Traveller Rear Seat Springs and Captives

[culp]

Hello! I'm just dismantling the rear seat on my 1970 Traveller. The insides were a bit of a mess partially due to a mouse having taken up residence in the back...I found it's mummified remains

The innards of the seat appear to be a custom mesh top spring unit.

PXL_20211109_181155726.jpg (2.65 MiB) Viewed 1579 times

The mesh top is rusty and disintegrating, and it looks like a replacement is not possible, so I'm thinking either replace the whole thing with something like chicken wire, or to try and weave the broken bits back together with wire .

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Also the machine screws (2ba I'm guessing) that hold the bolts, hinges and rear cross piece to the seat base were rusted solid and I had to drill the heads off the screws to get the parts off the seat back.

PXL_20211109_181135295.jpg (2.89 MiB) Viewed 1579 times

Does anyone know where I might find replacement captives for the seat back?

[taupe]

Drill the old 2ba screw out and retap... or drill larger and hammer/JBweld new 2ba nuts in... or fabricate your own plates...disc of steel ..drill 1/16.. punch through then tap and finally drill nail holes...I have done these in 304 stainless

Second hand seat frames with mesh and springs can be had quite cheaply with the wrong colour or damaged vinyl....

eg these in Kent

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144284011737 ... SwARlhJCM0

or free

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 3bef28a7b2

T

[Mark Wilson]

If you are anywhere near Leeds I"ve a 1970 one in porcelain green you can have for nowt. PM me if that's any use. (But please don't ask me to post it!)

[culp]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to work with what I've got for now on the "better the devil you know" principal. But thanks very much for the offer.

[geoberni]

I wouldn't use Chicken Wire as each join on that is twisted together and then dipped so no movement.
What you have there is free to move as it's sat on and will be much stronger steel than the thin wire used for Chicken Wire.

[taupe]

^Agree completely....

T

[kevin s]

The mesh is a way of mass producing the seats, most furniture with springs made by hand had them stitched together with twine then covered in hessian, horsehair (or modern equiv) and wadding I can't see any reason why you couldn't do the same on the minor seat.

[taupe]

I had a look at my stock and If you can get to Bucks I have a stripped down traveller rear seat spring set complete with a good knitted/woven mesh the same as yours without the rust! which you are welcome to...cant post it though...

Kevin mine had hemp string ties, for the hessian and then jute and horsehair packing then vinyl/leather on top of the hex knitted mesh. the OPs seat looks to have had the later kapok instead of jute...makes excellent bedding for mice etc......

T

[culp]

Thanks all for the help and advice. I've gone with a sort of darning technique with wire to try and hold the mesh together. Moving onto fittin the covers wish me luck!