Restoring an Antique Barber Chair: The End is Near (I Hope)

Good afternoon, everyone. I'm posting additional information about this hobby project I've been dealing with for several months.

First, I'll insert the link to the original thread:

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/33068#newcomments

I'm starting a new thread for anyone who may not be aware of what has been happening. This chair is at least 75 to 100 years old. I believe it was manufactured in Germany, but I cannot guarantee this to 100% accuracy. It has been in my wife's family since the 1940's.

The seat (not the original, as it had been installed very crudely, as compared to the quality of the mechanism overall) had broken loose. As I repaired that, I noticed that there was a minor leak in the top of the hydraulic ram the seat was attached to. This ram was hollow, with a small piston and an internal, smaller diameter ram with seals installed. This internal ram was also hollow, attached to a bottom plate with a hollow capscrew. This plate also contained a bleed valve screwed into the plate.

It was eventually necessary to disassemble the mechanism twice to ensure proper repair. Both ends of the large exterior ram had machined internal annular grooves with lock ring grooves as well. The annular groove on the bottom of the ram was of a more generous radius, which allowed careful assembly of the piston and internal ram/plate assembly. After some final machining and cleanup, the thing has been reassembled and is currently under test to verify that it is not leaking, and not leaking down. It is such an interesting piece of engineering not often seen today. Just one example: it has an automatic bleed valve (all mechanical) that will not allow it to be overfilled with hydraulic fluid. It automatically bleeds itself to the proper level as the lift is activated.

After I'm satisfied that the mechanics are OK, I'm going to assemble the cosmetics and put it back in usage.

It is a wonderful piece of engineering and machining, and I wanted to share this pleasure with the CR4 community. I will post an update and other information as warranted.