UPDATE (new pics): Broken bolster needs repair. Which wood?

[pbolden]

Hello everyone,

I hit a hard wake, slammed down on the bolster and broke it in the middle. It feels like there is a metal bar that runs the length and I either broke or bent it. The bolster is held on by 4 bolts (2 on each side). The problem is that I can loosen the bolts but they wont come out nor can I re-tighten them so now the bolster is loose as well. How do I get this off?

Secondly, I was thinking of taking the bolster to a furniture repair shop to see if they can repair it as I haven't had much luck finding a replacement. Any help or suggestions on repairing or finding a replacement bolster would be greatly appreciated.

Below are 2 pics showing the bolts and the bent/broken bolster.

Thanks,
Paul Bolden

Click to enlarge


Click to enlarge

 

[pbolden]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

I forgot to mention that now that I've loosened the bolts to the bolster they won't re-tighten.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

You probably have T nuts on the backside that are moving with the screws ..

You might have to use a prybar or two ( tape them up so you dont damage the gel ) and put pressure on the bolts so the T nuts grab again.

YD.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

I'd agree with YD on that assessment...T-nuts are great until the wood ages or begins to rot some and the break loose when removing the bolt...steady pressure to keep them locked in the wood may free them up, if not I have had occasion to grind the head of the bolt off and remove the T-nut from back side when I pulled it apart for repair

 

[pbolden]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Thanks a million for the tips guys.

Paul Bolden

 

[pbolden]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Update with new pics:

You guys were right about the T-nuts and rotten wood. The t-nuts weren't stainless and as a result were rust welded to the bolt and impossible to remove so I had to shear the bolt heads off. You can see the damage to the wood below.

I contacted Hurricane and they're not interested in selling me a bolster without selling me a new chair. I contacted the chair's manufacturer directly and they won't sell parts to consumers...GEEZ! I guess I need to find a furniture repair place to fix this.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Paul Bolden

Click pic to enlarge.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Take the old one apart measure the old wood and reconstruct..and send it off to a upholstery shop..maybe 100 for recover

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Thats a pretty simple piece to do yourself if you have a sewing machine, 1 Yard of vinyl $15 (they don't normally sell half yards) and you would have 2 chances to get it right, a spool of thread and a pack of needles $15, 2 hours of your time. Remove the bolster vinyl and cut a new board , being sire to place stainless steel T-nuts in the correct place, as he said, then take the vinyl and carefully cut it at the stitch. Mark out the pieces on a new piece of vinyl adding 1/2" of seam allowance (since your cutting at the stitch this added to what you traced) stitch it together on the inside 1/2" from the edge, then fold your seam allowance the direction of your reinforced seam and run a stitch 1/8 to 1/4" away from the stitch line on the top side of the vinyl, this will sew the top to the seam allowance creating a reinforced, or semi-flat felled seam. pull the cover over the bolster and staple away. You could do this for around 40 bucks, a Shop will likely charge more like 120-150 depending on their hourly rates

 

[pbolden]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

I'm going forward in rebuilding the bolster myself. It only has two boards to be replaced. I am also going to reinforce the boards with metal and document the process with photos. Anyone have a suggestion as to the type of wood I should use?

Thanks,
Paul Bolden

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Kiln Dried PT is good, or you can use any standard outdoor ply and coat it with epoxy resin, or poly resin and CSM. Epoxy or fiberglass is better because even treated wood rots over time. I don't think metal would make much difference, the size you would use to keep it light and still be thin enough not to interfere with the workings of the bolster would probably bend as easy as a good ply would be to break...it looked like the 2 pieces of wood formed an L, just me sure to use the proper jointing to get a good strength from it. If you don't have access to a rabbeting tool, you could probably swing by any cabinet shop and have it jointed fairly cheaply. I do not get on the forum as much as I used to, working too much now, but I will try and keep up with that progress and help if I can!

 

[pbolden]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Thanks JDA1975, Yacht Dr. and Tail_Gunner for the great advice!!!

Regards,
Paul Bolden

 

[mrdjflores]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

i have some pictures and videos on my "how to" thread about sewing seats...even though i using piping and welting, it also has some diagrams of the other types of seams.
it may show you enough info to get you going

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

This is some good stuff..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBLzLdivsd0&feature=channel&list=UL
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=379388&highlight=boat+seats
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=524995&highlight=upholstery
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=536567&highlight=upholstery

 

[pbolden]

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Re: Broken bolster. How do I remove and repair/replace it. (Spectacular pics includ

Thanks mrdjflores and Woodonglass for the links. I have completed the bolster rebuild and then took it to and auto and marine upholsterer because I wanted the vinyl done correctly. The total cost of this project was about $125 . I'll post picks in a couple days.

Thanks everyone,
Paul Bolden