Powder Coating Door Handles by Martin Pierce

In an earlier post I discussed the use of pigmented hot patinas that we use to add realism to some of our animal themed door handles and in particular how we use a pea green pigment to create the vivid green of our Anole lizard handle. Hot patinas however, over time, will change with exposure to the elements and to ultra violet and while to many the aging of the patina adds beauty, for commercial settings a more durable longer lasting color is preferred.

Typically, for hospitality projects, our Ergo and Morphic styles are specified as we cast both in durable corrosion resistant stainless steel a medium well suited to heavily trafficked areas.

Many brands have their own distinctive color and we are now working to find ways of incorporating brand colors into our steel handle designs. We recently worked with Mike Hong to add a particular shade of blue to a custom scroll ended handle for a resort in the Bahamas. To create a finish that was durable we turned to a local powder coating company, Primo Powder Coating and developed a custom blue powder that was a match for the brands “Toronto” blue color. The specific shade of blue was created by comparing the clients color chip with a data base of available blues, finding a base match and then adding and subtracting pigmented powders to create a match both as to color and lustre.

The powder was then heat infused with the steel surface and essentially baked to create a strong bond and one that will last for many years. While the process may sound simple it takes considerable skill to apply the powder strategically to create a two tone effect.

Currently we are experimenting with color to add shading to our Ergo entry door grips. The Ergo style was designed to be two tone and we achieve this look by highly polishing some of the surface facets but leaving other areas brushed. As with powder coating, the skill lies in masking these 2 contrasting areas. We are looking at suitable colors that will be applied to the brushed surfaces and will be keeping you posted on our progress.

Choosing The Right Door Lock For An Entry Door

When it comes to ordering door hardware the fun part is choosing the right style of door handle to suit both your budget and taste. There are many sites that offer a full range of door handles as well as my own site where we offer a very extensive range of custom door handles.

The less enviable task though is deciding what type of locking mechanisms to choose. In a previous piece I discussed the choices for interior passageway and privacy doors so here I will be focusing on entry doors.

Increasingly smart homes are being designed to be electronically opened by remote digital devices. However, even with the onset of digital technology the homeowner will still be deciding whether to use a mortise lock or tubular deadbolt which will still function when the power dies.

Mortise Lock: Is typically a larger lock that sits inside a pocket that is cut into the door. The lock has a metal case and part of this locks superior security comes from the very heft and size of the metal box that contains the lock mechanism.  The lock boxes made by Accurate Lock are extremely sturdy and they are made with ports one for the door lever’s spindle, the other for the cylinder lock and one for the turn piece.  The lever or knob port is the “hole” through which the spindle of the door lever or knob passes and which will have a door lever or knob, one at each end. By depressing the lever or turning the knob, the latch or tongue of the lock will be “thrown” thus holding the door shut. The door can be locked by using a key inside a cylinder which when turned will throw the bolt. If you are on the inside of the door and want to lock the door you can do so either by using a key if you have ordered a double cylinder or by using a turn piece to throw the bolt.

Tubular deadbolt with keyed cylinder – we have already written about tubular latches but when used in conjunction with a cylinder, a key is used to turn the tumbler or cylinder which throws the deadbolt. As mentioned above it is possible to have a double cylinder which would allow you to lock your door from either the outside or inside but this type of cylinder can be a fire hazard when needing to rapidly escape unless you have a key always available. If you have a propensity to loosing keys I would not recommend this option and would suggest a turn piece rather than key be used to throw and release the deadbolt.

Some of the factors to consider when choosing an entry lock:

Location and level of security needed - this is clearly a personal decision with some homeowners feeling more comfortable with keyed mortise locks on all entry doors with others feeling comfortable with tubular deadbolts on less visible doors such as the patio doors.

Local condominium and co-op by-laws – may require a particular type of mortise or tubular latch that meets egress requirements set by local fire and building departments.

Cost and ease of installation-  even if you consider yourself a handy person I do not recommend that you try and install a mortise lock as you need the right tools to cut a fairly large 6” x 3” x 1”pocket for the mortise. So not only will this type of lock cost a lot more you will definitely need to have it professionally installed unless you are ordering a new door in which case the door manufacturer may offer this as an option.

Door Handing and Why It Is Important

When we started designing and making custom door handles the challenge came not from creating original and artistic door hardware but from understanding the mechanics that make door handles work and from understanding terms of art that are commonly used within the hardware industry but which at first glance are mystifying.

In this article I hope to provide a clear understanding of the term Door Handing. The term reminds me of my early introduction to English grammar where  everything makes sense once you know the rules but where the rules at the outset appear cryptic and confusing. 

                                        

                                           RIGHT HANDED DOOR – HINGES ON RIGHT WITH LIZARD ENTRY SET

Door handing describes the way a door opens and therefore impacts the way you order your locks and latches, terms which were discussed in my last post.

A door can be either a left handed or right handed and  this has nothing to do with your being left or right handed but has everything to do with the location of the door hinges. So here are some simple rules:

1. Always look at the door from the outside whether that is the outside of the front door or the outside of a bedroom, bathroom, closet or other door
2.  Which side of the door are the hinges on? If, from the outside, the hinges are on the left of the door then the door is a left handed and if they are on the right, then the door is right handed.

What happens when you have a pair of doors or double doors?

Start by determining which door is the operative door or door that is using a latch and the one you will be opening. The operative door will determine the handing of both doors, so if viewed from the outside the door that opens has its hinges on the right  then it will be an operative right hand door and the other door will be a left handed door.

                            REVERSE BEVEL OR STEP ONE WHEN DANCING THE WALTZ – LIZARD COLLECTION

We move now from English grammar to ballroom dancing as the next aspect of door handing is the question of whether the door swings inward or  outward. Again we judge this from the outside of the door. The norm or standard is a door that swings inward, if it does you do not need to describe it as such as it will be assumed to swing inwards. However, if the door pulls open toward you, or swings outward then it is described as a "reverse bevel"' the reference to bevel is a description of latch tongue. To etch this idea on my brain I always think of dancing the waltz which for the female begins with her stepping back with her right foot and dragging her partner, or in this analogy, the door with her.

Door Handles - How To Chose The Right Type Of Lock

Choosing the right door lock for your door and one that will work with your door handle trim can be a daunting task even for the seasoned design professional. It doesn’t help that within the door hardware industry many terms like lock, latch, and deadbolt are used interchangeably and often without a complete prefix to identify their use. So I have tried here in what will be the first in a series of posts, to provide definitions for commonly used terms.

 

Willow Door Knob

Latch – this term is so generic it is of little help unless it is described more fully. So consider what you are using the latch for, is it going to simply hold the door in place when it meets the door jamb, is it in other words just a humble devise that closes the door?  While this is a latch it will often be referred to as tubular latch. A tubular latch is most commonly used for interior doors that you do not need or want to lock, they work either with a door knob or a door lever and the act of turning or depressing the handle releases or extends the latch  “ tongue” into the door “strike”.

Strike - This is the metal plate that covers the cut out area in your door jamb that the tongue of the latch fits inside thereby keeping the door closed. When you push down on the door lever the tongue is retracted from the strike and the door opens.

Latch bolt/deadbolt –here the latch is doing more than simply closing the door, with this latch we can “throw” the  bolt part of the latch so that it keeps the door fixed in the jamb, so the door is now locked. The bolt will be thrown by a turn piece. This is a commonly used for bathrooms or powder rooms that you lock from one side. However, if you do decide to go this route you should make sure that you have a release hole and release key so that you can open the door from the outside in the event of an emergency. The “key” here refers to a simple key essentially a narrow shaft of metal that is inserted into the deadbolt through the hole on the outside of the bathroom door.

Passageway versus Privacy latches - These are commonly used terms with names that define their use. A passageway latch is simply a non-locking latch as described above. The privacy latch also called a privacy tubular latch is the same latch but a small pin can be pushed through the latch to keep the tongue of the latch fixed in the jamb, now the door is locked. The same pin can be used to release the latch, allowing the door to open. Most privacy latches are designed so that the pin that locks the door can be released by the turning the knob or depressing the lever on the inside of the door.

In the next piece in this series we will be reviewing how keyed cylinders are used with deadbolts and how they are used.

Door Knobs for Children and the Young at Heart

If you search the internet it is easy to become overwhelmed by the plethora of ideas on how to decorate your children's bedroom so here I will focus on sources and themes for door knobs that both parent and child may enjoy.  One of the keys to success is to focus on themes that are not age restrictive or gender specific but that have a broader reach. With this in mind consider the following list of keywords to act as a prefix for “door knobs”.

Birds - our feathered friends lend themselves to door knobs as their profiles can be stylized making them easier for gripping by small hands or less flexible hands. They have also provided the inspiration for less expensive knobs available in wood or ceramic and one of my favorite collections comes from the talented hands of artist, Kimberly Madson. In Madson’s collection “Blue birds on a wire” each wooden knob is painted with a base color and then decoupaged with an artistic print that is then sealed to protect against grime. 

Blue Birds on a Wire by Kimberly Madson

Madson also offers a unique series of knobs decorated with classic prints of cows and bulls. All of her knobs are handmade and both the subject of the knobs as well as the craft of decoupage should stimulate some interesting conversations. 

Nautical – I was pleasantly surprised to find that the choices here are not limited to kelp, pirates and mermaids. At Sweet Petites Boutique they aptly describe themselves as a “A Chic Children's Boutique”. There are a lot of themes to choose from and there is the added benefit of finding other accents for your child’s bedroom. 

Image Whale Knobs

One style that appealed to my mature taste but which I suspect would also appeal to most age groups was the Nautical Whale Knob collection.

The drawer knobs are made from maple hardwood and are fitted with a metal insert so that they can be removed, and re-installed without stripping the thread on the insert. The knobs are then hand painted with whale or stripe motifs.

For those of you who are looking for something that may be more easily pegged as nautical check out the starfish knob by Beach House Dreams. The star fish are cast in metal and finished in a robins’ egg blue patina.

Star fish Image

Animal – While a broad search for “animal door knobs” will turn up a wealth of images this is a bit like following Alice down the internet hole. So, refine your search to a specific animal or bug. A search for bee door knobs was very productive and took me to a wide choice of very detailed door handles many made in quality mediums like cast bronze. Using the prefix zebra I was able to find more wooden gems by Sweet Petites Boutique

Sweet Petites

Material Another way to find your way through the maze is to narrow your search to the material the knob is made from. This is also a useful way to filter products broadly by price. Ceramic handles and wood handles should be more affordable than those cast in bronze or stainless steel. Glass is also an option and here the range is wide both as to style and price.

One of my personal favorites are the knobs available through Out of the Blue Design.

Art Glass by Out of the Blue

They offer many themes ranging from an abstract collage of stars to scenes of angle fish swimming through deep water. The knobs are all made from solid glass and really merit the description as art glass. They are handmade and well made so don’t think fragile as the annealing process they use helps harden the glass against breakage.

For a fuller understanding of the glass artisans technique do visit their site.

If the above approaches don’t help you find something that you can all agree on then;

Consider Adjectives – remember learning how to use them in school? Well I am finding that they save a lot of time when immersed in a project so add to your list;

• Whimsical
• Magical 
• Unusual

Good hunting.
Kath Lauder

Inventive Door Knockers

The introduction of the doorbell signaled the end of the need for a door knocker.  Today these items are more decorative, albeit still functional, than a necessity.

Door knockers were most commonly used during the 17th and 18th centuries but evidence of door knockers has been found as far back as ancient Greek times. While the early examples of door accessories were simple and functional in design, as time went on they became a popular accessory and were soon to be found on homes of the wealthy and elite.  Popular motifs such as a family coat of arms, religious symbols or a representation of the family’s business were featured.  However, with the advent of the metal foundry and the ability to create multiples of a design, it soon became possible for the middle class to afford and feature these symbols available, up to this point, to only the privileged and wealthy.

In today’s market there is an unlimited selection of door knocker designs and styles.  Many homeowners prefer to honor the period and architectural style of their home’s exterior and select a door knocker in keeping with that era.  Black wrought iron on a Spanish colonial or stainless steel on a sleek contemporary building are just a few examples of style and finishes appropriate for specific architectural styles.  Others, however, enjoy adding a bit of personality to their front door by selecting humorous or personalized door hardware and still others prefer to exhibit their love of a particular animal, sport, flower or hobby by choosing appropriate door knockers.  This beautifully detailed woodpecker door knocker would be appropriate on any style door and instantly becomes a piece of treasured functional art for your home’s front entry. 

Woodpecker on bark

In today’s market there are a myriad of finishes to choose from.  It is possible to match your doorknocker with other door hardware including door handle and locks or you may elect to complement the existing hardware by choosing a different finish for the door knocker.  Options might include an oil-rubbed bronze knocker paired with brass door handles or stainless steel placed next to black wrought iron door hardware.

Whatever door knocker style you choose- traditional, whimsical, transitional or contemporary- it will, no doubt, add interest and personality to the entry of your home or business.   Such attention to the exterior of your home will surely make visitors excited to see what is waiting for them behind the front door.

A Towel Bar For Every Style Of Home

The bathroom is definitely one of those spaces that can benefit from the old adage “a place for everything and everything in its place.”  Therefore, plenty of hidden and hanging storage is a necessity.

One item all bathrooms have in common are towel bars and the design and finish of the towel bars you select are very important.  They not only provide a place to hang a wet or dry towel but they help keep what is often a rather small space, neat and organized.

Tree Towel Rail

A single towel rail is probably the most common choice for bath areas.  While available in a range of lengths, this installation choice does have limitations such as only being able to hang one towel at a time.  However, a stackable towel rack will solve that problem.  This design makes it possible to hang several towels on a single unit thereby saving floor space and better utilizing wall space.

The ultimate in luxury is a heated towel bar.  Nothing feels better than stepping out of a shower or bath and wrapping yourself in a towel heated to just the right temperature to ward off any chills. Heated towel bars require professional installation to make sure the electrical and heating elements work properly and are safe for use in an area that has water and is prone to moisture.

Small urban apartments, boats and yachts require a bit of careful planning when it comes to selecting bathroom hardware.  Wall space can be very limited in these areas, leaving little room to hang a large towel bar.  You will want to avoid a design that protrudes too far off the wall so, in these instances, wall hooks or recessed bars might be the answer.  Let your creativity shine through and select a beautiful custom made towel hook that complements other finishes in the room or consider letting an item like a boat cleat do double duty as an easy to hang towel hook.

Towel Hook Tree Towel Rail

Very often crafted of durable nickel, towel bars are available in a range of finishes.  Shiny chrome or high polished stainless steel works well in a contemporary bath with clean lines and modern fixtures.  An oil-rubbed bronze finish is the perfect complement to a rustic wood vanity.  Brass fixtures are experiencing a resurgence in popularity and bathroom accessories of all types are now available in this warm golden finish.

Careful planning, placement and design selection of towel racks and other bathroom hardware will insure that your bathroom is efficient and comfortable and towels and other necessities are within easy reach.