by
Joanna Werch Takes
for Woodworker's Journal Magazine
If
you've been reading Woodworker's Journal for a couple of years,
you may remember that we named Gustav Stickley the "woodworker of
the 20th century"-- noting how his influence has inspired
woodworkers up to and including Norm Abram. For Stickley, construction
and decoration were inseparable -- which meant he was picky about his
hardware.
He
respected the ancient crafts, and filled his factory with metalsmiths
trained in Old World traditions. His workshops made and offered hardware
in a variety of metals -- iron, copper, brass and pewter -- as well as,
sometimes, in wood.
Round or
pyramid-shaped wooden pulls were less expensive for his customers, and
were used more frequently in "non-public" areas of the house
like the kitchen or bathroom. Showier rooms generally had hand-hammered
copper or iron hardware for pulls and hinges. Strap hinges were a
predominant style, while the pulls tended to be of the ring bail
variety.
The
iron was in the Old World "armor bright" finish, while the
copper and brass went through a firing method that produced a texture,
but were left unlacquered. Just as Stickley believed in letting age
darken the wood in his pieces, he also said, regarding hardware, that
age and exposure were the only agents "required to produce beauty
and variety of tone."
For
today’s woodworker completing a Mission style project, the hardware is
the final touch -- both functional and decorative.
If
you've been reading Woodworker's Journal for a couple of years,
you may remember that we named Gustav Stickley the "woodworker of
the 20th century"-- noting how his influence has inspired
woodworkers up to and including Norm Abram. For Stickley, construction
and decoration were inseparable -- which meant he was picky about his
hardware.
The
iron was in the Old World "armor bright" finish, while the
copper and brass went through a firing method that produced a texture,
but were left unlacquered. Just as Stickley believed in letting age
darken the wood in his pieces, he also said, regarding hardware, that
age and exposure were the only agents "required to produce beauty
and variety of tone."