I’ve been using what’s now called a Multi balans chair since shortly after it came out in the 80s, during which time the plastic feet have worn flat:
![Balans chair foot - foot wear](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240517_183335517-balans-chair-foot-foot-wear.jpg?w=900)
By now, the wood bases ride on the floor, which is a Bad Thing I should have fixed long ago:
![Balans chair foot - wood wear](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240517_183646579-balans-chair-foot-wood-wear.jpg?w=900)
The newer Multi chairs have rolling endcaps, but AFAICT that’s not a retrofittable thing.
The feet have no obvious way to get them out, but after I saw how thin the plastic had become on one foot, some experimental carving solved the problem:
![Balans chair foot - OEM foot removal](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240517_183804786-balans-chair-foot-oem-foot-removal.jpg?w=900)
A large bolt threaded into the crude hole provided enough griptivity to yank the feet out:
![Balans chair foot - removed feet](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240517_184347521-balans-chair-foot-removed-feet.jpg?w=900)
With measurements in hand, I picked up a quartet of furniture leveling feet with M10 stems and tee nuts that exactly fit into the recesses:
![Balans chair foot - tee nut fit](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240522_150117210-balans-chair-foot-tee-nut-fit.jpg?w=900)
I generally buy from sellers who include measurements in their descriptions, although I no longer believe any unit-measurement prices. Most of the time the sizes come out close enough to reality for my simple needs.
The stems were, of course, too long, but that’s easy to fix:
![Balans chair foot - cutting stem](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240522_171331843-balans-chair-foot-cutting-stem.jpg?w=900)
The saw does yank the stem down at the last moment, but cutting slow & steady thins the steel and reduces the drama to manageable proportions. Fitting a scrap of wood exactly under the screw would be a much better technique; be it so moved.
With the chair set to the mid-angle position I normally use, the feet meet the floor almost perfectly:
![Balans chair foot - straight foot contact](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240522_172414139-balans-chair-foot-straight-foot-contact.jpg?w=900)
At the steepest angle, things get skewed:
![Balans chair foot - angled foot contact](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240522_172449895-balans-chair-foot-angled-foot-contact.jpg?w=900)
Applying my nearly perfect hindsight, I got a set of swiveling feet and found an appropriate scrap of wood:
![Balans chair foot - swivel foot cutting](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240529_182636854-balans-chair-foot-swivel-foot-cutting.jpg?w=900)
Zero drama!
Which looks exactly like it should with the chair at the steepest angle:
![Balans chair foot - swivel foot contact](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pxl_20240529_201555989-balans-chair-foot-swivel-foot-contact.jpg?w=900)
The chair now sports two pairs of feet:
- Straight feet on the rear
- Swivel feet on the front
Now, to see how they survive on a chair, rather than motionless furniture.
If you have any idea why the WordPress AI image generator would come up with this, let me know:
![Balans chair foot - WP AI image](https://softsolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/balans-chair-foot-wp-ai-image.jpg?w=900)
That’s not hallucination, it’s just plain irrelevant.
For the record, we also have a couple of equally ancient Variable balans chairs.