Modern industry and technical capabilities have made it possible to offer consumers chrome-plated interior decoration items. In this article we will discuss chrome pipes, which can often be seen today as an element in the manufacture of furniture, since many clients of furniture salons are rightly concerned about the quality and durability of the products they purchase.
The neutral color of the coating, as well as its certain “festiveness,” make it possible to perfectly fit furniture with it into almost any interior. At the same time, spraying provides protection from external influences.
In the photo - a chrome pipe in kitchen design
Purpose
Chrome-plated pipes are one of the types of furniture fittings, which are most often used in the production of kitchen sets, products for retail spaces, and exhibition models. Components are offered in elements with a length of 0.6-3 m, their diameter can be 10, 16, 25, 32 or 50 mm. Products with a cross section of less than 10 mm can be used for decoration. If you plan to make furniture only from pipes, then choose plastic models with a nickel-plated surface.
Structural elements can be used in the production of support legs for tables and display cases, and storage systems. Hangers for cabinets or free-standing floor models are mounted from pipes.
Products are classified according to several criteria:
- According to the cross-sectional shape they are divided into: square, round, oval, polygonal;
- According to the type of walls, products are divided into thin-walled and thick-walled;
- the surface texture can be matte, shiny, tinted;
- According to the shape of the product, they are distinguished: linear, curved at an angle of 135° or 90°, S-shaped products.
Square
Round
Oval
Depending on the intended use, choose a specific type of material:
- for furniture production, a chrome rod with a cross section of 25 mm, round or oval, is suitable;
- in exhibition and trade systems, joker furniture pipes with a cross section of 25 mm are used;
- For kitchen units, roof rails with a cross section of 26 mm are suitable;
- the supports are mounted from bar pipes with a cross-section of 50 mm.
Special profile pipes with a square or rectangular cross-section can be used as structural elements or as metal beams. The most commonly used profiles are with parameters 50x50, 40x80, 40x100 mm; it is convenient to use such pipes on flat surfaces.
When designing furniture made from pipes, it is important to correctly calculate the load, especially at the junction points of the elements. Be sure to complete the drawing. For frames, you should choose products with a diameter of at least 50 mm; they are characterized by maximum strength and can withstand weight up to 60 kg. However, with constant exposure to heavy loads, pipe deflection occurs. Chrome plated elements with a diameter of 25 mm or less can be used as jumpers. For fixation, connectors, bows, and locking systems are used.
How the idea was born
Modern man, due to his development in modern society, has a unique concept of beauty. He is not able to perceive objects consisting of bent chrome pipes as part of the interior. Meanwhile, just under a century ago, the use of such details made a splash in furniture design.
Beginning of the twentieth century.
At the same time, in several European countries, outstanding “furniture couturiers” of that time were working on the issue of using pipes in furniture:
- Mart Stam (Holland);
- Marcel Breuer (Hungary);
- Miswan der Rohe (Germany).
The French designer Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray, an architect from Ireland, contributed to this direction. The shapes of bent pipes inspired avant-garde artists of those times to create original and comfortable furniture.
And about ten years later, new trends entered the furniture industry. This gave impetus to the development of technologies, ideas, and innovative solutions.
Cantilever chair
The first “experimental subjects” (these were chairs) were sculpted from water and gas pipes. Experiments led to the appearance of a masterpiece of tubular furniture art - the Cantilever chair. Its peculiarity was that it had no legs, since the frame was a closed curved pipe. Later other modifications appeared.
German craftsmen suggested using oval pipes. They calculated all the mechanical characteristics of the material and used it in production.
Modern design and low price of products have become the reason for the widespread use of chrome-plated tubes as decoration elements. All kinds of furniture fittings, chairs for bar counters, structures designed to support tabletops and many other elements of modern furniture are the result of the use of chrome tubes.
Advantages and disadvantages
Structural elements are used in the manufacture of various pieces of furniture. Plastic or metal pipes can be used in production. The main advantages of the materials are:
- unusual appearance, such pieces of furniture fit harmoniously into the techno, minimalism, hi-tech interior. Examples can be seen in the photo;
- a wide selection of furniture that can be made from this material: shelves, chairs, tables, shelving systems. When using elements of plumbing systems of large diameters and high strength, it will be possible to produce larger furniture, for example, a bed frame;
- materials are affordable, products are inexpensive;
- pipes have high strength with low weight. When using them as connecting elements, it is possible to obtain an individual style of finished products;
- Products made from polyvinyl chloride are safe for health and can be used for children's furniture and barriers. Low children's chairs are assembled from fragments of pipes according to the principle of a designer;
- The advantage of pipe products is the ability to operate the finished product without reliable fixation. This makes it easy to transport or move disassembled furniture;
- resistance to negative operating conditions: changes in humidity and temperature;
- aesthetic appearance of materials and products made from them;
- if it is necessary to obtain a color of the finished product that is in harmony with the rest of the interior, the pipes are painted with the desired shade;
- furniture pipe has a long service life;
- Possibility of installation with different connecting sleeves, wedge-type and screw-type cuffs. In some cases, welding is used.
Thick-walled pipes produce reliable and durable furnishings, while thin-walled products with low weight allow many of the author's ideas to be realized.
The main disadvantages include:
- a small range of furnishings that can be made from these materials;
- Even taking into account the high strength of the chrome coating, working with pipes requires slowness and accuracy. If it is necessary to bend the element, it is not preheated over an open fire.
When making interior items for baths and saunas from water pipes, you should give preference to products made from polypropylene. Polyvinyl chloride has low resistance to high temperatures.
Pipe bender for furniture frames made of profile pipes
Pipe benders for the manufacture of furniture frames from square and rectangular pipes must be mandrel and have at least 2 coordinates, i.e. they must be able to control the bending angle and extend the pipe to the starting point of the next bend. This is necessary to obtain absolutely identical parts in overall dimensions, otherwise no final product will be produced in furniture production.
When bending square, rectangular, oval and flat-oval pipes, the dimensions of which fit into a circle with a diameter of 30 mm, the 2-axis manual pipe bender CM-30/2 PARTNER and the semi-automatic pipe bender CE-30/2 PARTNER, which provide good bending quality, have proven themselves well. , high productivity and almost absolute repeatability of manufactured parts.
Manufacturing materials
Furniture thin-walled cold-rolled pipes are made from steel grades 08, 1sp/ps, 2sp/ps, 08Yu. In the production of stainless steel products, materials of the AISI 304, 08Х12Н10, 12Х18Н10Т grades are used. Stainless steel models have a longer service life, but are more expensive.
Elements produced by the cold-rolled method are of high quality. Without additional processing, products can be painted with powders, galvanized, or galvanized. The most popular chrome plated products are characterized by maximum resistance to corrosion. This coating can be applied to pipes made of plastic, metal, and non-metallic compounds. When creating furniture structures, chromium is applied to a copper or nickel substrate.
Chrome plating is performed in one of three ways:
- diffuse involves saturating the surface of the element with chromium. The process is carried out in special installations in industrial production;
- chemical occurs by restoring the chrome layer from a saline solution;
- electrolytic occurs when cells are immersed in an electrolytic bath. Suitable for chrome plating even at home.
The electrolytic method allows the production of surfaces with different textures. Milky chrome is produced at a temperature of 60-80˚C; it bends easily without deforming the coating. Chrome plating with shine is obtained at a temperature of 45-60˚C. The appearance of the products is as attractive as possible, the wear resistance of the coating is good. Hard chrome plating is characterized by a large thickness of the chromium layer and increased strength. Chrome-plated furniture pipe with a hard coating is rarely used, since the products are heavy.
Modern pipes made of polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride are not inferior to metal ones in functionality. The products are easy to install and dismantle. Furniture made from polypropylene pipes has a long service life and is not afraid of high humidity. You can use such furnishings even outdoors.
Products made from polyvinyl chloride are more often used for arranging sewer systems than in the production of furniture. They are low cost, but cannot withstand overheating. Unlike PVC, structures made from pp pipes can be heated up to 60 degrees, and reinforced ones even higher.
Polypropylene
Steel
Chrome plated
Terms of use
When working with thin-walled chrome elements, the following tools are required:
- blowtorch;
- hacksaw for metal;
- vice;
- drill.
Preheating of chrome elements is carried out with a blowtorch. The temperature is increased gradually. Large pipes are cut into pieces of a given size using a hacksaw with fine teeth. It is not recommended to use a grinder to cut a pipe element; the metal surface will heat up and become slightly deformed. It is possible to smooth out burrs with fine-grained sandpaper.
The vice is wrapped in soft textiles or felt. They give the product the required shape. The structure is fastened with a drill, drilling is performed at low speeds. For chrome-plated pipes, choose fittings with a similar coating.
Creating interior items from plastic elements is faster and easier than from metal ones. The process begins with drawing up a sketch and installation diagram. Next, prepare the necessary elements of the specified parameters using pipe cutters or special scissors. Fixation and assembly is carried out using fittings, a special soldering iron and adhesive composition.
For structures that are not designed for heavy loads, choose inexpensive material made of polyvinyl chloride. Propylene pipes will allow you to produce a product of high strength. It is also possible to combine materials, then the frame is made of polypropylene, and sections of PVC are used to finish areas with low load.
The assembly of such furniture begins with the simplest models: chairs, tables, stands, shelves. Once the basic skills are mastered, complex designs can be created. Furnishings made from furniture pipes add a special flavor to the interior. They are durable, light weight and low cost.
