20240719 The Detolf Shelf

One and a half hours

One and a half hours. That's how long it took to assemble the first Detolf Shelf we bought sometime in 2011 or before.

90 Minutes

One and a half hours.

The shelves were laid on the floor on my Father's working room for more than a decade and we literally stepped on them everytime we need to walk into that room.

The Special shelves

I never did appreciate these shelves until I realised a lot of people used them to display their props and stuff. And it was a best selling item in any Ikea store at that time. All of a sudden, it was the most sought after display accessory, especially if you have a lot of props.

The Special Feature

Looking at the shelf, it is unique because all the four sides are glass and despite the pair of metal support frames, there is a lot of space. It even has a pre-drilled hole at the top for when you need some lighting. What's more, you can build the shelf to have the glass door open on either side. Still, there is a special feature which I am aware of. Or rather, worried about.

They shatter.

Yep. The glass breaks for some unknown reason or when you even looked at it. In some Forums, many discussed about the temperature changes in the room which might be the cause, or even, some scratch or micro fractures. But having read the instruction manual, I just hope that the cause could be from too much tightening the four bolts at the base or top.

In theory, the design uses the concept of having a pair of metal frames as the main support with the three tempered glass as reinforcement. So, to ensure the glass are not stressed, the four bolts at the top must not be too tight. During assembly, the two side glass are actually bowing out in the middle. I have loosened them a little and hope the whole assembly does not sway from side to side. And with the two plastic strips to hole the three tempered glass together, I hope it would be OK.

By the time we've assembled the first shelf, fatigue had set in. The neurotic guy in me was already starting to think about how to protect the display should the shelf shatters...

And, we could not locate all 12 of part #102433, which is used to support the glass selves inside. So, I have to look for an alternative solution since the Detolf was bought so long ago and it has been discontinued in January 2024. Having seen that they looked like on the Internet, I suppose I can get a correct-sized silicon hose and cut them to the correct length.