window hardware restoration | burnished nickel
The captioned window hardware here is finished in burnished nickel. We provide all new slotted fasteners (finished to match). This hardware is part of an apartment restoration in Chicago, Illinois.
polished nickel medicine cabinets
These medicine cabinets were fabricated by our shop for a project in Chicago. The design conceals all screws, seems and exposed hardware. The nickel finish is unsurpased on the solid brass frames fabricated in our shop. The captioned cabinet is almost 4 feet tall and weighs approximatly 100 lbs.
bower-barf historic finish
Bower-Barf is a black rust-resisting finish applied to steel and iron only and is not applicable to non-ferrous metals.? It is named after two men, Mr. Bower and Mr. Barff, who originally developed the process.
?Iron or steel items to be finished are heated in special furnaces to approximately 1700 degrees Fahrenheit, at which temperature they are cherry red in color.? While at this temperature, live steam and volatile hydrocarbon liquids are injected in to the furnace for a period of several minutes.? The chemical action of the heat, water-vapor and hydrocarbon gases on the iron and steel is such that the surface of the items being treated become oxidized and carbonized.? The surface becomes covered and impregnated with a hard, non-porous, grayish-blackish coating.? The surface with this treatment practically becomes impervious to moisture.? After parts are removed they are dipped in a special oil and wiped off.? The finish becomes a dead black and is extremely beautiful and very practical for interior use.
Current Day Finish Option:
We at Al Bar Wilmette have a colder process that is done with a non-volatile process in our shop.? We refer to our finish as the ‘Olde Iron’ finish (though Bower-Barf is certainly more interesting).? We use a oil, wax or acrylic for our final step of the process (depending on what the final location of the hardware/lighting will be).? As with any finish we do the base metal must be extremely clean, have no surface tension, and in the case of iron or steel be finished almost immediately because of how fast surface rust occurs.
historic finishes introduction
This hardware is for a historic building in Chicago we are restoring all the hardware on.? The finish is Bower-Barf — we are in the process?developing a historic finishes resource to assist homeowners, designers?and architects with determination and the historical process of plating and finishing.?
Much of these finishes cannot be done today because of environmental regulations.? However, new technologies and processes allow us to achieve the same final finish with a more advanced and cleaner process.? Unfortunately most of the time the labor involved with even the new process is just the same if not more intense.
old brass | active privacy
These knobs are installed as an active privacy on a pair of doors using our automatic transom bolt in a previous entry.? Always remember to allow for egress (entry to a room from the outside) especially if you have small children running around.
pocket door flush pulls
This is a great example of using the new with the old.? These mirrored pocket doors are a part of a local hardware installation.? The flush pulls are actually about 90 years old and being used with new edge pulls.? Hopefully we will see some more photos from this project soon.
silver corona hinge finials
Here are some finials for our 4″ butt hinges that we have finished in silver.? These are then waxed prior to completion.
art deco front entry | nickel plated
?This art deco entry set is part of a project we just finished for a local Chicago home.? The finish is a distressed nickel finish that is left un-coated to naturally patina and change with use.?
If you think you are going to use a custom finish always be certain to ask for a production sample for review.? This sometimes will delay your project but it is often worth the extra time involved.
cremone bolt | polished nickel finish
Here are a couple photos of our cremone bolts with the?westmoreland knob in polished nickel.? These were installed as a piece of an overall hardware package on a project in Highland Park, Illinois.? These cremones can be finished by our shop in any finish and many knob selections are also available.
??
deming flush pulls | cast bronze
These are the raw castings of pocket door hardware we are making for a Chicago project. They will be finished in a soft ‘butler’ bronze and hand waxed.
silver plated offset pivot hinges
?
?
These solid brass offset pivots were finished in satin silver for our client in New Jersey.? They also have a clear coat that will aid in the prevention of tarnish.
old brass & wax | custom hardware
?
?
The captioned photos here are of an installation in New York, our finish is an old brass with wax.? Most of the hardware was original and the balance was made for the remodel/addition.
shower door pulls
These are some custom shower door pulls prepared for a local client.? They are finished in polished nickel.? We offer most of our pulls in a glass door mount set-up.
olive knuckle hinges
?
??? 
?
Sometimes a new hinge just isn’t made like the old one – take a look at this situation the new hinges are on the left and the old hinges are on the right.? Take note on how the new deltana hinge has actually pulled and bent from its’ lower leaf.? The old rixon hinge is ready for another 100 years – even the tasteful screw placement is appealing.? Remember in previous entries how we have discussed slotted vs. phillips screws – this is a great chance to see them side by side.
custom oil rubbed bronze pulls
?
The captioned hardware was made for a project in Chicago, Illinois.? These pulls were fabricated in solid brass and then finished in oil rubbed bronze.
The inspiration piece was sand cast in one piece.? The hardware captioned was fabricated using CNC equipment and each pull contains 7 pieces – giving it the detail and crisp nature the original did not have.
