Home Improvement : Old Hardware Elegance Lives in Reproductions

No matter what type of house you’re restoring, the right hardware will go a long way toward recreating what once was.

The extensive list of reproduction items available today includes things such as Colonial and Victorian thumb latch sets, door knobs and plates, and hinges.

Thanks to the few skilled craftsmen who’ve kept yesterday’s blacksmithing and foundry skills alive, it is possible for the serious restorer to find handcrafted hardware that replicates what was used years ago. Many of today’s craftsmen can also copy an existing piece or give new life to an old original in need of repair. There are also companies that sell a variety of machine-made production pieces that are perfectly acceptable in many old-house applications.

To our ancestors, these pieces of metal were a necessary part of life. In early Colonial times, for example, a man had to see the blacksmith before the preacher to ensure that he would have the hardware for the new home he was building for his bride. Considered trousseau items, many pieces from the 17th and 18th centuries were decorated with hearts.

Back then, most hardware was made from hand-forged iron. Since metal was expensive and labor was cheap, everything made out of iron was reused. In addition to paying or bartering with the blacksmith for his services, it wasn’t unusual to also pay him with scrap metal -- perhaps an old horseshoe or wagon tire -- equal to the metal he used to forge the new hardware.

Our ancestors weren’t bound by convention, like we are. There were no rules as to the right or wrong way of doing things. They basically used what they had. That’s why it wasn’t unusual to see locks made for left-handed doors installed upside down to service a right-handed door.

The heyday of the blacksmith waned as machines, factories and foundries became prevalent.

Today, old-house restorers are lucky to find a good mix of both hand-forged and hand-cast, as well as machine-made, items available to outfit their homes. The classic blacksmithing, hand-forged hardware is made the same way it was over 200 years ago at places like Kayne & Son Custom Forged Hardware in Candler, N.C.

It’s important to note that people weren’t as critical back then as we are today. Since we’re used to seeing machine-produced hardware, we expect things to be symmetrical. Obviously, this wasn’t the case years ago, when everything was done by hand. For example, it’s quite common to see an original pair of andirons with one piece shorter than the other or a door hinge with uneven sides.

Modern blacksmiths, on the other hand, must work to today’s standards, so care must be taken to ensure pieces match and sides are even.