HIGwithin the metal’s grain structure.
This limits movement and flex
for a stronger chair. ‘The best
way I can describe our heat-
treat process,’ Fisher says, ‘is to
imagine a stack of paper. When
you bend it, the sheets slide on
top of one another. As it goes
through the ageing process, it’s
like running big staples down
through that stack of paper so
they no longer slide freely on
top of one another.’
The details of Emeco’s
heat-treatment are proprietary,
but an initial 515°C salt bath (F)
takes the aluminium from zero-
temper to T4. The T-codes
designate different types of
thermal treatments used to
harden the aluminium. The
chair is cooled in a water bath
for 10 minutes, squared up to
eliminate wobble, and baked
overnight to take the aluminium
up to T6 – three times the
hardness of steel.
‘The next stop for the chair
is sanding and polishing via the
“Sand-O-Flex” process’ (G), says
Fisher. ‘The chair gets clamped
into a vice and a skilled worker
applies the final finish with
handheld brushing tools. It’s
a dirty job that takes hours
of work.’ Once it’s clean and
smooth, the final step for
each chair is anodising (H) –
dunking it in an acid bath
with an electric current – to
transform the outer aluminium
to a durable aluminium oxide
finish ‘next to the hardness of
a diamond,’ says Emeco.
‘After that, we box them up,’
says Fisher (I).
The chairs ship across the
world to high-end designers,
stadiums, schools, businesses,
restaurants, and anyone who
wants to have a piece that will
last forever in their homes.
‘Though originally made for
warships, the 1006 – and the
heart and soul that goes into
making it – will last a lifetime
no matter where in the world
it ends up,’ says Fisher. ‘You
not only get the chair, you get
a piece of the craftsperson.’