Louis XVI Armchair circa 1780
Supplied unfinished in kit form. Very easy to assemble the metal kit. 
May 2023 I am working on the mdf and card inserts for the upholstery. These should be available around mid to late May. If you do not require the inserts then please email me and I shall not postpone your order.  
 
I have shown in the images a picture of the original chair
 
Measurements are approximate:
Armchair
Height 9cm
Depth 5cm
Width 5cm
 
Upholstery
Supplied with each chair are mdf inserts which you can upholster.  Use a poplin or silk as they work well for upholstery. If you use a thicker fabric such as velvet then you will need to sand the sides of the mdf inserts to make them small to accomodate the extra fabric thickness. The MDF  pieces insert into the frame of the chair.  For the base, depending on whether the mdf is solid or frame like, try use embroidery canvas (possible 14 to 18 count) to represent webbing or similar.  Cover your insert in padding (foam is fine) being sure not to stick any of it to the sides of the insert. Cut out a suitably sized piece of fabric to go over the foam. Apply decorators glue by Deluxe to the edges of the mdf insert. Allow this is dry slightly (about 1 or 2 minutes) then lay the fabric central onto the foam pulling down the front and the back of the fabric and gluing to the insert. Do the same for the sides. Stretch the fabric until it is smooth and the corners are unpuckered...it takes a bit of skill and time to do this and you may need to revisit that pot of glue!
You can now cut away the excess fabric so the underside is clear of fabric or you can apply glue to the outer edges of the underside and fold the fabric under the insert then cut away. 
For the rear of the chair simply apply evenly a layer of glue to the back of the mdf, leave to dry for a minute then stick the fabric to the back cutting away the excess at the edges. You do not fold the fabric over the side. 
 
Piping
Depending on how handy you are with a pot of glue and fabric you may want to finish the edging of the chairs with a braid or piping cord. If you would like to make your own piping cord use a fine cord, cut a narrow strip of fabric about 1.5cm wide the bias (diagonally across the fabric). Apply glue to the edge (I like to use Decorators glue by Deluxe as it does not bleed into the fabric if left for a few minutes before working with it). Lay the cord  along the edge and carefully rollround the fabric. Once fully covered trim off the excess fabric. You will have a raw edge showing but glue this against the side of the chair so that it is not visible. 
 
NOTES
As with all my metal designs the pieces will require a little cleaning using a file and/or sandpaper. The metal is very soft so this is a simple and satifying part of the build process. 
I tend to use superglue (Hafixx being my favoured choice) with a super glue activator to speed things up. 
 
To paint the item I strongly recommend a metal primer. Spray primers are the easiest and just a light coat with give the paint something to 'key' with......then the choice is yours. I use all types of paints from acrylics to cellulose spray paints. All have their own merits and so I choose according to the finish I wish to create. 
After applying my coats of paint I will always add an aging layer of raw umber acrylic (water it down and then paint and wipe off to leave the dark paint in the recesses). Aging can be very rewarding and there are many options for this. One little recommendation is to use rotten stone/pumice stone powder to add what I like to describe as "dust" to the piece. It is a powder and will always be a powder unless mixed with a binder such as glue. The powder is a soft grey and if it is brished on then off it will leave a slight dusting in the recesses of the design. 
A final flourish of splatter (very subtle brown/grey applied with by splattering the paint from a bristled brush such as a toothbrush) adds a little more interest.