Fish Door Handle A New Design

In a previous post we described the initial stages of our new carp fish handle. The design, as is customary, began with 2 detailed drawings showing the face and profile of the new pull. The drawing was swiftly followed by a 3-dimensional pattern sculpted by Martin Pierce in high density foam. Once the pattern was complete, we assessed how best to gate the piece to ensure that molten bronze would flow easily and fill all parts of the “shelled” fish. In this context shell refers to the investment method of casting and describes how wax replicas of the pattern are encased in a strong silicon slurry that when auto-claved leaves a void that is filled with molten metal ( see  Anatomy of a bronze door handle)

The fish castings can be used as either left or right facing door pulls as the direction is determined by the mounting posts that are machined and welded to either side of the piece. They can also be used as back-to-back door pulls on glass doors making them perfect for fish themed restaurants.

The first castings were in bronze and have now been patinaed by immersion into selenious acid a chemical that oxidizes the bronze turning it black (see Making a door handle black)

Once immersed the castings when dry were strategically burnished to re-expose the raised areas leaving dark the scaled recessed sections. Using different chemicals, the same mottled pattern could be achieved in blue or green or in almost any color range through powder coating.

For ocean front properties where salt water has a corrosive impact the fish handle can be ordered in 316 marine grade steel.

Cabinet Hardware For

Wishing Everyone A Happy and Healthy 2022

For the curious, the 2022 font was created from the Willow Collection of cabinet hardware. While these pieces can be colorfully finished using hot patinas, more vivid blue and green tones can be applied through powder coating. For more information please contact us.

Creative Color Enhancement of Willow Sprigs Part of the Willow Collection of Cabinet Hardware

The small willow round cabinet knob below was cropped and colored in Photoshop. We offer a blue green and pea green hot patina both available as custom patinas

Artistic statements in cabinetry and cabinet hardware

Walter Jaeger, of Jeager and Ernst recently sent me his original cabinetry design for a master bedroom closet and dressing room project. The cabinet wall incorporates stained glass with embossed plant stems and mushroom and tree cabinet pulls from our collection of cabinet hardware. The woodwork will be finished in Sherwin William’s satin white paint making for a simple backdrop that will accentuate the decorative components. The design is both artistic and practical with the pocket doors on the left (see above banner image) opening to the master bathroom and dressing hall and with each door decorated with a stained-glass water droplet, custom made, by Mary Lu Winger Bennett. Mary is an artisan known in Virginia for her stained glass restoration projects as well as her contemporary pieces. For stained glass enthusiasts, I recommend you check our Mary’s work at Crossroads Art Center.

Cabinet design courtesy Jaeger & Ernst Tree pulls Mushroom cabinet pulls

Photo courtesy of Mary Lu Winger for other works

I asked Walter Jaeger what had inspired the cabinet and was not surprised to hear he is an admirer of Renee MacIntosh’s work, the Scottish architect and artist of the Victorian era. MackIntosh’s work is known for its rich symbolism and for its influence on European Art Nouveau, a style that I have mentioned in many posts.
Jaeger and Ernst are cabinet makers based in Virginia where they are known for their excellence in design and workmanship which is clear from the rendering below.
The mushroom, hedgerow round and half round cabinet pulls were finished in polished nickel with strategic areas darkened to accentuate their 3-dimensional form.

December 5th Men of the Desert Fund Raiser

If you are planning to visit Palm Springs and are looking for an interesting and fun event then look no further than the “Men of the Desert” (MOD) fashion show and luncheon a fund raising event held annually by the Animal Samaritans. Miriam Weigel, editor of the Pet Companion Magazine,  is helping to sponsor this event through her generous donation of our French Bulldog door knocker. Animal Samaritans is a non-profit group that has for more than 40 years been dedicated to finding ways of preventing pet euthanasia. The proceeds from this Sunday’s event will help further their work with the Adoption Alliance Rescue Program and their No kill Shelter.

 If you live in Coachella Valley then please do visit Animal Samaritans website which offers a clear and in-depth guide to their work and projects including the development of a 19,000 s.f. pet adoption and education building center in Thousand Palms. Ground breaking is planned for 2023 when the mid-century modern building will begin to take shape. As mentioned in an earlier post the mid-century modern style is one that has been embraced by desert residents for decades making this center a welcome addition to this rich architectural heritage. Animal Samaritans, as a non-profit, is committed to raising funds for what will be a home for 40 dogs and 40 cats as well as a learning center for nurturing skills in pet ownership, pet safety as well as teaching pet agility. To find out how to donate or find other ways of helping.

The French bulldog door knocker is one of 4 French bulldog functional door hardware pieces in a collection of 10 dog and 4 cat themed collections.

A HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL.

If you are guessing how we created the banner then look no further than to our Willow sprig cabinet pulls. These are available as left or right pulls and are scaled for use as appliance pulls or cabinet door pulls. While typically finished in a light or dark patina they can be custom finished with a hot patina with blue or verdigris tones. If you are looking for more autumnal tones then we offer a red brown patina. In the above banner I have created a more dramatic statement in Photoshop.

Bonsai and other small trees in nature and art

As international travel is still an arduous undertaking we decided to take a virtual tour to Asia and visited the Chinese and Japanese gardens at the Huntington gardens. Other gardens include the Shakespeare, Australian and Subtropical which provide virtual  tours of exotic places and different eras.

The Chinese garden is now complete and offers visitors a15 acre garden that combines architecture with water ways, rock sculptures, plants and a tea room. Modeled on the gardens of Suzhou near Shanghai, the Huntington’s Liu Fang Yuan is a tranquil beautiful space to sit and contemplate nature. The garden was built using materials and craftsmen from China to create an authentic landscape. Calligraphy and nature scenes have been expertly hand carved into the namu wood paneling of the pavilions using traditional chisels, gouges and planes. The tile pathways are equally meticulous and pieces are individually placed in intricate squares using traditional and symmetrical designs. By adhering to old skills and traditional designs the Huntington have succeeded in creating a small taste of China which feels real and not faux.

In both the Chinese and Japanese gardens there are wonderful bonsai trees to view including a miniature pine forest, elm trees and a California juniper that is 500 years old.  

The first bonsai trees were nurtured in China and later introduced to Japan in the 13th century by travelling Buddhist monks. If you do visit these gardens don’t be shy but strike up a conversation with one of the docents, as we did, when we spoke to Bob Maronde who gave us invaluable details of the development of the Chinese gardens to their present grandeur.

While Martin and I really appreciate the skills of arborists who can successfully grow bonsai trees as we lack their talent we content ourselves with other smaller trees, cast in bronze and suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Flexibility a key component to door hardware design

The first edition of any piece that we make is rarely the final version, rather it evolves as new versions are developed to enhance the piece for  stylistic or practical reasons. At our design atelier there are many examples of this evolutionary process.

 Evolution of Grapevine -

The original Grapevine entry lever set is a popular handle set and still available in its original design but for home owners who have a narrow door stile of 4” a new version with a 3 ½” wide back-plate was developed.A new pattern was carved to make the leaf edges on the back plate smaller and more contained without compromising the original design.

Morphic Cylinders - a case study in progress

 The Morphic cylindrical door pull is currently specified as a 16”,26”or  32” long pull with a 2” diameter. We choose these lengths to offer a suitable range of grips for doors varying in height from a standard 80” to a large 96”+. For each size an original pattern of non-repeating lace was designed and carved resulting in 3 unique pieces. When a designer wanted to specify a different length, this could only be achieved by adding length to the non-lace ends.

 The new version in development retains the organic design but certain sections have been changed to create a repeat pattern which will enable customers to special order the Morphic pull in lengths ranging from 18” to a possible 60”length.

Post Oak Hotel

It was critical that the new pull retain the fluidity and natural appearance of the original pattern so considerable care was taken to create irregular repeat lines that do not truncate the design.

Cats, bats and frogs as enchanting familiars – Happy Halloween

While cats were often celebrated as symbols of good luck and were revered in Egyptian and Asian cultures, in Europe they took on a sinister role as the companions or familiars of witches who cast malevolent spells. It seems that this undeserved reputation took hold with the advent of the black plaque that devastated Europe in the 1600’s. This is rather ironic given that cats are superb predators of rats and indirectly of the fleas they carry making them extremely useful companions that are good for one’s health.
Witches suffered a similar plight and while the verb bewitched is synonymous with “enchanted” “charmed” “beguiled” it is also used to suggest evil powers and malevolent spells.

The negative image of witches spread to other creatures with which they were associated such as frogs and bats. Frogs and bats are both nocturnal and often live-in swamps, muddy ponds and caves, facts that helped advance their negative place in folklore.
Like many we like all these creatures and have portrayed them more favorably in our animal cabinet pulls and cat themed door knobs.
The 3 cats shown in our banner are Persian, Rag Doll and Common cat. Cast in solid bronze and patinaed and then sealed with an oil rubbed finish.

Our frog and bat cabinet pulls are made as left or right facing which allows for a more creative placement on cabinet doors that open to the left and right.

A bumble bee cabinet knob takes shape at Martin Pierce studios

We are adding a bumble bee to our cabinet pull collection of insect pulls. We receive a lot of inquiries from homeowners who want to continue using our bee door knob on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry but at a hefty 3”high  the scale simply does not work. So, starting with our rotund bee knob we have scaled this detailed casting down and made a few other changes to create a modest but hefty 1 ¼” cabinet knob. The original pattern shown here was carved by Martin Pierce in solid blue jewelers wax and a one part mold was used to create red wax replicas. Once shelled the wax copies will be melted and lost to create a vessel for molten bronze.

Bumble bees, contrary to the way we have portrayed the bee door knob, do not produce honey and do not have a honey comb. The bumble bee does create a nest with a small number of chambers for the queen bees eggs and another chamber or pot to store nectar for the developing bees.

Using considerable artistic license to show case our bumble bee door knob

Only the queen bee and female workers have the ability to sting and this occurs rarely unless the bees are antagonized.  The typical life span for a worker bee is 28 days or less but the Queen and hive have an annual life span with the Queen laying eggs throughout the year. During the summer months the Queen will lay Queen eggs which when they emerge will mate with the male drones who will develop a new hive and bee colony.

Animal and floral unique cabinet pulls

Our new cabinet pull website section makes plain the theme-based nature of Martin Pierce’s designs. For door hardware, after the initial design concept, the direction of each collection was dictated by functionality with each style needing to work as entry way handles, passageway levers and privacy levers and door knob sets. Cabinet pulls and knobs all perform the same function to open and close cabinet drawers and doors and this simple dictate allows for greater design freedom and whimsy.
Bamboo dresser pulls
All of our cabinet or dresser pulls are made to order as we are a limited production company and are very hands on, thus ensuring the high quality of each piece. The same does not hold true for the bamboo plant that was used to model the cabinet pull shown below. We are in the process of trying to eradicate this very resilient and invasive plant that regretfully was planted as a border plant and now threatens to extend its domain to include our entire garden. So, if you love the look of bamboo consider a more limited production version.

Orchid kitchen cabinet pull
In contrast to our bamboo plant our orchids are not very hardy and very selective as to when they flower and this may explain why we are so drawn to their beauty. Modelled on the orchids on display at the conservatory in the Huntington gardens a place worth visiting for it’s rich variety of tropical plants and trees.

Bronze or Stainless Steel Closet Door Pulls - making the right choice

We are always very grateful when clients share photos of our work installed in their homes  as we get to glimpse there use in real life. It can be a daunting task when choosing both the right style and the right alloy for a cabinet or closet door and the internet only helps if the user is savvy when searching the web and has a clear of what they like.

As a small company with limited advertising dollars we rely on the skill and tenacity of  consumers when searching for our products on the web. A recent search brought our work to the attention of a couple in the San Francisco area who were remodeling their master bathroom and bedroom.  

Original photograph courtesy of client

Both rooms were remodeled with contemporary clean lined cabinetry that would work equally well with the Ergo and Morphic styles. The client’s bathroom cabinets were made in teak a warmly colored and figured hard wood that worked well with the brown golden tones of the lightly patinaed bronze they chose as the finish for the Morphic cabinet handles. 

 A two- tone luster was selected for the Ergo stainless steel handles with polished and satin areas a finish that complimented the simple and neutral grey tones of the closet doors.  

Original photograph courtesy of client

Custom Designed Door Hardware some common misunderstandings

During the Covid lock down and after weeks of cooking and reading many turned their energies to drawing designs on their mobile devices and in their sketch pads.

This explains why there has been a flood of emails from consumers and the occasional designer who have an idea for a custom door handle they would like made. In the next few posts, I will be tackling the progressive stages involved from taking a design idea to creating a functional door handle or door pull. These 2 types of hardware are not synonymous as a door handle needs to be designed and engineered so that the knob or lever parts can turn and latch whereas a door pull has no moving parts.

So, let’s begin with the design process and see what needs to be considered.

One design still on the drawing board

Martin Pierce is constantly drawing ideas for door pulls and these typically start with a doodle or sketch done old style with a pencil and sketch book. Many of you will be equally skilled using your mobile device to create a digital drawing and we can consider these provided they are either pdf or jpegs. Regardless of medium the sketch will only be useful if it includes a profile or side view that shows the shape and curvature of the piece and whether it is suitable to work as a grip or pull for your hand (see the palm tree design above) . If you can’t visualize and accurately draw the profile, then it is time for you to re-think your hobbies. However, if you think your design does have potential then please make sure to copyright it even if this is the home version of mailing yourself a copy noting the date and with your signature.

For the ambitious who set out to design a handle they must also design the rose or back-plate. If the handle is to be fixed, then the task is easier as the rose/plate simply must be wide enough to be fastened to the door with screws that will attach both the rose and the knob or lever that will be welded to it. The back-plate and knob/lever are separate castings, and I will explain in a subsequent post why they cannot be created as one casting as well as what additional design drawings are required for a functional door set.

The scale and dimensions of your handle need to be added to your design including the depth for your profile. The depth or thickness of your design will have a direct impact on the weight of the cast handle. The heavier the piece the higher the cost as more bronze or stainless steel will be used in casting.

Making a door handle black - patination versus powder coating

Alloys like steel and bronze can be colored by immersion in a chemical patina such as the M20 chemical from Birchwood which is suitable for bronze or by baking on a layer of pigment powder to the surface of the handle. Neither method is superior to the other, but both have different benefits.

316 Stainless steel is better suited to powder coating as this type of steel is hard, dense and corrosion resistant making it difficult for chemicals to penetrate or to form a chemical bond with. Our Morphic and Ergo collections are typically cast in 316 stainless steel an alloy that lends itself to contemporary door handle designs.
Copper is the primary metal in bronze, and it will readily react and oxidize when exposed to acidic chemicals to form a new micro thin layer. The color that develops through this conversion of copper will depend on the chemicals used and the colors can range from blue greens to red browns to black.  To create black, we use M20 a product made by Birchwood Technologies and one that contains selenious acid which is the component that oxidizes the copper turning it brown or black depending on the number of applications and length of each treatment. As the depth of color can be built up over several immersions it is method well suited to a patina where you want a range of color and a more organic appearance. As the patina is micro-thin several layers can be built up and then sanded back to reveal a range of color. If a uniform effect is wanted then the handle can be immersed in a bath of this solution several times to develop an even color of the required darkness.

By comparison powder coating works well on 316 stainless steel as the pigmented layer is baked on to the surface of the piece and no penetration of the surface occurs. Powder coating offers a wider and more controllable range of color and luster with a wide range of standard colors and custom mixes available from companies like Prismatic who offer a choice of over 6,000 colors. https://www.prismaticpowders.com

Customizing a cabinet pull for a remodeled room

Occasionally I receive a call or email from a person looking for a cabinet pull to cover the holes that were unwittingly revealed when their kitchen or bathroom was remodeled.

 Our cabinet pulls are grouped by style in categories ranging from flying creatures to floral works to contemporary and futuristic pulls which can make it difficult when someone is looking for something merely to cover exposed holes. 

 The pages that were recently added to the cabinet hardware section of our site provide the center- to -center distance as part of the dimensional description and as a greyscale diagram making it easier to review which pieces will work or could be modified to work.

The mounting posts are inset from the top and bottom of the pull and their precise location depends on the style, weight and surface area of the pull.  As our work is made using the lost wax process some amount of customization is possible.

The mounting posts on the original pattern also act as gates through which wax and subsequently molten metal will flow. If the new center to center dimension is a little further or closer than our pattern we can modify the wax version and cut and re-position the posts so that their location will correspond to the existing holes of the cabinet. Such modifications are time consuming, and we would recommend a new pattern and mold be made for larger quantities.

Slim but Strong – using Cabinet Pulls for Closet Doors

The Ergo 12” cabinet pull is a slim curvaceous and very strong piece that belies its delicate features. It is cast either in 316 stainless steel or silicon bronze and both alloys perform well in terms of tensile strength. In other posts I have described how the chemistry of each, and the method of manufacturing impacts the strength, corrosion resistance and malleability of each alloy.
Tensile strength is measured in terms of yield strength and ultimate strength. The former indicates the metals’ ability to be stressed to the point where it is distorted or does not return to its original cast shape. Ultimate strength refers to the breaking point of a metal (see footnotes at the end of this post).
Recently the Ergo cabinet pull has been specified for use on closet doors and the customer needed reassurance that the pull was strong enough to act as a door pull. To demonstrate this, I used a heavy display board laden with several pieces and weighing a total of 40lbs and easily lifted it using the Ergo pull.

While an alloys strength is important if a pull is to be used for a heavy door it is worth noting that the hinges of the door take the brunt of the heavy lifting and their number and strength will have a greater bearing on the pull’s performance.

The scale of a cabinet pull is equally important when assessing its suitability as a door pull. The closet doors in this instance were double doors each measuring 18” W by 90”H so worked well with a 12” pull.

Step by Step process till a sophisticated 2 tone gem is created;

1. Red Wax Replicas made in a rubber mold for every pull one wax will be made; each will be shelled then invested with 316 stainless steel

2. Once cast the pieces are ground to remove the gates, the pieces are cleaned and then each is polished on all sides

3. Top photo if you zoom in you will see how the pull is masked with blue tape - once in place the piece is sand polished with a fine grit of sand to create a satin finish. The end result is a 2 tone polished-satin finish.

To learn more about how metals vary in tensile strength.

Seagulls and Bears – unusual Hollywood neighbors

Unlike much of the country winter in Hollywood is usually warm and sunny making it a good time to enjoy a long walk to the historical Lake Hollywood aka the Mulholland dam.

Spending more time at my home-office I have become aware of the variety of birds who visit ranging from the melodious bulbuls and song sparrows to the deep throated sonorous crows and ravens. While seagulls may not be gifted with such distinctive voices, they make up for this with their sheer numbers and easy to follow daily trajectory to the small lake nestled below the Hollywood sign.

Hundreds of Seagulls resting in the morning sun on Lake Hollywood

The Mulholland Dam was constructed as a reservoir in the 1920’s and was named after the historical legend who is associated with its beleaguered history. The dam was almost identical in design to the St. Francis dam that sadly collapsed and killed hundreds of residents in the area we now know as Valencia or Santa Clarita. The St. Francis tragedy caused a public outcry and demands that the new dam be scrapped. As an alternative the water level of the dam was permanently limited to well below design capacity and the area south of the buttress was backfilled with vast amounts of soil and vegetation that now conceal the damns presence. The result over 90 years later is that dam no longer functions as a reservoir but as a lake that is home to thousands of seagulls and other water birds. The area south of the lake has beautifully matured with native shrubs and tall pines all guarded by a row of bear gargoyles in honor of our state residents.

 To see examples of how birds inspire our work.

Swallow cabinet pull

https://www.martinpierce.com/unusual-cabinet-pulls-insect-collection

To read more about the history of Lake Hollywood please visit:

https://la.curbed.com/2019/2/5/17434640/william-mulholland-dam-collapse-water-los-angeles-history

https://waterandpower.org/museum/Mulholland_Dam_and_Hollywood_Reservoir.html

New Cabinet Pull Direction for 2021

In 2021 we will be gradually be re-formatting our website so that our unique cabinet knobs and pulls can be viewed in greater detail and from different perspectives. This project started in 2020 and it has been quite an undertaking requiring each piece to be photographed several times, then clearly outlined in Photoshop and re-created as a dimensional diagram. We hope the result will allow viewers to appreciate the beauty of each pull and see how each is installed with either a single mount or double screw mount. The new pages will go live when all 70 pieces have received this attention so these posts will be a preview of what is to come.

Our cabinet pulls have been reorganized according to their style and on the number, we could fit onto one page for each collection. The size of the page did present a real challenge when it came to plants and creatures with somewhat arbitrary collections for flowers and plants and animals and flying creatures, but our hope is that viewers will be sufficiently inspired to browse all pages and not be deterred by categories.

The dragonfly is the piece we chose to represent our flying creatures and he/she is attached to with a single screw from the back of the cabinet drawer into the center post which is pre-drilled and screw ready, yes, all of our cabinet pulls come with screws.

The Hedgerow branch pull is attached with 2 screws also applied from the back of the cabinet drawer at a distance of 3 ½” between the centers of the screws. Many of our cabinet pulls can be adapted for surface mounting from the face of the piece but you will need to check with us to see if this is possible for the piece you are considering.

Wine Cellar Door Handles and Shell Casting

All of our smaller cabinet pulls and many of our slim elongated handles are cast in solid bronze or stainless steel but other pieces, including the Grapevine Heroic Pull are cast using a hollow shell to create a hollow casting. The complexity of the design and the weight of the alloy determine whether the piece is to be cast as a solid handle. For example, the ergo extended pull is 35” and the Grapevine is 42” but the Ergo pull would be prone to warping if it were a hollow casting but being a little slimmer when cast is a manageable 10.5 lbs. By comparison, the Grapevine handle is considerably longer but because it is hollow cast is only 1lb heavier.
In a previous post I described how a wax pattern is made and how the location and number of wax runners and gates determine how the wax and subsequent bronze will flow. Whether the casting is a success will also depend on how the piece is shelled and how the shell is subsequently removed.

3 Wax Sections - Access Holes Added to Each So That The Hard Shell Can Be Removed From the Inside of the Castings

The wax replicas are repeatedly dipped into a fine ceramic slurry. The slurry needs to be fine to capture the detail on the surface of the wax replica and enough coats need to be built up to form a strong wall casing around the wax. The outer layers of the slurry are reinforced with coarser fibers that help create a stronger wall. The shell is then fired to create an extraordinarily strong casing and the wax is removed leaving the shell hollow and ready to receive molten metal. Once cast the shell will be broken off and the casting will be ready to finish.
The Grapevine handle is cast in 3 sections with 3 hollow waxes making 3 bronze castings that are welded together to create one handle. As the entire inside and outside surface of each wax section will be encased in a ceramic shell, we created holes or patches in the wax as access points. These holes or patches were also shelled and then cast in bronze. After the bronze castings were poured, we were able to remove the hard shell from inside the casting by sandblasting the interior through the access holes. The bronze patches or plugs are then welded onto the casting the 3 pieces are welded together and the welding joints are tooled by hand to create a seamless piece.
Each wax section of the Grapevine handle required 2 to 3 patches.

Access Holes Created In the Wax - The Removed “Patch” Is Cast In Bronze - Patch Seamlessly Welded In Place

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a very Happy and Well Thanksgiving. We have created a collage of festive leaves using our Vine cabinet pull and have created a new font from our Orchid pulls, a creative pleasure to celebrate this time of year.

Orchid cabinet pulls nickel plated over solid bronze

A New Angle on Cabinet Hardware

We are adding new pieces to our Morphic collection of cabinet pulls and will soon be launching new pages on our website to include these new additions. However, the Covid-19 challenge and the resulting home- work environment has hampered our progress so we will be releasing a preview of these new pieces as they are cast and photographed.

Morphic Corner Cabinet Pull

The new Morphic corner pull was designed as a 90° angled piece  that can be positioned at the top or bottom of upper or lower cabinet doors. The pull was designed to be non-directional and the 90° angle means that it will work on left or right-handed doors to form an easy to hold ergonomic pull. Math savvy readers should not confuse the handing of a door with the angle of the pull which is always a 90° right angle regardless of the way it is positioned on a door. Apparently, even if the pull is positioned at a 9:00 clock position and therefore left facing it is still a right angle! Thankfully doors have an easy to understand logic, if the hinges are on the left as you face the outside of the door then it is a left-handed door and vice versa.

 Process

The piece began as a sketch and from there it materialized as a three-dimensional pattern. The pattern was used to create a one-part rubber mold and   melted wax was poured into it  to create wax facsimiles. From here the waxes were shelled, fired and finally invested with molten metal. When cast in stainless steel we will be offering this in a brushed durable and easy to clean 316 stainless steel. We will also be making it available as a bronze casting for those seeking a warmer look for their kitchen cabinetry.