To give our chairs a brushed finish, we anodize them. Basically we put them through an electrolytic process. Which turns Aluminum to Aluminum oxide. Making it nearly as hard as diamonds. All very technical. But how does it feel? We like to think the brushed finish is a doing finish. A working chair. Utilitarian. Knock aboutable. You can feel the toughness. Industrial yet warm.

The process of making an Emeco chair requires at least 77 individual steps. No other company makes a chair like this today.

FORMING
Emeco starts with soft “0” temper aluminum to achieve smooth curves and fluid form. In its purest form, aluminum is very soft. Strength and elongation is tested and rated. Chemical composition may also be tested. Recyclable, Non-Flammable, Non-Toxic.

WELDING
The Emeco chair requires meters of weld, from the distinctive tapered legs through the custom molded seat to the iconic back. Emeco uses no hardware in creating this monolithic entity.

HEAT TREATING
A proprietary heat treatment begins with aluminum tensile strength at bendable 18,000 pounds per square inch (p.s.i.) and ends at ridged 45,000 pounds p.s.i. There are three steps to strengthen the chair: a 960 F degree salt bath takes the aluminum from 0 temper to T4, the chair is squared up to eradicate wobble, and then baked overnight in a special oven to take the aluminum from T4 to T6, or 3 times stronger than steel.

HAND FINISHING
Every inch of each chair is hand brushed in the direction of the aluminum grain. This procedure alone takes years to master and creates a warm, handcrafted finish. No other aluminum product is hand finished to the skill level of an Emeco chair.

ANODIZING
Through this electrolytic process, the surface of an aluminum chair transforms from aluminum to aluminum oxide – a super durable finish. Aluminum oxide is next to the hardness of a diamond. In fact, most sandpaper today is aluminum oxide.