Our "Star Trek" TOS {inspired} bridge chair...

lharles

lharles

Sr Member
Yet another in a growing line of props that we've assembled from stuff we gathered before the financial restructuring of our family corporation. :)

This is more of a tulip knockoff than a Burke 115, obviously. However, since it was pretty close & I had wanted to give one of these a try, I got this a while back.

Now, since I'm mostly working on things I already have parts for, (or which I can cobble together for REALLY cheap - such as the garment from "The Thing"), I'm putting some effort into this chair. :D

I had everything EXCEPT some paint to reasonably match the color of the bridge chairs, (I don't have the 'triangles' for the back of the chair, I'll have to construct them at some point). Leftovers from other projects: Extra black marine vinyl, scrap 1/8" plywood, & scrap foam - will be used to construct the seat/backrest next...

So, with some mineral spirits, sanding, self-etching primer, (SO glad I had some of the etching primer for the fiberglass lying about - couldn't have afforded MORE of that paint, it's spendy!), & patience...

I wound up with this/am at this point:
attachment.php



Pardon a couple of the attached images, specifically the first couple which have been Instagram'd. {Yeah, I torture my family/friends with this obsession via social media. :) }


...& Merry Christmas, if you celebrate the holiday! :) If not, Happy Tuesday! :D
 
PotionMistress said:
This is looking fantastic! I love those old modular chairs from the 60s. They used to be in every doctor and dentists office too!

Beautiful!
Click to expand...

Thanks! :)

I'm wondering if anyone might have a template or measurements for the backrest...?

If not, I'll just wing it from screencaps/old episode watching. :) {I know there's a Cloudster page out there relating to the backrest, but it's difficult to get a pattern for the fabric from that...}
 
Droidboy said:
If you figure out a pattern let me know. I have chairs that have been sitting around waiting to be converted too.
Click to expand...

Will do. :) I'm currently trying to come up with something on my own, since there doesn't seem to be any detail available &/or detail that anyone is willing to disclose. :D

If I wind up with something workable, I'll be sure to share it...
 
Here's the current state:

attachment.php


I've basically just got the triangles on the back to do now...

Not sure what I'm gonna' make em' out of yet & I need to get some better reference on the shape of em', but I'll be digging on that soon.

:)
 
Triangles for the back of the chair. :) Not a ton of reference material available out there for these. I did find rough dimensions of them, (5 3/4" x 3 1/2"), & some reasonably good reference pics, so I came up with these.

Made em' out of eva foam, poster board, label paper, mod podge, school glue using an X-acto blade, scissors, & soldering iron, (for the grooves/bevels).

I'd say they're roughly 80% accurate to the info I could find, (the other examples actually have a flat, roughly 1/8" inch perimeter around the triangle that I didn't put a ton of effort into.

Anyway, a pic, (not the best quality, but it's what I have available at the moment). :)

attachment.php


I'll take some pics when I get em' attached & then I'll be done.
 
Droidboy said:
Looking good!
Click to expand...

Droidboy, I haven't forgotten about a pattern for you. :) When I'm done I'm gonna' take measurements of the seat back I made, (I have a posterboard template I used for the innards as well as the front/back of the thing - basically 1 1/2" wider than the cardboard template is what I cut the fabric), & post that too - for you at least - since you asked. :D
 
Droidboy said:
Thanks man! I'm dying to bust out the new sewing machine.
Click to expand...

I did all the sewing by hand, (haven't done that since my time in the Navy), & then strengthened the stitching...with staples. :)

I'd post pics of the cardboard template but it wouldn't do much good without scale, I suspect - hence the delay.

...I'm excited to be done with it - which is pretty much how I feel by the time I'm almost finished building anything. :D
 
mtpalin said:
What color paint did you end up using? It looks like a nice match to the originals.
Click to expand...

It's actually a shaker can. I'll have to grab the can & get the exact details a bit later, (away from home at the moment), but I believe this is the brand/color:

"RustOleum.com" - Satin Aqua

I did comparisons of the color from the auction link earlier in the thread, with chairs from TOS...& wound up with the color I've got on the chair now. Even got the paint on sale. :D
 
It was satin aqua. Just checked. :)

Here's the pic of the finished product.

attachment.php


If I forget to come up with the pattern/template - send me a PM Droidboy & remind me, eh? :)
 
Here's the giant, marked up pic o' the template, (I edited out the background stuff & put the measurements on the pic - didn't catch the bottom corners but the 73 deg. angle represents where the 15" bottom meets the 12" angles - you can see a bit of my terrible handwriting on the template there).

{Thanks for the reminder, 'Droidboy'. :) }

{OOPS - fixed template - didn't have the right length on the top sides...}

attachment.php
 
Last edited:
This thread is more than 11 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.

Similar threads

Pauleysolo
Star Trek TOS -Atavachron Disc Reader- S3 "All our Yesterdays"
Replies
6
Views
530
Pauleysolo
Pauleysolo
Tripper
Star Trek TOS Fiberglass Midgrade Phaser Build
Replies
10
Views
1,141
WinstonWolf359
WinstonWolf359
AlexPrime
Looking for Star Trek: TOS Captain's Chair plans
Replies
2
Views
962
Aku
A
MARK M3
Transporter "TOS" Trek
Replies
6
Views
636
MARK M3
MARK M3
JonnyRingo1966
Star Trek TOS Pike/Cage Phaser
Replies
2
Views
965
JonnyRingo1966
JonnyRingo1966
Back
Top