why does a brass door knob 1920s look so different than one from the 1980s?
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A major distinction I haven’t seen mentioned yet is that newer brass hardware is often lacquered. This seals the metal from environmental aging (patina) and keeps it looking shiny and yellow. Older hardware is typically not lacquered, allowing the metal to develop a natural patina (darker and dull).
Additionally, a lot of newer hardware is plated brass on a cheaper base metal. This makes it even harder to develop a patina, as any surface imperfections are more likely to rupture the plating and expose the underlying metal, often corroding. Older (and higher quality) brass hardware is typically solid brass, which allows scuffs and dings to look like “character” instead of damage.
A major distinction I haven’t seen mentioned yet is that newer brass hardware is often lacquered. This seals the metal from environmental aging (patina) and keeps it looking shiny and yellow. Older hardware is typically not lacquered, allowing the metal to develop a natural patina (darker and dull).
Additionally, a lot of newer hardware is plated brass on a cheaper base metal. This makes it even harder to develop a patina, as any surface imperfections are more likely to rupture the plating and expose the underlying metal, often corroding. Older (and higher quality) brass hardware is typically solid brass, which allows scuffs and dings to look like “character” instead of damage.
Also, lots of “brass” from the 1980’s is plated over steel whereas in 1920’s it was pure brass. 1920 brass can be cleaned after 100 years and look new while most plated brass wears away and the knob needs replacing if you want a clean brass shine.
Also, lots of “brass” from the 1980’s is plated over steel whereas in 1920’s it was pure brass. 1920 brass can be cleaned after 100 years and look new while most plated brass wears away and the knob needs replacing if you want a clean brass shine.
Also, lots of “brass” from the 1980’s is plated over steel whereas in 1920’s it was pure brass. 1920 brass can be cleaned after 100 years and look new while most plated brass wears away and the knob needs replacing if you want a clean brass shine.
Aside from the other reasons mentioned — 1920s ***doors*** were pretty different from 1980s doors. I lived in a building from the 20s, you could have killed somebody with those doors. Forget wood laminate hollow core ‘boxes’, this building had solid solid blocks of wood hung on hinges. This was an era where a dental extraction was performed using a string tied to a doorknob.
I have no idea why those people thought they needed closet doors that would take a lumberjack to get through, but if you’re gonna have doors like that, you’re gonna need knobs to match.
Aside from the other reasons mentioned — 1920s ***doors*** were pretty different from 1980s doors. I lived in a building from the 20s, you could have killed somebody with those doors. Forget wood laminate hollow core ‘boxes’, this building had solid solid blocks of wood hung on hinges. This was an era where a dental extraction was performed using a string tied to a doorknob.
I have no idea why those people thought they needed closet doors that would take a lumberjack to get through, but if you’re gonna have doors like that, you’re gonna need knobs to match.
Aside from the other reasons mentioned — 1920s ***doors*** were pretty different from 1980s doors. I lived in a building from the 20s, you could have killed somebody with those doors. Forget wood laminate hollow core ‘boxes’, this building had solid solid blocks of wood hung on hinges. This was an era where a dental extraction was performed using a string tied to a doorknob.
I have no idea why those people thought they needed closet doors that would take a lumberjack to get through, but if you’re gonna have doors like that, you’re gonna need knobs to match.
Time preference.
Our currency was backed by gold in the 30s and so people made things much better. materials and architecture would last a 1000s of years. Today our money is so diseased and fiat that everything we make is garbage, and nothing is designed to last. You can see this all around you.
“Brass” refers to a mixture of elements (mainly Copper and Zinc). The common mixture in the 1920s was different and included more lead.
Also, metals corrode over time. The older the metal, the more it will have corroded. When brass corrodes, it loses some zinc and can change colors. That obviously impacts the way it looks. Older brass is much more likely to have undergone substantial dezincification (the process where brass loses zinc atoms).
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