we have a new toy!

[mdun]

I'm so excited...we had looked at a antique barber chair last week that was for sale on craigs list. It was so "bondage looking" we wanted it but the guy wanted too much money. The guy that was selling it just sent us an email saying we could have it for what we offered if still interested. Just talked to my husband (away on business this week) and he said yes.

Its supposed to be a 1932 chair and has lots of chrome and white and its original black leather on the seat and arrests. It still goes up and down but a bit slow and it reclines and has a headrest. Its perfect for a "torture chair" and can't wait to get it home and try it out. If I take our truck the man will load it for me so I'm going after supper.

My husband wants to restore it to perfect condition and put it in our living room as a side chair. The only thing missing is the very end of the handle used to jack it up and down. I'm not sure what it looked like but he said he can make something that will look the part.   

I want to figure out how we can add leather straps that we can take off when not being used for a play toy. Anyone got any ideas? We make most of our leather stuff already so just need to figure out how to make them come off and on.

[Bob NB]

Not sure if I can explain this right. But an old chair like that, it wouldn't be unreasonable for a few bolts to be protruding out underneath the arm rests on it. If your hubby can install them, then you just need some leather straps with several gromets all along their length. Slide the belt onto the bolt so the bolt is poking through the gromet at the end, then wrap the belt over top of the arm of the chair (so it is tight over your arm) and thread another gromet in the belt back over the bolt. Then just screw a nut tight onto the bolt and it should hold the leather belt in place nice and firm so it can't slip off. If that works for you, you can easily install bolts along other areas of the chair allowing belts to wrap around your legs or torso etc. Does that make sense to you? I may not have explained it right.

[mdun]

I understand exactly what you're saying and I think it should work. This chair is so cool I can hardly wait to get "strapped into" it. Imagine the possibilities of being able to be raised up, down, reclined and spun around at will. My husband is great at building anything and I can see some sort of spreader bar that can be hooked onto the foot rest so my ankles can be buckled in with my feet spread wide.

The best part is we can have this as a standard piece of furniture and friends will have no idea I get strapped in it once they leave. I think this chair will work well for long sessions. Can't see any reason I couldn't spend the night locked in it.

I just hope something doesn't change by the time I get there to pick it up. He said be there at 7 and I will be there. He was asking 700 dollars for the chair and we offered only 225. No one else went and looked at it and he's moving so has to sell. Fingers and toes crossed all day someone else doesn't come and offer more.    

[Franzia]

By looping various length straps around the chair and yourself you may not have to alter it at all.   But if it does turn out that the straps need to be fixed in place then Bob's idea of utilizing bolts already there sounds like the best way to go.   If the bolts are in the right places... if not I would hesitate on "kinking" the chair out too much~ folks may wonder why your side chair has all those curious bolts, loops and rings!

Franzia2011-06-15 11:01:38

[Master Lee62]

Instead of protruding bolts on the underside of things, if the metal is solid, how about drilling and tapping threaded holes? Wing-head screws could be inserted through the grommets as above and threaded into the holes, producing the same effect, but with nothing left sticking out when the chair is in "vanilla mode."  Either way, it sounds like a very fun project with a ton of potential.  Good luck and have a great time with it!

[mdun]

I just spoke to my husband and he suggested till we get it modified we can use just that packing wrap stuff (we use that as the first layer when I'm mummified) and then add duct tape over top.

He's home late Thursday and off on Friday so I hope we're testing it out Friday night.
I'm left a message with the seller to see if he could meet me at his place at noon hour so I can make sure I get it. Can't wait till after supper cause worried someone else will want it. Its really heavy so not sure how we'll load it. I'm small so probably not much help.   

Has anyone ever used anything like this? Its almost identical to a fantasy I've had for years. When I saw it on craigs list I knew I had to have it.   

[mdun]

Yea...its here! Guy met me at noon hour with one of his coworkers and they loaded it up. Only issue is the helper was about 300lbs and stomped right on my flip-floped foot OUCH!

But the pain was worth it...it looks so wicked. Just backed the truck in the garage cause way too heavy for my little arms to do anything with.

So I was thinking on the way home maybe we should make this a reason to build a dungeon room? We've talked about it before but never started. Our house has what I think was supposed to be a nursery room off the master walk-in closet. We use it as an office right now but no windows so a bit uninviting for that. It doesn't have a door but we discussed putting one in. My husband said he could sound proof it and put in a solid outside door with weather stripping so its dead quiet. Put plywood on the walls and paint it all black inside.   Said he could even make it hidden behind some shelving so in theory no one could find me (just a feature for head games which is big with me)   

Does anyone have a room in their house just for play time? Does it sound like a good idea      

[Shmarmy]

[quote="mdun"] Does anyone have a room in their house just for play time? Does it sound like a good idea      [/quote]   Indeed I do  I'm lucky enough to be able to afford such luxuries, so underneath our house we had built a fully functioning dungeon; equipped with more or less anything you can think of  But yes, your plan does sound like a good idea. A hidden bondage room is somewhat of a naughty secret... don't you think!!

[mdun]

Well we don't have a lot of money but my husband is a welder so can build just about anything himself. I think we'd start off pretty slow and just sort of have the room "evolve" into a play room. I like the idea of it being connected to our bedroom because its very private if we have company over. The hidden door (behind a shelf) would be handy because if anyone asks for a house tour we wouldn't have to explain the locked door off the bedroom closet. The way our house is, a person probably wouldn't know there was a room back there. The room isn't that big. Maybe about 8 X 12...maybe a bit bigger but not much. It would be interesting to be bound up and locked in a hidden sound proof room though. I bet you have lots of fun in that room of yours.

[mdun]

Update.   I spent themorning cleaning and scrubbing the barber chair.  Originally we thought we would restore andput in our living room as a day-time conversation piece and night time play toy.  I had the idea later to turn our office roominto a dedicated play room.   Last night we figured if we just cleaned it upand used as is, we could allocate the money needed to restore for modifying theroom.  So that's going to be theplan.  We managed to shift things in thatroom and it's in there now.  Not surewhen we'll actually get at the room but this evening I'm headed for thechair!     We're going to use shipping wrap and gorillatape and I'm pretty sure that should hold me nice and tight.    

[boundforviews]

Would love to see some pics...especially with you in it.

[mdun]

Have a picture of the chair from when we first looked at it but just a phone picture so not the best.  Hope I get it uploaded ok.  As you can see, it was pretty dirty and could use some refurbishment but it cleaned up not bad.  It all works...goes up and down and tilts and spins around easy. As for a picture of me in it...well I think we'll stay private for now  But don't you just love the looks of this thing.  I love it.  

[Shmarmy]

Loving the chair!I'd seriously recommend turning that little room into a secret dungeon... it would be so worth it!!

[mdun]

Its wonderful isn't it! In a little over an hour I'm trying it out. Just about to go have a nice soak in the tub then strap in and enjoy the ride. Hub made up a spreader bar that will clamp to the foot rest. My leather ankle shackles will hook to ut with a couple of padlocks. Better go...duty calls.

[boundforviews]

Sounds like a lot of fun. Let us know how your evening turns out.

[Franzia]

Yes.. that chair has possibilities ... and as for your dungeon's decor or ambience~ that wooden cabinet behind it wouldn't be out of place in an old time doctor's office!   

[mdun]

Well, the chair worked out as good as I anticipated! So well I think I'm going. To need a little nap by afternoon.

The guy we bought it from had all sorts of cool stuff but only willing to sell the chair. But I'm so happy to own this thing and know we'll have it for ever and for sure its going to get used a lot.    

[loraineveritas]

That is a wonderful toy!!

[celandina]

[quote="mdun"]........The only thing missing is the very end of the handle used to jack it up and down. I'm not sure what it looked like but he said he can make something that will look the part.    
[/quote]  Here is the picture of a handle from 1930's barber chair  

[Oblio]

Looks like one of the later Emil J. Paidar chairs.   If so there are pictures on the net of the orig handle.