Customizing A Lizard Door Handle for A Glass Pane Door

The lizard heroic handles as is clear from their name are large sculptures and they are the signature pieces to this collection of door handles and cabinet pulls. The handle and escutcheon are welded together to make one entity but are cast in 2 halves. When the original pattern was carved we had to consider how the bronze would flow within the molds and made the decision to carve the body as one piece but carve the lizards toes as part of the stone plate. Had we decided to leave the toes as part of the lizard they would have been too fragile to support and would have been prone to distortion when made in wax or when invested with bronze.

The butterfly thumb latch when depressed opens the mortise latch

Forward position of the right lizard enables the head of the lizard to be grabbed with your right hand freeing the left hand to operate a thumb latch when used with of an operative mortise latch and butterfly thumb piece.

When asked if we could make either lizard narrower so that the handle could snuggly fit around the glass panes of an existing door my first reaction was no but I came to re-think my position when given the specifics dimensions of the door. Both the left and right lizards measure 5 ½” at their widest points but the narrower areas range from 2 ½” to 3 ¾” which gave us the possibility of modifying the back-plate and positioning the lizard to fit between the door panes. Since the toes of the lizard are part of the plate, we had to avoid these when slimming the plate during the wax stage. The right lizard overlaps the top edge of the plate so that it can be used in conjunction with a butterfly thumb latch when being used as part of an operative mortise set. The forward position of the right lizard and the position of the toes would have made it difficult to customize for this client’s door.

Left: Original Lizard Center: Orange area where wax to be cut Right: Modified Concept

Concept drawing showing position of modified left lizard

Inspiration for Door Hardware from the Grand Canyon and Zion

The only question raised by our journey to the Grand Canyon and beyond, was why had it taken us 40 years to make the trip? We had heard wondrous reports from friends over the years but had chosen more exotic vacations in Europe and Canada and had relegated this local scene to the back burner. So, when our trip to Rome was cancelled, we found the silver lining to the Corona Virus and planned an RV trip to Arizona and Utah.

As my blog is written as an extension of our website I wondered what or how this trip had anything to do with our hardware designs, which in turn prompted the question of how nature influences our thought processes, specifically, Martin Pierce’s hardware designs. I have often stated that nature is the primary source of Martin’s design ideas, but the process is far from causal and is more subtle and indirect. While Martin does on occasion search out a plant or rock or animal as a study piece for a handle or back-plate, he spends more time simply and randomly photographing what he sees and finds interesting and in so doing creates a mental library of images.  

So, having explained the reasoning behind this post let me share some of the spectacular awesome sights we saw on this 9-day road trip in the company of Iris our canine family member.

Grand Canyon South Rim Storm Drifting In – The straight horizon created by the movement of the tectonic plates that raised the flat plateaus upward

Female Elk drinking rain water – the blurred pixels are reminiscent of the Impressionist Period

Look carefully to see the well disguised Grand Basin Gopher Snake. While this snake, as with most snakes is harmless, the jury is out on whether ophidiophobia would make a snake handle unmarketable. Our lizard collection of door handles is popular so maybe we should launch a snake collection we would love to hear your thoughts.

We took countless pictures but none captured the depth and magnificence of the Grand Canyon.

The Urban Forest of Los Angeles

Before the city of Los Angles was veiled in a thick blanket of smoke from the Bobcat and other countless regional fires our daily walks would take us through the urban forest that beautifies this densely populated city. The rich variety and density of the tree population provides more than aesthetic relief but is a powerful tool in the fight against green-house gas pollution and rising temperatures.
The urban forest in Los Angeles is estimated at over 1 million trees, many are in the parks in and around the city but an increasing percentage are being planted and nurtured in streets within neighborhoods.
Organizations like our local Tree People work with tree deprived neighborhoods in planting and maintaining young trees during the first few years of their growth and the trees planted around our studio over 15 years ago are now vibrant and mature.
The well-being and continued growth of this forest benefits all who live here as the trees absorb carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and ground level ozone converting them through photosynthesis into oxygen making the air breathable at least some of the time. In Los Angeles County from Los Angeles city to Pasadena our current level for these pollutants is running from 165 to 279 on the AQI index or from poor air to hazardous air depending on proximity to the burn zone.
The tree canopy of our urban forest also helps mitigate some of the heat gains of global warming by providing shade and thereby reducing our energy consumption.
The Jacaranda tree we planted on our sidewalk and the succulents that surround it were one of our earlier investments into creating a small drought sensitive and shady sidewalk space.
The vertical wall that separates our studio from our neighbor became a vertical garden when we planted a ficus vine. This rampant plant has clung to the face of the concrete wall adding color to a boring grey backdrop as well as filtering the surrounding air.

Hedgerow Bronze Trees using the Ficus Vine at our studio as a canvas

The Camphor tree has powerful roots but a more creative approach to sidewalk repairs and new sidewalk planning can incorporate tree roots through with sidewalks that meander around the trees root berm.

A fifteen year old Jacaranda tree helps provide shade

Creative Ideas For A Sunroom - How to Make Cabinet Pulls Work for French Doors

A tropical plant and bee enthusiast reached out to me recently to see if we had any ideas for handles for her sunroom doors. The customer was on a limited budget and did not need or want operating door handles and had been looking at our “dummy” Netsuke bee and frog knobs. While both would have worked for her pair of French doors, she really wanted to use a plant motif as a bridge between her more formal living room and the more rustic casual sunroom it looked onto.

While cabinet pulls are by their function scaled for smaller doors and drawers some of our Hedgerow, Willow and Orchid designs are grander in scale and can work equally well as door pulls. The Hedgerow pull is a very stylized tree design vertical in direction and available as a left or right pull

Scale of Trees Allows them to work equally well as door or cabinet pulls

The orchid pull as has been detailed in other posts is a piece that is highly adaptive and can be used as a vertical or horizontal pull with a left or right sweep and as a custom order is available as either a left or right 90 degree pull that  is mounted to both door the stile and rail.

These pieces could have worked well as door pulls but the client had a  fondness for her large fern plant and shared an image she had of this very majestic fern tree. My curiosity was piqued and following a Google search I discovered that this tropical fern tree with its emerald green ferns and beautiful curled fronds was a native of New South Wales and Queensland.  Inspired by what I found I reviewed our fern cabinet pulls and by making some minor adjustments to the frond ends and by configuring them as pairs suggested that they could be as either vertical or horizontal door pulls as depicted here.

Why Would We Plate Beautiful Orchid Knobs with Nickel?

Our cabinet knobs are cast either in silicon bronze or 316 stainless steel and viewers will know that both are exceptionally durable rust resistant and quite beautiful alloys so why then would we opt to have an order of orchid knobs nickel plated?

Nickel is a metallic element and is one of the elements present in 316 stainless steel. Nickel has a silvery white appearance that is not dissimilar to stainless steel and when both are finished to a brushed satin luster the visual difference is minimal. Why then would we choose to nickel plate a bronze cabinet knob rather than cast it 316 stainless steel? The answer lies in the hardness of 316 steel which makes it a much more difficult alloy to machine and polish and in the subtle difference in appearance of nickel versus stainless steel.

The custom orchid cabinet pulls that have been described in earlier posts were cast in bronze which being a softer more malleable alloy allowed the nooks and crevices of these detailed pieces to be buffed and brushed to remove scratches and imperfections. If the pieces had been cast in 316 stainless steel the hardness of the steel would have made this process far more labor intensive. As the orchids are being installed in a room with several nickel fixtures, we opted to nickel plated so that the pieces would blend well.

F & H Plating is a valuable Los Angeles source and one well known in the interior design and jewelry industries for their gold, silver, nickel, and copper plating. Ron, the founder of F & H is a knowledgeable mine of information on plating techniques and his site describes the electroplating process. We were seeking a satin finish for our orchid pulls, so we buffed and refined the castings to give them a soft sheen. F & H then chemically cleaned the bronze orchids to remove any contaminants, gently re-buffed them back to their satin luster and dipped them in nickel solution which when electrically charged caused the nickel content to bond with the surface of the bronze. Once dried the pieces were very gently buffed to the desired luster and ready to install

Nickel electroplating is a useful process if you have a metal that is prone to rust as even a thin layer of nickel will improve the rust resistance of the base metal.

New Mercedes Benz Concept Car - influence of Sci-fi on Cars and Door handles

This post is a departure from my usual topics and a departure from my firmly held belief that all car designs are boring. Many of my friends wax lyrical about their favorite cars cooing over their neat fast back or spoiler but looked at through the eyes of an alien they would be indistinguishable as they all share a basic box on wheels format.

By comparison, the same alien would have little problem distinguishing one species of scarab from another each type and sub-type having marked variations in both shape, size and patterning. The same alien would hopefully also be able to distinguish between the different styles of door handle we make, and I am guessing would find something familiar in our Morphic collection of illuminated handles.

So, given my disdain for existing car models one can understand why my car loving girlfriend was astounded by my praise for the wonderful original style of the new Mercedes concept car. Inspired and designed by the folks who made the movie avatar, the sci-fi influence on this car come creature is obvious and explains why this car is both spectacular and unique. Alas, I am not able to include a photo of this work of art as to do would probably be a violation of copyright laws but I am able to share with you a link to a video of the car.

While we do not at present have an illuminated scarab sculpture we have had fun imagining how this could be created. Our existing existing scarab sculpture is very real weighing 10lbs and measuring 20"W x 15"D x 6"H

Door Handles For Yachts - 316 Stainless Steel Passivation versus Rust

In a previous post we analyzed the components of grades 304 and 316 stainless steel that make them rust resistant. Both contain chromium, and nickel and together these elements enable the outer surface of a casting to form a thin protective layer of chromium oxide that protects the lower surfaces and acts as a barrier to rust. However, only 316 stainless steel contains molybdenum which is a metal that specifically helps prevent rust caused by exposure to sea water or sodium chloride which is why this is the preferred steel for yachts and beach homes and why it is aptly described as marine grade stainless steel.
While 316 stainless steel in its production contains the necessary properties to prevent corrosion the thin nano thick protective film can be degraded and while the presence of nickel does help this layer self-heal and re-form the protective chromium oxide there may be occasions when the fixture will need to be treated.
Several years ago, we heard from a homeowner in Florida who reported that her 316 stainless steel handles was developing rust. On inspection we could see that sand and grease had adhered to the handle and it was these contaminants that were rusting. The handle itself was still sound and showed no structural decay, in other words, the steel was not actually rusting.

Morphic Entry Lever In 316 Stainless Steel Compare With Similar Handle After 10 Years In Image Below

This type of surface contamination can also occur when the stainless steel is machined especially if there are iron based metals in close proximity.
In both cases the surface can be cleaned or “passivated” by being immersed in a citric acid solution which will remove most contaminants and allow the surface to self-heal by forming a new passive layer of chromium oxide. I strongly recommend that you do not do this yourself but find a reputable passivation company in your area.

Morphic Entry Lever With Blue Powder Coat 10 Years After Installation

Marine grade steel is not only durable, but it polishes well and can be enhanced by using different finishing techniques or by adding color through powder coating. Powder coating is a durable way to add color to any stainless-steel fixture especially if it intended for outdoor use.

HAPPY 4TH JULY

HAPPY 4TH JULY

A recent art piece inspired this flighty moth motif flag. If you look closely you will see that the stars have morphed into bronze butterflies.

View our other art works.

Bronze handles a warm alternative for yachts and beach homes

We have previously discussed why 316 stainless steel is the preferred steel for marine environments, but bronze is an equally well-suited alloy and one that offers warmer tones.

I frequently am asked what alloy is rust resistant and will not change color. Stainless steel as its name underscores is the obvious answer as while silicon bronze is equally rust-resistant it will change over time as it’s “living” patina evolves.

 In 316 stainless steel the alloy’s color and durability are secured by its passive layer of chromium oxide which does not change the color of the metal and which does not change much over time as the chromium content enables the film to self- heal and re-create the oxide. A similar protective layer or layers develop on the surface of bronze through oxidation but the film continues to develop and new layers with different chemical components and different colors develop over time. This continuous changing oxidation occurs naturally and the thicker the patina the more the lower layers off copper are protected.  This oxidation should not be confused with rust which is a corrosive oxidation made when iron and oxygen combine to form iron oxide. Rust eats away at the upper surface and as this flakes off the lower layers of iron are exposed to oxygen and the process repeats itself with successive layers of iron degrading into flaky rust.

Left: living patina on Hedgerow Bronze Lever after 8 years Right: Polished bronze with light patina and sealed

Bronze is an alloy formed with copper which is the main metal and one that is rust resistant.

Our handles are cast in silicon bronze and the silicon element strengthens the copper and enhances its corrosion resistance. Silicon bronze is a particularly good at resisting the corrosive effects of sodium chloride or seawater.

Silicon bronze will oxidize in different ways and produce different colored oxides depending on the composition of the air and water in the environment. The more acidic the air the more accelerated the oxidation process will be but as we can see from historical buildings and ancient artefacts this patination process should not be mistaken as metal corrosion or decay but seen as a successive build-up of layers of patina.

Vine Cabinet Pull the Patinas were Created By Applying Liquid Sulfides and Oxides to Hot Bronze

The air is made up of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and depending on your location varying levels of sulfur, ammonium and phosphorous, the latter being by-products and pollutants associated with high density farming and industrial manufacturing. When these combine with water or each other they produce oxides and sulfides that produce different patinas on the bronze surface

We replicate these environmental patinas with our light and dark brown finishes and blue green and red patinas by immersing our castings in chemical solutions of ammonium and sulfur for black and redder tones and cupric sulfate and acetic acid for blue green tones. We then seal the patina either with a coat of oil, wax, lacquer or with a more durable enamel layer which is baked onto the patina. The sealants slow the rate of future patination to varying degrees.

Marine Grade Door Handles for Beach Properties - Part 1

If you live at the beach or own a yacht you are probably aware of the corrosive effects of salt air and sea water that can eat away at iron causing it to rust and degrade. What causes this to happen and what metals should door handles be made from to avoid this fate?

Our door handles and cabinet pulls are cast either in silicon bronze or 316 stainless steel and both are good choices for ocean or beach environments as they both oxidize in a good way.

To understand corrosion we first need to analyze the alloys that make up stainless steel and bronze.

Stainless Steel

Describes a family of metal alloys the base or main alloy being iron. The other important components are carbon, chromium, nickel and molybdenum and the last 3 make 316 stainless steel corrosion resistant.

Water causes iron to rust by combining with carbon dioxide in the air to produce corrosive carbonic acid which as it dissolves the iron creates a layer of iron oxide or rust.
Stainless steel contains the metal chromium which when exposed to oxygen in the air becomes unstable and combines with the oxygen to produce a thin protective film of chromium oxide. The film is passive and does not harm the metal but forms a tight film that clings to the surface effectively sealing it. The thin layer of chromium oxide adheres to the surface forming an almost impenetrable film that prevents harmful iron oxidation from occurring.

The Nickel component plays a supporting role and it enables the chromium oxide to rebuild and self-heal if it is damaged, it helps the chromium rebind with oxygen to create more protective chromium oxide.

While 304 and 316 grades of stainless steel contain chromium and nickel only 316 contains molybdenum a metal that is particularly effective at preventing corrosion caused by sodium chloride that is present in sea water. The salt content of water speeds up the corrosive effect of carbonic acid and molybdenum seems to slow this process down thereby helping prevent corrosion.

We make our Ergo and Morphic door handles in 316 stainless steel, the alloy is more expensive and harder to machine and finish than other grades but it’s superior corrosion resistance justifies the price tag.

Thumb-latches and mortise locks - continued discussion

In the previous post we used a photograph of a mortise lock to identify and name the locks components which we will describe here in more detail.
The turn piece, deadbolt, and keyed cylinder act together to lock the door. When the key is turned inside the cylinder one clockwise turn will unlock and retract the deadbolt and conversely one anti-clockwise turn will throw the bolt. The key can also be used to retract the latch and open the door by being turned one more click clockwise. This sophisticated mechanism is useful when you have a bag of groceries as you can unlock and open the door with the key and simply pull the door open all with just one hand.
The turn piece has one function only to release or throw the deadbolt and if you are on the inside of the door with that same bag of groceries you will definitely need another hand to press down on the thumb latch or lever to open the door by retracting the latch.

In a similar way the thumb latch on the outside of the door and the corresponding thumb latch or lever on the inside of the door act together with the latch mechanism to open and close the door. Our Hedgerow entry sets are available either as thumb latch to lever sets or thumb latch to thumb latch and Accurate makes specific models for each configuration.

Upward Sweep of Hedgerow Branches

We use the Accurate mortise lock because it is a superior lock and made in the US. We also like the custom configurations that Accurate offer such as their disk insert mortise which is better suited to our more fluid and artistic trim designs. Our Willow and Hedgerow levers have branches and leaves that curve upwards bringing the lever closer to the turn piece. To prevent ones knuckles from colliding with the turn piece Accurate make a disk insert that allows the turn piece to be installed higher in the lock body.

Note How The Disk Insert Creates an Alternative Higher Positioned Port For The Turn Piece

Creative Use of Door Handles - In the Company of Art and Design

Carol Salb and Stacy Welch of Reddington Designs recently shared photos of a cabinet they designed using our Ergo door handles but with very original positioning.
The Ergo series, as it’s name suggests, focuses on functional shapes that are easy to grip and we hope pleasing to touch. To achieve an ergonomic shape we appreciate that left handed and right handed people will grip a pull differently. As a committed lefty who has spent many years coping with the challenges of a right hand world I was the ideal subject for Martin’s Ergo designs.

Andy Warhol’s Goethe Screen-prints - cabinet design and photo courtesy of Reddington Designs all rights reserved

We knew from Stacy and Carol that the Ergo handles needed to be customized in depth so that they projected less from the surface of the cabinet doors. What we didn’t realize is how they would re-position the handles to create a wonderfully fluid and visually interesting cabinet.
While the “handing” of each pull did not change the pulls were inverted but still retained their ergonomic design.

Ergo Entry Door Handle

The cabinet was designed by Carol and Stacy and made by Ayr Cabinets using a custom stain over rift oak. The piece has a lovely unorthodoxy and it’s upwards movement seems to defy gravity making it a perfect design for the pop-up TV it houses. The Ergo handles were originally designed as entry door handles but in the hands of a talented designer they can work equally well as cabinet door pulls.
The cabinet sits below 3 of Andy Warhol’s Goethe prints, a series based on the iconic painting of Goethe by Johann Tischbein.

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Making A Custom Cabinet Pull from Wax to Bronze

Following on from last week’s post I will be showing how we tackle the task of changing the direction of an orchid cabinet pull from left to right. Down-stream we will be making a new mold that will allow us to create a right facing orchid stem directly from the mold with each wax section emerging from the mold as a component for a right facing pull. Until demand warrants the time and cost of making a permanent mold we will need to re-work the stem and flower sections at the wax stage to create a new right pull. This process will be repeated for each pull ordered and as we have 8 pulls to make with each pull requiring 3 wax sections, we will be investing a considerable amount of time modelling by hand all 24 wax sections. The waxes will then be shelled with silica and eventually will be melted out in an autoclave and fired to create a hollow shell which will be invested with molten bronze. The wax that is burnt out is the reason this casting method is often referred to as “lost wax” casting. Rather than making wax replicas one could map the original left pattern to create a file for a right pull and then print each section or possibly the complete piece as a 3D print. To create the print, successive layers of photo-reactive resin are built up and allowed to solidify, a process that would also take hours. Given the extremely detailed nature of the pull the 3D print would still require some cleaning up before it could be shelled, making it a less viable method of production.

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See Orchid and other Plant Pulls

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Left to Right: Flower 2 parts, Assembled in wax, Front View, Profile View

In Photoshop it is easy using the edit function to flip an image horizontally so that it is shown as the mirror opposite and so change a left directional piece to a right in directional one. However, in the real 3D world this would not work and in the case of the orchid stem rotating the pull right would result in the 2 flower heads facing down making for an upside- down pull. To achieve a right facing pull the curve of the sprig as well as the flower heads and buds need to be cut and re-positioned.

Orchid Components - left facing buds and flowers re-positioned and shaped to become right facing

Inspiring Entry Door - Bee Door Knobs and Insect Art

Choosing the right doorknob for our new insect paneled entry door was not a difficult task as we have 4 styles of animal and reptile to choose from. The carnivorous lizard would have been an obvious choice but as he occupies center stage on our entry gate, we decided to opt for the bumble bee knob.
The bumble bee is cast in bronze and we finished this set with a dark oil rubbed patina which plays well with both the red and black colors of our entry door. To accentuate the bees round abdomen and eyes and to highlight the ridges on the honeycomb back plate we lightened these sections for contrast.

The honeycomb back-plate can function as both an escutcheon for the bee knob or as trim that can be used to house a keyed cylinder. The bee knob when turned activates a latch that opens the door and when released keeps the door closed. The honeycomb is machined to take a spindle that passes through the port of the latch to activate the latch and to keep the knobs firmly attached to each other.

The honey comb for the keyed cylinder is machined on the outside with a large 1 3/8” hole to house the keyed cylinder and on the inside with a small ½” to house the turn piece that enables the door to be locked or unlocked from the inside. If you study the photo of the inside trim you will notice that the turn piece is styled on a small cockchafer beetle.

Our entry door took several weeks to create and our posts document how the panels were created so if you want to turn one of your doors into a gallery of bird, animal or flower paintings then please do read our earlier posts of japanning and gold leafing. Needless to say there is no limit to the subject matter for decorative panels, so harness your imagination and create something fabulous.

Japanned Gold Leaf Panels with Bumble Bee Knob

Black Crested Red Whiskered Bulbul

With more time to walk we are able to see more Bulbuls in the Hollywood hills and have managed to photograph several.
We first encountered this petite bird with colorful markings in the 1990’s at the Huntington gardens and felt quite privileged to site this bird that we have always associated with Asia and tropical environments. What we hadn’t realized was that the Bulbul was a common resident of the park in the 1970’s and 80’s and was on the A list as a non-indigenous species and destined for eradication. Thankfully sufficient public and birder opposition resulted in the suspension of this policy and now we enjoy this cheery musical creature in our own neighborhood.

I had a great deal of fun reading about the bird’s diet and habitat on Wikipedia and as a result know this passerine bird to be a fugivore. For those unfamiliar with these terms they simply mean that this is a bird that likes to perch and lives on a fruit diet. As a frugivore it makes sense that the Bulbul now thrives in Florida and southern California where fruit is abundant.
While the Bulbul is named for its small red-whiskers the males back crest and red abdominal feathers are much easier to spot as can be seen here. Like all passerines the Bulbul has three toes that point forward and one pointing back which makes perching an easy task.
If you are looking for a less flighty bird and one that you would like to use as a cabinet pull then consider the swallow pull or if you are searching for a wall statement check out our bronze jay bird.

To read more about the Bulbul’s near eradication please the article by Mary Barker


For those seeking to improve their ornithological knowledge or looking for words for Scrabble Wikipedia is great resource.

Custom Appliance Pull

We have now completed the custom Willow Appliance pull as can be seen from the photos here.
The custom pull was created by joining the right and left Willow cabinet handles to create the desired length of 17”. The length of the pull and shape of the sprig were perfectly suited to create this new item without our needing to substantially redesign the sprig and without the need to create a new pattern or mold. As discussed in an earlier post (Jan 16,2020) the new pull was created by melding and tooling 2 wax sprigs to create a single piece that was then shelled with several coats of a silica slurry before being fired to create a rigid shell.We cast these pieces in silicon bronze and then finished them in 3 different ways. The first photo below shows the effect achieved by finely buffing the bronze with successive grits of sanding compound. The deep undercuts created by the willow leaves create a shadow that adds subtle depth to the finished piece.

For a more dramatic pewter look we finished one piece using a full strength black oxide and gently removed a little of the solution around the edges of the leaves to create a very soft bronze glow, you will need to zoom into the second photo to understand what I mean.
For maximum contrast we finished the third piece with bold contrasting bands of black oxide that we removed in adjacent areas to create a striated piece.

Insect Art Completed Work

Martin has now completed all 18 insect panels for our front door which will be hung soon following some minor repairs to the door which we suspect may be close to a 100 years old.

Continuing from my earlier post, the panels once gilded were sealed with a clear semi-gloss lacquer and the outline of the insects body and eyes were darkened with a glaze made from mixing a  black UTC with a naphtha-like solvent which was applied with an extremely fine brush. Naphtha is a fast drying solvent and when mixed with oil based pigmented UTC’s dries very rapidly allowing successive layers of color to be built up. Each layer of colored glaze needs to be firmly sealed with a coat of lacquer before the next glaze is applied.

As the UTC pigments are essentially suspended in oil they are translucent and this allows the gold leaf to shine through creating an overall sense of iridescence.

Martin created the different glazes using the following UTC (Universal Coloring Tints) made by Chroma-Chem and typically only available through wholesales paint suppliers.

Green – Thalo Blue (824-7209) mixed with Light Yellow (824-2511)

Orange – Toluidine Red ( 824-0705) mixed with Light Yellow (824-2511)

Lamp Black – 824-9946

Titanium White – 824-0082

Once the panels were deemed complete Martin applied two final coats of semi-gloss lacquer to protect and seal the panels. The panels will be attached to the door with small round brass screws one in each corner.

While we do intend to be using these designs in forthcoming art pieces for those wanting to add a bug or two now  to that special cabinet or room please do check out our animal and insect bronze cabinet pulls.

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Neptune's Treasure - Ocean Front Door Handles

The scroll serpentine handle was designed for Baha Mar, a beach front resort in Nassua the Bahamas and was created in response to a request from Michael Hong Architects who were the architects and designers for this project. The long curvaceous pull is part of the Morphic collection but the coral inspired design needed to better capture the oceanic nature of this resort. We chose to fashion the ends of the pull on the moon snail shaped seashell thereby making the piece more like the trident spear used by Neptune God of the Ocean in classical mythology.

The oceanic theme was further reinforced by a blue powder coat which we added to inside of the handle. At a height of 40” the new piece was appropriately scaled to suit the grand entry doors to the SLS resort Hotel.

The handle is cast in 3 sections and the 2 scroll ends are welded to the coral stem to form a seamless piece. Cast in stainless steel, the handle is both durable and rust resistant and as with all exterior hollow vertical grips there is a “weep” hole at the lower end for rainwater to drain through.

We are currently completing an order for this piece and have been inspired to design a new set of handles using the snail shaped ends. The scroll ends will be free standing handles and at a height of 6” will be well suited for more modestly scaled residential entry doors. Stay tuned to see or perhaps sea how this piece evolves.

When Creative Minds Collaborate

The result can be a wonderful surprise as I just discovered when I came across the entry way door to an Encinitas residence designed by the very talented Joseph McCarter, the Principal Designer at J.W. McCarter & Associates. I happened upon a close-up shot of our green patina lizard set which was posted on Instagram and reached out to JWM to find out more.

What I discovered was an entry way grand in scale that seamlessly married the skills of wood artisans, glass makers and bronze sculptors to create a unique entry experience. The close up shot of the Lizard handle set only hints at the puzzle like design of the door and frame that was Joseph McCarters’ creative solution to a shortage of long boards of Mahogany.

See More from Our Lizard Collection

Photographer Nader Essa, Photos Courtesy J.W.McCarter & Associates

The puzzle design accentuates the scale of the entry and it is a playful theme that is carried through with our whimsical gecko pull mounted as an incidental accent on the right side of the door. Nature is clearly the driving force for this entry statement and the tropical monstera adansonil “cheese plant” fabricated in stained glass by Glass Light Studio is the vine that weaves from the top to the bottom of the door tying together the parrot, gecko and lizard.

The entry door acts as a bridge from exterior to interior. The grandeur of exterior is achieved in part through the scale of the mahogany puzzle sections and by the upward shining light manufactured by ELA. The treatment of the door interior is more familiar with the door being integrated with the surface of the interior walls and mounted art.

The photographs shown here are courtesy of J.W. McCarter & Associates and the photographer was Nader Essa who specializes in architectural and interior design photography

The door was fabricated by Busch Woodworking.

Custom Bar Door Handles - Sophisitcated powder coating

We were recently commissioned by Meg King Design to make 4 Serpentine door handles in stainless steel for a very creative client she is working with. Meg wanted to add a custom dimension to the handles for her client’s barn doors and suggested we add a black accent. It would have been too mundane to add black to the entire piece so inspired by a photo Martin had taken of a black crested bulbul we added a powder coated crest to the top and bottom of the grip.

As mentioned in previous posts, stainless steel being a hard and dense metal does not readily absorb chemical patinas as they tend to slough off the surface. However, this alloy does work well with powder coating a process where color is added to the surface and then baked on creating a very durable finish. The range of colors and degree of luster available in powder form is extensive and most are also available in aerosol of liquids, so Meg was able to use the same black tone on the door astragals and barn door track. To pinpoint the right black, I turned to Dan Regan my trusted powder coating expert who is the owner of Primo Powder Coating in Huntington Beach who helped us select a matt black (10% gloss) BK120 powder manufactured by Cardinal Paint.

The bulbul shown here was photographed in the succulent section of the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, a destination well worth visiting for its rich variety of native and exotic plants.