About usBRASS FOUNDRY CASTINGS LTD - For quality service with integrity since 1979. was established in 1979 and is completely dedicated to your total satisfaction. Our clients include: antique restorers, antique trade, architects, craftspeople, galleries, interior designers, national and international museums, trusts, Town Halls, English Heritage, National Trust, private collectors and estates including St. James's Palace, Kensington Palace, The Wallace Collection, The Sir John Soane's Museum and Buckingham Palace. We also pride ourselves on servicing the private individual - perhaps a missing handle or humble backplate.
With a combined working experience of over 250 years, our craftsmen and craftswomen have acquired a knowledge of the products and their application through researching the type of fittings used in the 17th - 20th centuries and faithfully reproduce copies from the originals which reflects the past history of the fittings and include inconsistencies and blemishes which enhance the character and charm of the collection.
We are pleased to provide specialist advice to our customers, when deciding which product would be most suitable, drawing on the experience and knowledge gained over the years.
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About the productWe are constantly adding products to the range. Most of the fittings shown in this catalogue are produced by the lost wax process, also known as "cire perdue". It has been used throughout antiquity to create finely detailed objects in metals ranging from bronze to gold.
Each component is individually made in a seven-stage process. 1) Moulding; 2) Made in wax; 3) Sprue making; 4) Investment (encased in plaster); 5) Burn out (melted out); 6) Casting (molten metal is poured into the cavity); 7) After cooling, the fitting is broken out of the plaster and hand polished.
The castings are direct copies from original fittings. The blemishes and inconsistencies to be found in the cast reproductions form the character and charm of the collection, and have been deliberately reproduced. Please note that some minor variations may also occur from one casting to another due to the handmade process.
Since everybody's requirements are different, products are supplied without screws; escutcheon pins or bolts unless ordered. All screw threads are cast in brass unless otherwise stated, and we strongly recommend that pilot holes are drilled, and the hole is pre-drilled and cut using a steel screw before screwing in the cast fitting to avoid shearing the thread. Threads have been copied from hand cut originals, and where supplied, nuts may be loose fitting due to shrinkage. They can be easily tightened by gently squeezing with a pair of pliers or in a light vice.
Due to the nature of casting, sometimes the countersinks of screw holes may be irregular causing screw heads to be proud from the surface. Preferably using a pillar drill, lightly re-surface the countersink with a sharp drill or countersink bit.
The collection has been compiled with restorers in mind, and fittings are supplied on the understanding that some modifications may be required by clients.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, materials were costly and labour was plentiful and cheap. Castings would have been hand chased after casting to define detail, and chasers would have been paid a meagre minimum weekly wage. In the 21st century, the reverse is true with high labour costs and relatively cheap materials. It is uneconomical to hand chase castings, and we have to rely on crisp moulding techniques to pick up detail from the original if it is not too worn. Realizing that there are circumstances that warrant the expense of hand chasing, we are pleased to be able to provide this service (see below in "product options").
The mixture of tin, zinc and copper is made up to a consistency to match the yellow to be found in 18th and 19th century fittings. U.S. law requires us to disclose that the lead content exceeds one half of one billionth of a gram. Typical content is 2 1/2% although 1% is achievable in Brass, and 1/4% in Bronze by special request at additional cost. Each casting is hand polished to a bright finish on highlights, leaving a contrasting matt surface on low relief areas and is supplied without lacquer or wax finishing. The bright finish will naturally tone down to a desirable yellow-gold colour after some months and may indeed have already done so if held in our stock prior to dispatch. Various heat or chemical treatments should be applied to prematurely age the fittings.
Measurements are given in metric and imperial as accurately as possible. The metric measurements are more precise than imperial, but both are subject to slight inaccuracies due to the nature of lost wax cast metal and mould shrinkage.
Please contact us for pricing if you require any of the following options:
· Colour-matched (Price on receipt of an original pattern to copy.
· "Mix and match". Limited only by one's imagination, components can be adapted and combined, tailored to your individual requirements to create something truly unique
· For those craftspeople who like to control how much metal is removed in the fettling and polishing stages, we can provide unfinished castings "in the rough".
· Hand chasing
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About making a purchaseFOR TRADE DISCOUNTS ON VOLUME ORDERS OVER £500 NET OF ANY ONE PRODUCT, PLEASE CONTACT US.
Making a purchase could not be easier. Just browse our collection, and click on any items that you wish to buy and place them into the shopping cart. After you have finished your selection, click on "Checkout" and you will be asked for a few details that we require to process the order. Your online order will be processed by the latest secure server software. This means that all sensitive information such as credit card details sent for authorisation are encrypted so then cannot be read by others. We use the same methods as used by many of the largest e-commerce sites.
Contact details:
BRASS FOUNDRY CASTINGS LTD
4 PLEASANT VIEW, TOP ROAD, HOOE, BATTLE, EAST SUSSEX TN33 9EX, UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: +44 (0)1424 893158 M: +44 (0)7747 674928
Website: www.brasscastings.co.uk
Email: info@brasscastings.co.uk |
