[DIY Recycling] The story of how I repaired my PC chair after it bit the dust
It's been a while since I've posted a long-form entry, but the truth is, at the end of last year, the PC chair I bought several years ago passed away🫠
The broken part was the armrest.
It was triggered by damage caused when I put my full weight on the chair.
Although this was something I had been doing as a matter of course until now, it's unclear whether it was just its time or if the high load caused by me being a bit chubby was the culprit. (Probably both are correct)
As you can see in the image, one of the armrests had actually been broken for about a year, and I had managed to keep using it by fixing the fractured part with a piece of lumber, but the other side ended up breaking too.
I considered repairing it with splints again, but it was obvious that it would just break again soon. The part I had splinted was also reaching its limit.
I thought it was finally impossible to fix, so I started looking for a new gaming chair.
But nothing felt quite right.
If it's cheap, it'll probably break again soon, and just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's durable. (Well, there's no doubt that more expensive ones tend to be sturdier, though)
On top of that, even a cheap one would cost over 5k and, in the first place, getting rid of the broken chair is a hassle.
I was thinking about various things and feeling like it was bad value for money when I suddenly had an idea.
Couldn't I reuse it if I fixed the backrest and the chair body together with a board?
So, I immediately went to the home center and bought a paulownia board.
I immediately measured the dimensions, marked the board, and cut it with a circular saw.
I also drilled holes to pass the screws through.
I used this processed board to connect the backrest and the seat.
Done.
I sat down on it right away.
But here, a problem arose.
When I put my weight on the backrest, it started making creaking noises and cracks began to form from the screw holes, and the board split after just a few uses.
It was a mistake to underestimate things and think a paulownia board would be enough.
I deeply regret not buying a pine board from the start instead of being stingy.
So, I bought a new pine board.
Just like last time, I marked the board, cut it with a circular saw, and drilled holes for the screws.
And finally, I fixed the cut armrests to the board.
Done.
This time, it doesn't budge even when I put my full weight on it. Pine boards are the best.
Sitting on it, the design ended up looking a bit like a wheelchair.
But maybe this look is cool in its own way.
PC... wheelchair... I'm a MegaTenist, so I feel like Stephen. (It rhymes, which is nice.)
I wonder if I can summon demons ⚡👿⚡ 🦾🤤 <YOD-HE-VAU-HE
...Anyway, putting that aside, it's comfortable to sit on, but the spots where I screwed in the armrests are a bit prickly.
I wanted to find some kind of cover and keep costs as low as possible, so I decided to look for promising items at a 100-yen shop.
And here is what I bought ↓
Lap blanket x 2.
A lap blanket turned into an armrest. The armrests are now fluffy and comfortable.Turn the Indian to the right.
The total cost incurred so far (paulownia board, pine board, lap blanket) is
about 3,500 yen in total.
I was able to recycle the chair for a price cheaper than buying a cheap new gaming chair. That's chair-iffic. The Palace of Surprise and Joy, Ureshi-Hote 🦾😉
I will continue to modify it further and write more articles, so stay tuned.
If you are reading this and your gaming chair breaks, please give it a try ✨