Introduction
This guide will walk you through the steps for replacing the spring, bolt, and nut of the manual mechanism used for a vintage wooden office chair, also known as a "banker's chair." The chair is equipped with a manual single-spring reclining mechanism. Compressing the spring increases its resistance to tilting. Over time, the spring may lose its rigidity and eventually must be replaced. The chair's manual mechanism in this guide uses a single spring, but with some modifications, these instructions can also be applied to replace a double-spring mechanism.
Parts
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Slide the wheeled chair base off the post so that the spring assembly is readily accessible.
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Lay the chair forward on its face.
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Grip the wingnut (or old nut) with the vice grip locking pliers.
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Use the socket wrench to turn the bolt.
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Take hold of the wingnut with the vice-grip.
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Place the 3/4" socket wrench on the head of the bolt.
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Tighten both the bolt and the wingnut.
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Line up the groove of the post with the protrusion on the spring mount mechanism as shown in the photos.
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Insert the wheel base through the post.
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Place the chair upright.
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Sit in the chair and ensure it does not lean back too much with normal pressure. If it needs further adjustment lay the chair back over and repeat steps 11 and 12.
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If possible, obtain parts that match those removed. Inspect parts. Wear eye protection during re-assembly.
