Koken Barber Chair Parts Diagram

[Lu Rounsaville]

Howeverdue to wear and tear over the years, these chairs can sometimes miss parts and may need restoration. Finding the missing parts of the antique chair to restore it is an intimidating task. This article aims to introduce different barber chair parts briefly and exactly where to find the barber chair parts.

Headrest: A headrest is a removable accessory in barber chairs that is often missing in an antique barber chair. Barber chairs usually have cast iron headrest with leather upholstery. In a restoration project, a chrome finish on the headrest is generally preferred.

Backrest: Barber chairs often have a backrest that matches the headrest and the seat. It is usually made of cast iron or wood and covered with leather upholstery. It can also include a towel bar that can be attached to the back.

Armrest: Some barber chairs had decorated armrest that ornated the chair. Armrests can also match the base and accompaniments of the upholstery. It is usually made of the same material as the frame and is often chromed. Some variants come with ashtrays attached.

Seat: It is reasonably common for antique barber chairs to have broken seat, therefore requires restoration. The seat is also matched with the backrest and has the same build. The handle to recline or adjust the height of the chair is often attached to the seat.

Hydraulic Lift Mechanism: In the world of antique barber chairs, it is sporadic to find a chair with a working hydraulic system. This mechanism, trademarked by Koken, actually allows the chair to go up or down. It is a complex apparatus that has its subparts. It contains the piston pump assembly, relief valve, filter, plunger, cylinder and hydraulic cover.

Calf rest, Footrest: The calf rest and footrest are other unique features of the antique barber chairs that complement the classic look. They are usually matched with the parts above them and are made of the same material. The upholstery is also made of leather.

Base: The base firmly supports the chair on the ground. It is usually made of porcelain. It also has a chrome metal ring that serves as a covering for the line that connects the upper section and the bottom.

Breaks: The brake stops the chair from rotating in place as the client is sitting receiving service. This little metal piece can become worn but fortunately, most are easy to find or fabricate if you know where to look.

Located in New York, J&N Antique Barber Chair an Parts have a collection of antique and vintage chairs for sale. They also restore and repair antique chairs and has a collection of barber chair parts.

Available in three locations, the Custom Barber Chairs has a solution for anyone looking for antique barber chair parts. You can easily inquire about their collection of parts available over a phone call. They also sell antique barber chairs and offers restoration services.

Located in Kansas, Thrones Custom Barber Chairs houses unique antique and vintage barber furniture as well as many other craft collectables. Check them out for every thing from original barber poles to antique cabnetry. They have it all.

If you purchase antique barber chair parts online, ensure thorough communication with the seller to get the correct part. We would also suggest getting an expert opinion before buying a part. Learn more about restoring antique and vintage barber chairs and how much does it cost.

I am looking for parts or information on a koken barber chair, not sure of the year or model but can send e mail or text a pic if needed, the info or parts im looking for has to do with the reclining of the chair, i have the bracket thay goes to cald rest(back side) the rod & stop or brake assembly but at the bery back of the chair under porcelai the end of the reclining rod has just a roll pin, am I missing a handle or how do you recline it? Or is it all just friction & nothing is supposed to be on the end of that rod?

Thanks

Hi I am looking of the mechanism to open up and then close the chair in sitting position. The mechanism I have doesn't seem to be the correct one for the chair as it does not allow room for it to function properly. It is a Gioia Catania. Can you help me?

A. For your use, consider "brush plating". Check out the vendor lists at this site. This procedure is extremely operator sensitive. If you want a lot less pain, attend the free school from the folks that you think that you want to buy the equipment and solutions from. Typical is 3-5 days of lecture and hands on. Good equipment makes a huge amount of difference, so look at more than one vendor.

Q. I am restoring a barber chair and have had all the metal chrome parts replated. However, now some of the parts don't fit; the new plating is too thick. What's the best way to remove some of the plating. File, wet sandpaper, or ?

Thanks.

A. Hi Brian. I think you'll find that chrome plating is harder than a file, in which case a file won't work, of course. Sandpaper on a power tool will probably work -- if you are talking about functional hard chrome plating on shafts, bearings, etc. The shiny decorative "chrome" plated items are actually a few millionths of an inch of chrome over a nickel plating layer which is thousandths of an inch thick -- so you will lose corrosion resistance and there will be an appearance difference where you sand anything. Hopefully the sanded areas are not visible. You may wish to look over our "Introduction to Chrome Plating" page. Good luck.

Q. Question about stripping Chrome Plating I have 3 old (1940's) barber chairs that I would like to strip and refinish. They are a combination of Chrome plated cast iron, aluminum, and stainless steel. I don't want to re-chrome the chromed parts but I do want to strip them of the old bubbling and flaking chrome. I would like to powdercoat and/or use automotive paint on the parts once stripped.

The problem I have is the local shops (Sacramento, Calif) are telling me that you can't just strip the chrome because the stripping process/chemicals can't be neutralized. Therefore you must re-chrome them. I'm no chemist but this seems odd to me because one can usually neutralize a chemical reaction with another chemical. Right? What is the real answer. Can I have the parts stripped and neutralized or what? If yes, then what is the process?

I attempted to sandblast a part with no luck . If this can be done I would then be able to fill and prep the parts before coating with powdercoat or automotive paints.

Thanks in advance for your feedback. I would really like to restore these because they are from a family members shop.

A. Dear Doug,

The "bubbling and flaking chrome" on your barber chairs is probably nickel rather than chrome. Chrome is usually a very thin coating that protects the nickel and prevents discoloration. Stripping process/chemicals can't be neutralized? You're right, that's ridiculous.

If you would like, I will refer you to companies in your area that distribute our nickel strippers and may be able to give you the names of plating shops that can help you. Note: Since these chairs were manufactured in the 40's they may not have a nickel/chrome finish. During WWII many manufacturers suspended the use of chrome for commercial products, reserving their chrome supplies for the war effort. If the chair parts do have the nickel/chrome combination, the chrome is easily removed by submersion in an electrocleaning tank and applying reverse current for a few minutes. The nickel can then be removed by immersing the parts in the nickel stripper.Hope this helps.

RFQ: I am in the process of restoring my Grandfather's 1908 Koken Barber Chair and am searching for a company to re-plate the metal parts with Nickel. Does anyone have a recommendation in the Philadelphia, PA area?

A. Hi Michael.The items in questions are almost surely steel or cast iron so they cannot be polished to high reflectivity. But there are plating shops, probably right in your area, which can nickel-chrome plate these items for you. Good luck.Regards,

RFQ: I like to restore a lot of things and I recently picked up a 1940s barber chair. This will be the first barber chair I have ever restored and being in college I am on a budget. How much would it cost to nickel plate an antique barber chair?

A. Hi Connor.It would depend mostly on how much prep work is required and how big an area must be plated, but probably a couple hundred to several hundred dollars, maybe even more. The cost of plating can be a shock, but restoration plating is time-consuming handwork, and platers don't survive who charge less for their time than a plumber or mechanic. Good luck.Regards,

Q. Hi,

Am restoring an early Theo. Koch chair. All of the original nickel plating is shot, and the estimates for replating are astronomical. Has anyone had acceptable results with any type of paint?

Q. Hello all:

I appreciate any help given....

I am having a problem with my chrome giving off a haze in the LCD areas.

It is a standard Hex bath with no additives

33 oz chromic acid

.33 sulfuric

Water

Fume blanket

Chrome plating is preceded by standard bright Watts Nickel.

I have tried varying the temp from 110 to 120 F, and get the same results. When I turn up the power to the point of making the haze disappear I start to get a slight burning on the edges. It does not matter the base metal as it happens with everything from steel to zinc die castings.

I have sent samples out of both the nickel and chrome and am awaiting analysis.

Thank you,

I finally got it all fixed. :)

My leveler was very low in one bath and gone in the other in my nickel. I has also learned that I should use a ratio of 5:1 brightener/leveler when making adds to the nickel bath. (I use a lot of auxiliary anodes for restoration work and it was killing my leveler)

I also needed more current in the chrome.

So ... all is well now.

Thanks!

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