l have a recliner chair but the cable is broke any ideas how to get it repaired and where and price

carolann.medland@btinternet.com, July 2007

It's my drinking chair...............help !!!!!

Muttley, March 2011

The answer in my case was a bike gear cable (Small round nipple at one end, the other end is unterminated). Run this from the recliner arm inside the chair, via the existing cable outer. The handle end required a barrel nipple. These can be bought as a screw down item - look for "solderless barrel nipple" - specialist bike repairers sell them.

HaggardPete, July 2010

A DIY repair to a manual reclining chair can be done cheaply

You need to carefully strip out the pull handle from the side of the chair (mine had two woodscrews holding it to the frame)

Remove the cable and sleeve from the handle, (mine was a black plastic tubular fitting that snap fitted into the handle) – don’t throw anything away

Turn the chair upside down and follow the cable to where it meets the metal frame – it will be linked to a lever arm (mine was via a dog-leg metal crimped fitting – which is where the wire snapped off)

This will leave you with the metal handle, the broken inner cable and the outer sleeve

You now need to visit your local bicycle spares shop and get a brake or gear change cable with the same sort of end as the handle end (mine has a cylindrical metal lug at right angles to the cable) – the other end does not really matter

You need to make the metal lug fit the hole in the handle – I did mine by filing the lug down and opening the handle hole a bit with a round file

The cable can be cut down to a usable length – use the original as a guide with a bit extra on the end

Feed the new inner cable down the sleeve (you need the original sleeve to keep the correct end fittings) and re-fit to the handle

Feed the cable through the arm of the chair and roughly locate it under the chair

Re-fix the handle to the arm of the chair

The bare end of the inner cable can now be connected to the activating arm of the chairs frame

I did mine by using a nut, bolt and slightly larger washer passing through the hole where the dog-leg cleat originally located

The washer is used to trap the wire and hold it tight against the metal arm wrapping the wire around the bolt in a U shape

You will need to tension the wire to make sure to chair still reclines (trial and error)

You will need to watch out for sharp edges and access is tight – my nut and bolt were about 9mm and I used a small ring spanner and socket to tighten it up (socket used on the arm side)

I oiled the inner cable first to keep it running smooth

The brake cable cost £1.04 from my local Wilkinsons store – I don’t know how long it will last, but it is worth a go!

Patrick Warner, May 2010

In so far as cables are concerned, in general, they are difficult to repair.

The first step is to test each line (wire), do a continuity test, this would involve a multimeter preferably with a buzzer on the diode function.

If the line is continous, then the buzzer would sound. You have to do this on all lines, you may have more than one line/wire broken and in several places, too. Even if the buzzer sounds the line may still be faulty, otherwise known as an intermitent fault.

The best approach is to conduct the manufacturer or retailer of the chair and ask for a replacement cable or email me direct at:
george@www.com

George, September 2007