video shows each piece being cooked at 280* for 20 minutes. Something I cannot do. But something I can do is once the repair is complete send it to my buddy who does refinishing.

Normally I would say this furniture is not worth recovering but a small Lloyd Flanders chair costs $800. I'm thinking to recover the arms and back would take about 4 hours and charge $150-$200. Most customers would see this as a bargain.

My main concern is where to find a gun that shoots through aluminum.

I'll call Lloyd Flanders and talk to a technician tomorrow but not sure how many trade secrets they will be willing to give up.

[sofadoc]

Does anyone know of a gun that will shoot a staple into aluminum?

Take a look at this one:
http://www.rochfordsupply.com/shop/Staple_Guns/Air_Guns/Fasco__92_Series_Long_Nose_Stapler/index.html

I did some work on-site at a sign place that made aluminum awnings. This was the gun they used.

[JuneC]

I own that gun and hate it.  The safety has to be pulled every time before you pull the trigger for a staple.  It cannot be overcome as far as I can see since if you don't release it between pulls, it doesn't re-arm.  So, no chance of taping it and then just shooting. 

Having said that, it does have a recoil, unlike my BEA and Primestitch short-nose guns.  I'd think the shape of the staple and weight of the wire as well as the PSI behind the gun would make all the difference for shooting into aluminum.  How thick is the metal? 

June

[Grebo]

Interesting video, I never heard of Lloyd flanders, now Lloyd Loom yes. I had no idea it was still in fashion, I always liked the old furniture.

Suzi

[kodydog]

There the same. Marshal B Lloyd started the company in 1918 in Menomiee Michigan. Its always been a family run business. I don't know where Flanders came from.

[Grebo]

Learn something new everyday.

Suzi

[kodydog]

I called Lloyd Flanders customer service. I asked what type gun they use to attach the wicker to the aluminum. The lady told me any high powered staple gun would work. So I took a piece of aluminum tubing I had laying around the shop and used my 1/4" crown stapler I shot it full of staples. Next I took a piece of jute spring-up twin and fastened it to the tubing to see if it would hold. It didn't. So I tried it again but this time I put a dab of wood glue where the staple meets the twine and let it dry. This seems to be holding.

Still working on a few other technical problems but can see this as a source of revenue. The cushion jobs alone should keep us pretty busy.