Custom door hardware - an index of posts on the process

Over the years of writing my blog I have often described the process from designing to casting door hardware using the lost wax method but have not until now felt it necessary to index  these posts.

The posts are broken down into 5 areas that describe the process from inception to end product. If you have limited reading time there is one piece that covers most of the stages that was was posted on June 21st 2017.

For details on the different stages please read on.

STAGE 1 - Design

These posts follow the creative process from the initial sketch to more detailed drawings that show the piece from different perspectives. They explain how the technical aspects of lost wax casting as well as the functional requirements of door hardware impact the design and result in modifications to the original concept.

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/dragon-and-netsuke-door-knobs

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/custom-designed-door-hardware-some-common-misunderstandings

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/early-designs-for-a-new-entry-door-pull

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/candlesticks-new-designs

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/new-morphic-door-pull-one-size-does-not-fit-all

Stage 1 - detailed drawing from 2 perspectives Stage 2 - rough carving of pattern later refined

STAGE 2 – Pattern making

Lost wax casting requires an  original pattern or sculpture to be created. We create our patterns by sculpting  in a hard wood, blue wax or high-density foam. Our method is reductive and rarely makes use of 3D printing and we explain why in these posts.

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/bumble-bee-cabinet-knob

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/dog-door-knobs

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/new-carp-fish-door-pull

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/why-research-and-development-costs-for-custom-hardware-is-expensive-part-2

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/3d-printing-as-useful-tool-in-casting-custom-door-handles

STAGE 3 - Mold making, gates and sprues

A mold of the pattern is made. The number of molds needed for one design depends on the complexity of the design and in assessing how the molten bronze will flow. The pattern is fitted with one central sprue and several gates that attach to the sprue and the edge of the pattern. A mold (s) is then  made of the pattern with the sprue and gates attached.

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/how-to-make-a-simple-mold-for-lost-wax-casting

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/how-to-cast-bronze-butteflies-good-and-bad-runners-and-gates

STAGE 4 – Wax replicas and shelling

The lost wax method requires a wax replica to be made for all the component parts needed to make one piece. The Hedgerow door lever for example require 4 waxes to be made; one for the escutcheon, one for the lever, 2 for the tree canopy. The waxes are then dipped in a silicone slurry that when hardened forms a shell that encases the wax. An auto-clave is used to remove the wax (lost wax)  and the hollow shell is ready to receive molten metal.

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/wine-cellar-door-handles-and-shell-casting

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/using-wax-facsimiles-to-create-bronze-door-handles

 https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/hawaiian-theme-door-handle

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/creating-a-custom-appliance-pull-using-the-lost-wax-process-the-wax-stage

 https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/limited-edition-door-handles

Wax replicas ready to be shelled

 https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/limited-edition-door-handles

STAGE 5 – End result

These posts cover a range of topics from tooling and refining the casting by “chasing” to finishing bronze with an oil rubbed patinaed finish.

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/bumble-bee-knob

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/fish-door-handle-a-new-design

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/luxury-door-hardware-is-defined-by-the-details

https://www.martinpierce.com/blog/oil-rubbed-bronze-door-hardware-and-living-finishes

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

Frogs and Toads for Halloween Treats

 Frogs are one of 3 creatures in our door hardware collection that spring to mind as spooky Halloween draws near. Our Raven and Bat sculptures will make their appearance in later posts but now the spotlight shines down on our amphibian friends of the warty and smooth varieties.

Our frog doorknob bears warts that are more typical of their dry skinned shorter legged toad cousins. When Martin modelled the frog doorknob, he wanted to add a textural element that would also give the frog a grumpier persona and for the naturalists amongst us it should be noted that in nature quite a few frogs do have bumps. 

The Halloween connection for Frogs is attributed to Shakespeare’s song of the witches from Macbeth where this ill-fated creature is added to the cauldron for the witch’s brew. In folk lore, contact with the bumpy epidermis of frogs when accompanied by the right spell could inflict warts on one’s victims.

The frog doorknob shown hear is mounted on a wreath of entwined willow leaves and being cast in bronze can be finished with a simple oil rubbed patina or with a hot patina to create verdigris.

Our smooth skinned frog cabinet pull is equally versatile and with the right hot patinas can be transformed to look like the poisonous dart frog found in the rain forests of central and south America.

Art Nouveau and Victor Horta a design inspiration continues

We have just returned from Brussels, home of the renowned Art Nouveau master, Victor Horta and showcase to many of his works. While many of Horta’s prized works are privately owned and not always available for public viewing, Horta’s personal residence and studio are now open to the public as a museum. Located at 25, rue Américaine the museum spans 2 buildings and by walking up the curvaceous fluid carved stairwell from the lower kitchen to family rooms to bedrooms one experiences an intimate view of life in the Horta household. The central staircase is carved in mahogany and the newel post and handrail which begin as separate carvings come together in a dramatic and organic sweep to form one single functional work of art. Alas, the policy of the museum did not permit photography and while the official guide book does contain pictures they do not do justice either to the brilliance of the design or to the outstanding craftsmanship.

The museum allows one to experience the completeness  of Horta’s style from hand painted tree friezes, to  whiplash brass hinges, to flower petalled stained glass, all are designed to become a  holistic expression of nature as seen through Horta’s eyes.

As an architect Horta’s studio provided the training ground for others, notably Gustave Strauven who worked as his apprentice before designing maison Saint-Cyr. When we first saw the extravagant façade of this building we mistakenly though it had been designed by Horta but on closer inspection it was clear that the metal filigree lacked the restraint and arguably sense of balance that marks Horta’s work (compare the left  and center images at top of page).

Bronze Door Set by Horta note the discreet keyed cylinder

We began our appreciation of Horta many years ago when Martin was commissioned as an artisan to fabricate mahogany archways for basketball legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar but it has been a remarkable experience to see Horta’s work up close.

Traditional artistic methods and 3D printing

One of the advantages to old school artistic methods is that they allow the artist to make more immediate design corrections. While CAD does allow the artist to see his virtual sculpture from a 3D vantage, the same holds true for perspective drawings done free hand with pencil and vellum. No doubt the ease and speed of both methods owes a lot to the different ways our brains are wired and to the different way we learn our artistic skills. While Martin Pierce does use a Wacom tablet with built in mouse, for his initial development drawings he finds he can achieve a faster result by adding and erasing pencil lines.

Plan View of Raven Design

This is the same approach he uses when creating custom door handles and as with sculpture, the grid drawings can be placed on solid wood so that the shape can be traced onto the wood’s surface and then cut out with a band saw. While we could use 3D printing to create the pattern, the speed of printing a quick cast SLA model and the cost makes this approach less attractive. By comparison, once a pattern has been sculpted and the artistic and practical bugs sorted out then 3D printing comes into its own if one wants for example to create a left or right version of a piece. We have occasionally used 3D scanning to scan a pattern and then have created a print file that is a mirror image thus allowing a 3D print to be made. The only drawback to doing this is that you end up with a clone of the original and Martin tends to have a preference for asymmetric designs.

Profile of Raven design

Happy Easter from Martin Pierce Custom Hardware

We want to wish all of our customers, clients and readers of this blog a happy Easter holiday.  We hope it is spent enjoying time with family and friends amidst the beauty of springtime.

Check out our new video on facebook

Throughout the years we have been the recipient of generous accolades from trusted and respected design sources such as Luxury Home Magazine, Luxury Living Magazine, Architectural Digest and The Washington Post.  Mountain Living may have said it best with "A top shop for outside-the-box designs from rabbits and frogs to grapevinesand willow branches"  With the help of Lauren Lekai at Adgenio we are now able to share some of these testimonials as well as many of our bronze and stainless steel custom hardware products with you in a short and easy to watch video.  Check it out on our facebook page or you can watch it by clicking  here.

The video makes it possible for you to view and share with your clients some of our most popular door knobs, drawer pulls and entry way levers in use.  This includes shots of our very first collection, Hedgerow, as well as our newest Ergo extended door handle in stainless steel.  Please let us know what you think of our foray into the video world and, as always, you can view these and all of our products by visiting our site at www.martinpierce.com.  We look forward to hearing from you.