What is a pad seat? Is it a board with padding or is it webbing with a cotton pad and burlap, then leather or fabric? Is Limberts different stlye than Stickley or did they all use the same style/type? Thanks!
I think they used a mix of styles depending on date and the specific piece, from what I've seen (and own). Pad seats in my mind would be one of two things. First, a stuffed cushion that sits on a bed of slats as part of the frame - this could be fully covered with the same material so it could be flipped or it might have a different material as a base piece so its not intended to be flipped. Second, a wooden frame with interwoven webbing stretched over the squarish opening in the middle with a padding fill and cover that wraps around and is tacked to the frame. I haven't seen a padded seat that uses a full board as a base (other than a foot stool if that counts), but that doesn't mean someone didn't do it. The deluxe version would be a padded spring cushion, which started around 1909 or so, based on copy-cat design from car seats.
SC, The Limbert rocker has webbing right now. Looks not original. Here is another chair of the same style (see pic of GS chair). I think it would go webbing, bulap, cotton batting, some type of covering over the batting then leather which wraps around the frame and is tacked under the frame. Can't find any descriptions or pics of these seats to see the construction. The limbert book says " Our pad seats are built upon the very best of flax webbing , which is properly stretched and tacked upon the frames so that our seats never sag." I guess that is the way to hang the webbing, then to finish with batting, burlap and cover with a good leather. Says to use old copper finish tacks for exposed areas. I will use my bestest judgement and try to make it look close to original. The finsih looks hot after I brown paste waxed it.
The same 'sandwich' would/should work for non-spring seats. I've also pulled apart seats that were nothing but straw padding, so thats another posssibility but I wouldn't recommend straw for restoration. Honestly, I would go with foam, or foam and cotton sandwich, over the webbing
Just did a quick search for horsehair to use as stuffing and is available but pricey. I have a friend with horse farm and will ask her if she has any or knows where to get it. Other than that, I think the burlap, jute web, cotton batting and either horse hair stuffing or foam will suffice and give me that padded seat. I found a dozen different leather suppliers and waiting for samples. Found some neat "pull up" leather which looks old with graining and coloration but really fits the time frame.
