Featured Toledo drafting chair, how to adjust the height?

This pair was at the thrift.

Stamped "Toledo Metal Furniture CO" in two places on plastic seats.

Clearly they have the option to be adjusted for height, etc. What am I doing wrong? See pics with text below. Could not get either chair to budge.












(Below) At first I was thinking you just sort of open it like you would if you were squeezing a a bicycle brake. Doesn't budge.



(Pic below ) Then I tried pulling the mechanism toward me. Nothing.



(Next two pics) There is a pin on the base. Do I need to do anything with this first?




Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

you might ask this guy apparently he is manufacturing a reproduction drafting stool that is based on a Toledo chair
http://shop.retro.net/?p=1308

 

There MUST be a youtube video(!?) (isn't there always?) but I don't know how to find one...

 

don't touch the pin.....
pulling the handle looks right....but maybe you need weight on the chair....or to yank it up....
it doesn't look like the center rod is spring loaded...

 

Nice chair pair!

 

May just be frozen from being in the same slot for many years. You could flip it upside down on a table with the backrest hanging off to the side and, if you've got a rubber mallet, give the lever a quick rap to jolt it free. Have a helper hold the base because it will shift when it comes loose. If you don't have a rubber mallet (or a dead-blow hammer), get something to cushion the metal and get out a traditional hammer or mini sledge.

That roll pin on the bottom should not come out [as Komo mentioned].

 

Nice drafting chairs!

 

BTW...Top notch photo's Lucille !!!

 

Youtube was the first thing I tried, before coming here. Could not find anything!

Will give that a try Sabre. (Probably tomorrow at this point.) Thanks!

 

a shot of WD-40 couldn't hurt either........

 

@Lucille.b There may be a bit of a recoil on the hammer since you're hitting a spring. So, please where gloves, use eye protection, and stand off to the side a little when you hit it. And good luck!

 

How about pulling the mechanism up to release it from its current position...
Patd

 

squeezing sounds right cos it is just a lock-in-place thingy, no? must be really stuck from being in that position for so long. good luck with the oil or WD40
btw nice chairs

 

We tried that. I was thinking we must be doing it wrong but now think it may just be stuck.

Yes, will be careful and aware that it may suddenly spring loose. Will take all those precautions. Also will have a 2nd person there.

WD40 not a bad idea either.

Will report back. Thanks.

 

Great chairs. Starting to wish I had one. What do they look like on the opposite side from where that handle is? Definitely must be meant to be squeezed upward, just as you have your hand in the one photo, but looks to me like when you do so the mechanism pulls something outward on the other side. That may be where it has become stuck & need a bit of knocking & oiling. On the upright, are those just indentations at each level where the seat can be positioned, or are they holes that go all the way through? Either way, they look deep, so may have to really get that handle to squeeze way up, not just part way. Probably meant to be adjustable by one person alone; agree with everyone else that for the first time, another pair of hands may be both necessary & prudent. Is the mechanism for changing the height of the back rest working OK? Looks much less complicated. And don't pull that pin!

 

just wondering if you have to turn the seat (eg 90 degrees as in "double lock") before pulling up or pushing down?

 

I've been trying to figure out why this part that looks like a frilly collar is needed. May have to do with something that way,

 

Interesting observation. It's difficult to say without having the chair sitting in front of me if there's another locking point.

It appears that the outer sleeve facilitates locking the height and the inner cylinder would facilitate swiveling of the seat. I could be wrong.

 

Wish I was here to report success, but...

Today, with chair upside down, excellent light, heated room, now noticing a glob of solder at one point on the frilly collar, 2nd chair, same thing.

DH said: "the chair appears to be a non-weld construction that leads me to conclude that the weld was an add on."

So these have been welded in a way that you cannot adjust the chairs. Maybe the mechanism was failing, who knows.

Well they were just $5, but a shame they don't adjust. Back still adjusts, but seat height is so important.

Hopefully someone can use them at a fixed height.