Newport Chest Brasses

A

Ademers

Member
Does anyone know what the plate and bore sizes are for the pulls and escutcheons on a Townsend chest of drawers?  This would be the early version c1765.  I had a chance to view and measure an orginal a couple of months ago and missed this detail.  Thanks
 
Don't remember the sizes off hand, but I made a Townsend high chest recently and got the brasses from Ball and Ball--they were a larger version of the C-11 plate.  If that's the one you are looking for, I can get some measurements.  They had the plate on file, and it was the same as a documented brass from the Brown secretary, I believe. 
 
There is no right answer, as brasses varied somewhat in size depending on what was available at the time. The brasses on the secretary I did were giant and would look overwhelming on a standard chest-Al
 
Ifnisnzwunyurlukinfur:  If you're talking about the chest shown in Hecksher's book, catalog no. 18, 4 drawer blockfront, shell-capped bureau, then take a look at brass item no. CH44 in Londonderry's website.  Quite close in design and shape.   Townsend's brass selection fits quite well in the area between shells, so look for that.  You could print out the photo from the website at full scale, cut it out, and lay it on your work to be sure the size is good.

JD
 
Sometimes you'll have to clip the brass to get it to fit between the shells- see the old stuff and hey did the same thing-Al
 
Thank you all for the feedback - very helpful.  I typically use Ball & Ball but noticed that Horton has similar brasses at a much lower price.  Does anyone have an opinon on Horton products as I have not used them.  Thanks
 
Both companies are great.  I use them both.  Horton ships much faster and has only one shipping charge no matter how many items you order.

Dennis Bork
 
I agree-I have gotten exceptional service from Orion and the folks at Horton.  They are pretty close by to me so I usually just stop over there to get what I need.  I've gotten a lot of drawer locks from them, and have gotten QA brasses from them.  They don't have a huge selection of later style brasses, so I have gone with Ball & Ball for those--haven't seen Londonderry brasses in person, but they seem to be across the board the most expensive.
 
Yeah, the Horton folks are good.  I had a problem with one lock, and two days later two new ones showed up at my door, no charge.  Orion rang me up the next day to be sure I'd had them. 
Horton's brasses (QA & Chip.) I believe are all plate/sheet brass stamped and beveled (filed?).  Ball and Ball have both cast and stamped.  Londonderry's are all cast.  I've not used them but a few months ago I saw a number of them on finished pieces, and I will not be using any others from now on.  They are pricey.  The hardware from them for my oxbow chest (four draws) will run me almost 600 dolla.  Gotta have the good stuff though.  The cast ones I saw had a look that just said "Real" to me, along with minor irregularities, casting flash and verdigris that added up to a just right look.
My guess is that our forebears didn't have the same inexpensive options for brasses that we have today.  The cost of brasses for a quality piece must have been a pretty substantial part of the total cost of a piece.  I think, and someone please correct me if wrong, that all period brasses were cast.

JD
 
There is a distinction between Londonderry's products (generally made for them by Optimum Brasses in the UK, though they have other manufacturer's products) and Horton's and Ball and Ball's. 

Londonderry's are made -completely- like the originals were, including the cast posts & nuts, or cotter pins, depending on the style/period.  Horton and Ball&Ball, probably for reasons of cost, supply modern cut-thread posts and hex nuts though you could substitute out the hex nuts for square ones.

In other words, Horton's and Ball&Ball's products will be fairly convincing from the exterior of a piece, but -instantly- identifiable as a modern reproduction when a drawer is opened.  To many, that doesn't matter.  To some, it does.
 
I don't know how loud I should say this, but Mr. Keller you just paid for my SAPFM membership for the next several years.  Thank you.  Hadn't heard about Optimum Brasses before, but I'm glad I did; I'm just about to buy some cast brasses.

JD
 
When I was shopping for brasses for my highboy I sent a pdf of the original brass, traced on a piece of paper, to Horton.  The next day I got a call from a guy who Orion had referred me to--he works at a custom shop that makes real high end brasses for antiques dealers and museums, etc.  I don't remember who he was or what the name of his shop was, but I bet Horton would be happy to refer you.  In the end I went with Ball and Ball because they were about $15 cheaper per plate.  A few of the bails I got were cast, with cast nuts, and the rest were machined bails with modern nuts.  They might be able to supply the cast ones if that is important. 
Rob
 
I stumbled upon a Franklin Gottshall book on Google.  In reading it, I came upon the following quote which I thought might be of interest:

"Good hardware is such an important item on furniture of good quality that it deserves special attention in a book of this kind.  Only the finest hardware obtainable should be used on the pieces presented here, and while the items needed may appear to be a bit high in price when  purchased, the quality of workmanship entailed in producing them, and the research and know-how required to ensure authenticity in their design, justify the small difference in cost between items of mediocre quality and those which are the very best obtainable."

JD
 
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