Using Custom Door Knockers To Create An Image

By Angel Dudley


It will come as no surprise but the first thing any visitor to your house will see is your front doorway. This is an ideal chance to set the scene. One way to do this is by making use of custom door knockers. By making the right choice you can give people an insight into who you really are. Some people have followed the British habit of naming their house, and this is something else which can be incorporated into the design you choose.

Consider some of those grand old houses that you used to see in costume dramas and films. Many of these had quite imposing entryways and they seemed very apt to have large and ornately designed ironmongery on these magnificent portals. Now you too can have the same.

There are several finishes which are available, they can be the old fashioned cast iron up to the popular brass. There are plenty of existing designs to pick from, or you might have a better design of your own. If you think that the highly individual route is the one for you, then you will be working with one of the company's designers.

As previously mentioned brass is very popular, and this is created by a process known as sand casting. Wonderful results can be obtained by carefully following the multi-step procedure. If there is the slightest inattention then it could result in the piece getting scrapped.

Sand casting involves a mixture of sand, clay and water, which is tightly packed into a two piece box made from wood. This is called a flask. The required design is impressed and created in both parts of the flask. The two halves are rejoined together and pouring holes are created, these will enable molten brass to be poured into the void left by the design. The flask is in two parts, so that the design can easily be removed once the metal has cooled.

The pouring stage is extremely dangerous as the molten brass is 1700 degrees Fahrenheit. So the flask shouldn't be moved until the metal has fully cooled. When it has cooled enough for the metal to return to a solid state, the two halves of the flask are removed. At this point the metal surface is still quite rough. It will require additional work including cutting, filing, buffing and polishing.

Typically a complete set will take two castings, one for the body of the piece and one for the clapper. Some will also need a third casting for the striker plate. When everything has been created to satisfaction a clear lacquer is then applied. This will prevent tarnishing and will preserve this bespoke set for many years to come.

One thing that people often fail to think about with custom door knockers is how they will be attached. If they are going onto a wooden surface then they can be made to be mounted from the front. This means that when you look from inside your home you will not see the bolt heads. For other surfaces rear mounting often cannot be avoided, but they can be partially hidden by using brass rosettes.




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