Year of The Wood Dragon

The Chinese Year of the Dragon began on February 10th, 2024, continues until January 28th 2025.The Chinese zodiac follows the moon and is divided into 12 year cycles. Each cycle is represented by an animal which includes a rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

 The English word zodiac dates back to the Roman and Greek periods and  the 12 symbols represent the months of the calendar. The word zodiac derives from the Greek word zōdiakòs kýklos meaning circle or cycle of animals. While the zodiac signs do include a ram, bull,crab,lion,scorpion, and goat, the signs actually represent the Greek Gods and rather than following only the moon they follow the paths of different star constellations.

In the Chinese zodiac the 12-year cycles represented by animals are also associated with the five elements; wood, fire, earth, metal and water. In Chinese philosophy the ancient philosophers believed that we could understand our world by looking to these 5 types of energy and how they change. This is the year of the Wood Dragon which is considered the first phase in the cycle of growth and that is aptly depicted by the Chinese symbol for tree.

 Our inspiration for the dragon door knob came from watching Game of Thrones and from Daenary’s wonderfully animated fire- breathing friends. Their depiction as powerful scaled beings was central to our much smaller dragon. At a height of 3” and weighing 2lbs and based on the dragons’ wing length of being 196’ I have guessed our bronze version if scaled to this size would be an impressive 20-ton creature.

In honor of the Wood Dragon, we have created a scene using our Hedgerow trees to form a landscape to celebrate this year.

Custom Multi-Point Hardware

We are pleased to announce that we have created two new pieces that will make our existing Willow and Hedgerow multi-point trim suitable for installation with Andersen’s current multi-point lock.

Hedgerow Multi-Point trim interior view showing new turn piece designed to work with an Andersen multi-point lock

 Overview of multi-point lock

The multi-point lock and the mortise lock provide good alternatives for making an entry or patio door secure and which you chose will depend on several factors the most critical being that the multi-point lock usually needs to be installed when the door is being made. The multi-point lock is also designed to be activated by a lever rather than knob or thumb-latch and this is a critical factor in choosing suitable hardware trim.

The multi-point  has 3 locking points when the door is a single door and 5 when there are double doors.

The  multi-point system has 2 main components. A rod extension mechanism that has an  upper and lower section that is installed inside the door during manufacture and a deadbolt unit that the extenders are attached to.

The extenders are activated by a decorative lever that  is installed into the central deadbolt unit. When the lever is pushed upwards the extenders act as locking bolts and are thrown upwards and downwards into header and threshold securing the door at these 2 points. A decorative knob or turn piece is installed in the deadbolt box and when turned throws the tongue of the deadbolt into the door jam or in case of a double door into the non-active door.

Decorative Levers Escutcheons and Turn Pieces

Given that the multi-point mechanism is pre-installed during door manufacturer many consumers assume that this means they must also order the trim from the multi-point lock manufacturer, a fact that is far from the truth.

Exterior view of Hedgerow Multi-Point trim showing keyed cylinder

Willow and Hedgerow adapting for multi-point

Our standard turn piece that is used with Accurate’s mortise lock is cast with a fixed spindle that is on the diamond. Our standard turn piece for a deadbolt is cast on the square with a slot. Neither turn piece was suited to the Andersen deadbolt so we created 2 new turn pieces both square and with a square hole designed for Andersen’s activator. The photo shows how our new Hedgerow turn piece aligns with the activator. As we design and make all our work locally in Los Angeles we are well positioned to adapt our designs to suit different multi-points manufacturer by third parties.

Patina Artistry

In the course of the working week as I pass through the small studio here at Martin Pierce, I am often captivated by the workmanship of our patina artists. The assembly of like pieces that I see are images I wanted to capture as they are both very beautiful and can be captured in our small photo light box.

We started photographing our work as a way of keeping a diary of the different projects and new developments and with the help of a professional photographer learned some of the basic techniques of how best to shoot our work. Our photographs are taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T3 with a zoom lens inside a 5-sided white light box using  rows of small LED lights for an evenly dispersed downward light beam. The light box is housed inside a small dark room with almost no natural light. For stability the camera is placed on a small tripod. The camera is not state of the art and an equally good photograph could be created using a mobile device but what is critical is the light box and even distribution of light.

The willow friends shown above are being prepared for a new home in northern California and they are part of the handles we are making for 11 pairs of double doors that will be locked with an Anderson multi-point system. The Hedgerow and Willow collections were specified for the doors and the cabinet pull selections have been from the orchid and beetle and willow collections. In subsequent posts I will detail how we created 2 custom turn pieces to work with the Anderson lock.

New orchid design for dramatic entry door takes shape

Our Orchid cabinet knobs and pulls are popular pieces and often used as accent statements in kitchens and bathrooms. I suspect the appeal lies in their realism although the designs are not a literal portrayal of any particular orchid. The closest type of orchid is possibly the Paphiopedilum (Venus Slipper) or the Phalaenopsis (Moth) but with over 20,000 species and hybrids there may well be and exact match that left it’s imprint on Martin Pierce’s retina.

 Orchid Cabinet Knobs and Stems

The orchid knob has a 3/4” stem post that allows the flower head to be easily gripped and pulled. The same clearance for fingers is given to the orchid spray by the curved stem that connects the 2 orchid flowers.

New Orchid for grand statement

The new orchid is scaled to make a dramatic door statement and like our Willow heroic pull we see it being placed in the center of the door and not on the door stile. The end result will be cast in solid bronze and measure 6” x 6” x 1 ¼” and it may lend itself to being either nickel plated or artistically patinaed with differing hot green, red or yellow oxides. Unlike the smaller cabinet pulls there will not be a stem post mounting as the orchid perimeter petals will be flush with the door face. As the orchid is loosely based on the Venus slipper orchid it has a large stamen and labellum and together these will serve as the gripping point for the thumb and index fingers.

 Martin as readers will know begins a new piece with a front and side view drawn free hand on paper and this becomes the guide used to roughly cut the patterns in high density foam. The drawing details are then copied on to the rough patterns and then carved to create a three-dimensional piece. The new orchid will be cast in 3 pieces which will be welded together to create a single knob.

Wine Cabinets – Hardware Discussed

For serious wine collectors keeping those liquid gems at a temperature and humidity  where they live happily until consumed is a crucial factor both in the design and construction of a wine closet and in  choosing suitable door hardware.

LEFT: Doors with tubular latch cabinet center divide RIGHT: Fixed handles cabinet doors flush no divide

Wine kept for future consumption needs to be in a cool dark cabinet that is kept to a temperature of 45-65 degrees with a controlled humidity of about 70%. It is also important to keep wine free from vibration as this will disturb the sediment in the bottle as well as setting off a chemical reaction that decreases the wines acids thereby dulling the wines flavor. While minor vibration may be easier to control, in California the vibrations are often seismic!

Do the specific requirements for wine storage limit the customers choice of door handle?

The simple answer is no, choosing the right type of handle for a wine cabinet door should be no more taxing than selecting a handle for any interior door. The same factors need to be considered and questions answered;

Door handing

Functioning latching handles versus fixed

Width of door stile

Door Handing

Looking at the door from the outside, doors that hinge on the left are left-handed and those that hinge on the right are right-handed and this holds true for double doors. Some wine closets are made with a pivot hinge that attaches to the top and bottom of the door with a pin rod, see photo below.

Whatever the hinge type it needs to be strong enough to ensure that the door(s) when closed, tightly fit into the cabinet frame to help maintain a constant temperature. Wine cabinets and wine racks are often made to pitch backwards  which helps prevent the wine from touching the cork and also gives a gentle gravity tug that helps the doors to firmly close.

 Functioning or non-operative levers/pull

This brings up the question of cabinet construction and the presence of a center divide. A center divide is a wood divide that runs from the top to the bottom of the cabinet frame. A center divide of at least 1 1/2”is critical for double doors if they are required to latch with a tubular latch. A tubular latch is activated by the lever which throws the latch tongue into the strike on the side of the divide. Cabinets can be made with  a hydraulic hinge closure which creates a tight hermetic seal that does not require a latching operational handle. If  the double doors are flush without a divide then magnetic latches attached to the top and bottom of the doors and cabinet frame are a good option. Roller latches are another option but the roller ball and strike tend to wear out and the roller springs tend to loose their tensile strength so will need to be adjusted periodically. The plan view in the above diagram shows how the tubular latch and magnetic differ.

Stile Width and Backset

Our standard backplates are 3” wide and require a net stile width of 5” for a 2 3/8” backset. For smaller stiles our multi-point backplates are 2 1/8” or 2 ¼” wide and require a 3 ½” net stile. The width is referred to as net to denote the free flat surface of the door frame without any door molding or astragal.

Photos courtesy of Susan Diamond Location Residence of Susan Diamond and Andrew Fletcher

Hedgerow Multi-point Sets Used as Fixed Handles

 I wrote this piece in response to a consumer whose tenacity and diligence proved indispensable in the correct ordering of our vine door handles. Ordering door handles should not require a degree in engineering and should not be an arduous task so my advise is to check and double check the door specs supplied and don’t hesitate to ask the hardware manufacturer for help in ordering the right type of handle and latch.

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.

Using Wax Facsimiles to Create Bronze Door Handles

Manufacturing artistic bronze handles in the investment method of casting is an inherently labor intensive process. Every decorative aspect of the door set has to be created in wax. A single door set requires a minimum of 4 wax patterns 2 for the left and right levers and 2 for the backplates. Some levers and knobs require 2 wax patterns to be poured as separate waxes and later fused together to create one complete wax pattern.
The Hedgerow lever is extremely detailed requiring 2 molds one for the tree canopy and one for each of the left and right facing tree branches. The canopy and tree branches are melded together using a small heated pen blade, the edge of each wax is gently melted and the two are pressed together to form a tight bond.

A metal spindle is used to connect the 2 levers of a door set and to accommodate this we have to create a small cavity in the end of the wax lever. We either add the shape of the ferrule to the pattern so that this detail becomes part of the wax facsimile or we add a separate ferrule that is machined in steel. In either case to preserve the ferrule shape and to prevent the cavity from subsequently filling-up with silica slurry a tightly fitting ceramic core is place inside the ferrule before the wax pieces are shelled.

To see the end result visit Willow

The final casting is shown below and is part of a complete collection of tree-inspired designs

Back-to-Back Mirrored Door Handles

The Heroic Vine is a very organic piece and is not symmetrical but slightly asymmetric meaning the top and bottom are different and the front and back faces also are slightly different.
Two of these were ordered as a set to be mounted back-to-back on a glass door panel and the client requested that they be “mirrored”.

This raised an interesting question and in answering I was faced with a mind teaser that took me down Alice’s rabbit hole into the world of symmetry.

When we describe 2 images as being mirrored, we are stating that the one image is a reverse of the other and we can flip the image in a program like Photoshop to achieve this. While this is easy to do with a flat or 2-dimensional image this can only be achieved with a 3-dimensional object if is completely symmetric as would be case in a perfectly spherical orb or cylindrical tube. In both cases one can turn the object on its head, rotate it etc. and we will always be viewing the “face”.

This is not the case with any of the door pulls we make as we do not make any that are plain tubes or orbs. However, we can still create a mirrored set provided one face of the handle is symmetrical and the design at the top is the mirror image of the design at the bottom. The Morphic Serpentine handle is a good example with the top lacey pattern bending to the right and the bottom bending to the left.

If the handle design is not symmetrical, we can only create a truly mirrored set if we have a left and right facing design as is the case with our Hedgerow heroic tree handles.

The Grapevine heroic handle is not symmetrical and not directional. The “front” of the handle is different to the “back” as is the “top” to the “bottom”. As a set and when mounted back-to-back on glass they are best described as an organic mirror of each other.

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

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.

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

Taking A Break in the Hollywood Hills - Ways to Re-charge Your Batteries

Don’t be misled by the title as there is noting in this post remotely like practical advise on how to re-charge that battery for your power drill or other electric tool. Instead we spent an overcast May Gray day (not to be confused with Inspector Maigret created by Georges Simenon) on a trail that runs from Durand to Mulholland re-charging our inspirational reserves. Tourists be warned there is no access to the Hollywood sign which if you look closely you can see peering through the marine layer or pedestrian access to Mulholland West.

The overcast sky made the morning refreshingly cool and the Coronavirus gave us time to take a few shots of some of the local birds that were more conspicuous and easier to hear without the throng of tourists.

Flowering Broom

We were treated to both the sight and sound of a Chipping Sparrow perched on a shrub and while we were unable to capture his rust red top we were able to capture his profile as he took off. This family of sparrow is very common in Los Angeles and their tame nature makes them easy to spot.

Broom plants and soft fountain grasses have taken hold on this trail making a great foreground to Castillo del Lago, home in the 1930’s to the renowned gangster Bugsy Siegel and in the late 1990’s to Madonna.

Tame and Easy to Spot the Chipping Sparrow’s Head Has A Rust-Red Top

See how birds have inspired our cabinet pull designs

See how other hikes have inspired our cabinet hardware page

See More of Our Flora Cabinet Pulls

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.

Roller Latches for Stunning Door Handles

A tubular latch is used to hold a door or double door closed. The latch has a tongue that is thrown into the door strike when the lever is depressed, or knob is turned. A roller latch performs a similar function but does not require a lever or knob to be activated which is an attractive option where you have stunning door pulls and do not want anything to detract from their beauty.

Roller latches come in a variety of configurations some perform a simple closing function and Imperial Lock makes a series that also will lock a door. Whatever the configuration they share a simple roller that is a metal ball which projects into a recessed hole in the strike when the ball is sprung. Well-designed rollers are adjustable, and you can decide how far you want the roller to project out from the edge of the door using a long projection to create a tighter closing door that will require more force to open.

Roller latches vary as to how difficult they are to install. To fit a mortise roller latch you will need to cut a substantial rectangular area into the door to house the mortise box which is a job best left to a skilled carpenter or locksmith. In the photos shown here we installed a much simpler roller latch for our bedroom double doors so that our Hedgerow tree pulls could be shown in their full glory. The roller latch only required a shallow small rectangular area for the face plate which was done using a router and a smaller round hole for the roller which was easy to drill out.

Oil rubbed bronze door hardware and living finishes

The corrosion resistance of bronze makes it an alloy well suited for exterior door hardware. Over time with exposure to the elements bronze develops a patina which will continue to age and become darker. This living patina is a film of oxide which develops on the surface and helps to protect the bronze substratum.

We can simulate this process by applying an acidic solution to our prepared bronze (see other posts on Birchwood M20). The acidity of the solution will rapidly darken the bronze creating a film of oxide in a matter of minutes rather months or years. However, even though the bronze has been patinaed the oxidation process will continue and the patina will continue to darken and even become verdigris in color hence the phrase “living patina”.

Can the patina be fixed so that the color of the bronze does not change?
The oxidation process can be slowed down by sealing the surface with wax or by baking on either a clear enamel of lacquer finish. The latter method is one we turn to for more commercial projects and public areas where our handles will be touched constantly.

The knob or lever of a bronze handle set will become naturally burnished in those area where it is touched to open or close a door. As the escutcheon plate typically doesn’t get touched to the same degree, this area will continue to become darker. For our more textured handle sets we simulate this effect by using different acid immersion times for the knob and plate and further accentuate this contrast be burnishing key areas like the lizard’s body shown here.

New Trends in Door Hardware

As a small, hands- on company, it is not difficult to spot trends at their out-start.
This is certainly the case with recent orders for barn door handles that are two tone with black or very dark brown accents. Our large door pulls, or grips are available in silicon bronze, an alloy that is golden or champagne in its unadorned state and in 316 stainless steel, an alloy which is a cool grey when cast.
Both alloys are durable, rust resistant and high- quality mediums but their density dictates how each can be color accented. Stainless steel is a much harder medium than bronze and its surface is more difficult to penetrate so liquid patinas will tend to slough off and not adhere to the metal. While bronze is a strong alloy its surface is easier to buff so liquid patinas can more easily penetrate and bind to the alloy.
Black is the color of choice for most tracking currently being sold for sliding barn doors which explains why we are seeing an increasing demand for black highlights to be added as custom finishes to our steel and bronze door grips. As our large door handles are dramatic organic designs, we feel it is important that the color accent be integrated into the design. When we are adding a dark patina to bronze handles, we immerse the piece in a chemical solution until it reaches the required darkness and then we halt the process by immersing the handle in water. Once dry, we re-work the piece by hand sanding and buffing the piece in select areas to remove the dark patina. The process can be repeated so that different depths of color are created. Once complete the color is fixed with penetrating oils and with a hard-wax topcoat. For high traffic projects the handle can be further protected by baking on a clear enamel coating.

Repeated immersion into patina to develop depth of color - highlights created by removing patina

We add color to stainless steel by baking on a powder chosen for color and iridescence. The handle is buffed or polished to the desired luster and areas that are to be free of color are masked off from areas receiving color. The color powder is sprayed on to the piece and then baked. Determining the accented area is crucial as once baked it is extremely difficult to rework the finish without stripping the piece back to the base metal.

Irrepressible nature and it's formidable roots

We have just returned from Quebec and wanted to share some of the non-architectural gems from the province’s national parks.

In the previous email we focused on the grandeur of the mountains and the power and beauty of Jacques-Cartier river, here we focus on the irrepressible trees that claim their space on this varied terrain.
The image below shows how the roots of a Birch tree forced their way through granite boulders and encapsulated this rock to make a weighty root bulb.

Aspen and birch tree roots intertwine to create natural step edges to this path made by nature and refined by animals including the human variety.

When visiting Kauai in December 2016 we noted how the banyan tree acts in a similar way to carve out a habitat to support it’s limbs.

The unruly entwined roots of the Beech trees of wind-swept Cornwall were the source of inspiration for the Hedgerow tree which is the signature piece in this organic collection of door handles. The handle pattern was carved in basswood in 4 sections with gnarled limbs and deep crevice forming the root bulb of this piece. The handle is formidable, cast with 8lbs of bronze and standing 19” high.