Life is too short not to step out of the comfort box occasionally. So, while we like the colors that we can achieve with both simple oil rubbed bronze finishes and with colored hot patinas, occasionally a client will have a specific location or project that warrants a different finish. The most common request I receive is for a client who wants some of our bronze pieces but would like them cast in steel. If the design is relatively smooth with few hollows and undercuts then we simply cast the piece in stainless steel. However if the piece is, for example, a bamboo or orchid pull then we cannot readily cast and finish this in steel. Steel is a harder metal and one that is not easily polished so trying to polish inside hollow or recessed areas is all but impossible. By contrast bronze is a softer metal and one that we can polish very well, even inside grooves and dips.
So, when faced with this request we turn to our friends at Boyles Snyder who have a wealth of experience in plating in both nickel and silver. When I asked James at Boyles Snyder what exactly is plating or, more accurately electroplating, he put it this way “ It is the art of bonding metal, utilizing chemistry with electrical energy.”
As with steel so to with nickel. Some clients prefer a very highly polished finish while others prefer a more muted brushed luster. The desired luster is achieved by preparing the bronze before it is plated. For example, if you want a highly polished nickel frog pull as recently requested by a client you first polish the bronze and, likewise, if you want a brushed bamboo or orchid pull you brush the bronze before plating.
This all brings me to Biagio Forino Interiors, a wonderful and inventive design group in Milan Italy. They chose this interesting finish for their client’s home and will be receiving quite a few pieces in a shipment due to arrive this Friday including both the bamboo and orchid pull in the satiny brushed nickel finish.
These door and cabinet hardware pieces represent true customization and show how any one of our pieces of architectural hardware can be customized to meet your client's exact specifications.
Contact us to discuss your special project or view our entire collection of bespoke hardware at www.martinpierce.com.