1st Class Deck Chair Restoration and "Templatation"

     What is generally known as the 1st Class Deck Chair is a chair style that has been on the decks of cruise ships from the days of yore. These being vessels such as the Titanic and Normandie; or, in this case, the S.S. New Amsterdam.

 
   There are many types and styles of these chairs; most having the same badging as this one, "1st Class" on the head and "S. S. New Amsterdam" at the foot. Pictured in this post are two such chairs that I restored for a customer. If you click on any picture you can zoom in for the detail.....


    An added bonus was that while the chair was in pieces I made a template of each and every piece so that the chair could be reproduced for future clients.

More pictures and details after the jump:

  The one distinguishing feature that generally is not copied over from the originals is the teak wood and the curves of the legs, arm rests, and slats.

Notice the curves on each of the legs

   In authentic deck chairs and copies, besides the identifying curves, there are also thick bronze castings and fastenings that resist the corrosion inducing sea air.


   All this ensures a long lasting comfortable chair that will ease any passage for a first class ticket holder.

  And finally in consideration of life on a boat where space is almost always at a premium the chairs are designed to all fold quite flat for storage, as seen here on the doomed Titanic, so sad.....

Anyway, Enjoy!