An Existential Crisis About Hardware
Yesterday, I did a post about collecting all the un-attached hardware in the Cross House.
This afternoon, I went all through the house trying to ascertain where all the un-attached bits went.
I had a lot of fun. There were a lot of SQUEE moments!
There were some perplexing moments, too.
And there was a troubling, traumatic, and overwhelming discovery.
The lovely bits to the left are pulls for the sashes in the house. I had these four un-attached pulls. But I discovered that another twenty-one were missing. Twenty-one! Yikes! I had no idea.
Same image. See the two pulls to the upper center? I was MOST curious where these went as they did not match any other hardware in the house. But my quest remained…unsuccessful. The two pulls, seemingly, attach to nothing in the house. Quite vexing!
The two alien pulls however proved only a mild curiosity.
For, and needless to say, I AM COMPLETELY FREAKED OUT THAT I AM MISSING TWENTY-ONE PULLS!
Twenty-One!
I am freaked out, man!
And all of a sudden the house felt irretrievably brutalized. Irretrievably brutalized!!!!!!!! Which begs the question: Should I just, at last, give up and demolish the house? I mean, without ALL the original window pulls being in situ, how could I ever expect to be happy? How could the house ever be right?
How????????
Yes, all the stained-glass is very pretty, and all the mantels and trim and porch columns and stuff but, with twenty-one Yale & Towne Austerlitz sash pulls gone missing, what is the point?
Oh…oh…I need a fainting couch.
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Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat as needed until calm. If that doesn’t work, I’ll be by with wine shortly.
…and bring wine glasses.
I’m in town! Can bring wine by if stil needed. Alternately, could bring gifts for faeries if that would be more helpful in locating the missing hardware.
Time and again, Fate smiled at you Ross. The universe will rally and do something about this. It may take time, but it will happen. The Cross House will be resplendent again.
Quick! Someone find the smelling salts! And perhaps those two pulls belong in the Carriage House?
Is it possible they are from now-missing drawers or cabinet doors in one of the pantries? Or an even better possibility… could it be that, like so many other things in the house, each floor had its own design?
I was about to say the same thing… Pull-cupboard doors maybe? As they look much less ornate than others. Or from the servant’s quarter? Or like s.o suggested, the carriage house?
Breathe in–breathe out slowly while sitting down & after smelling salts– it will be resolved — Bob had various & asundry odds & ends — I think the oddities are a fluke & have nothing 2 do w Cross House. Pull yourself together –😄
Good call. It seems so many questions are answered when we take them to Bob Rodak. I think Bob deserves his own national holiday. And yes, I’m saying “we” because we are all with you on this journey, Ross!
I know some blacksmiths, blade smiths, and sculptors of metal. Surely, these could be reproduced in some fashion. http://www.folkschool.org
Funniest post so far!
Ross, if we can now 3D print human organs, surely we can print a couple dozen window sash pulls. It would take you 20 years scouring the globe for replacements, if the originals can’t be found. I would definitely write to a few universities and inquire. Hopefully someone, somewhere, has a printer capable of printing in pot metal media, or a high density, low sheen plastic that you can apply a finish to. Just a thought!
Ross, I think maybe the plainer, beaded edge ones are either from the service areas or were a later replacement for missing ones. From the picture it looks like they would cover the screw holes from the Yale & Towne Austerlitz ones.
Your order for 21 Yale & Towne Austerlitz sash pulls has been duly noted and if they are to be found you have many eyes now looking for them….
If you decide not to give up on the house, Bob Rodak doesn’t have them, and Aladdin has no sub-cave hidden away, Ball and Ball Antique Hardware and Restoration is to my knowledge the oldest and top company for the restoration and making custom reproductions of period brass hardware. It is my understanding that they are used by many of the top antique dealers in the country. I used them myself once to replace the missing wheel on a lion’s paw brass dining room table foot and was delighted with the result. Here is their web site link: http://www.ballandball-us.com/
You just crack me up!!!!. Also, wanted to invite you to a bell choir concert on Dec. 16th at 1:00 at the First United Methodist Church. Christmas music should help this mood!!!!
$25 to join the Antique Doorknob Collectors of America, where you can advertise your wants to the full membership of dealers and collectors in the newsletter for as long as you have wants.
A most excellent suggestion!
Ross, I thought I had seen the less ornate sash pull in another picture in another post. Check your photo in “Wanna Meet My Kitchen?” post on November 28, 2016. The pull looks like the one in the photo of the pantry.
Yes, that does seem plausible… Good eye and amazing memory!
Hi, Chris,
The pantry pulls are very plain. They don’t have the beaded edge.
Hey, Ross… Just a thought, but could you have a mold made of the window pulls you are missing and have them cast and faux finished? Just a thought… Easily removable once you manage to find all 21 of the missing ones…
Oh, poor darling! It’s the last straw. I don’t know how you’ve put up with it this long. Enough is enough! There are limits!!
Just walk away. Never deal with it again. I’ll take care of getting rid of it for you. It’s the very least I can do to ease this unending misery. Just send keys and the signed deed to the address I’ll email to you privately….
Oh, Robyn! You are a dear. Thank you! Thank you! You are my savior!!!!!
Could you put a photo of the sash pulls with a ruler next to one so I can get a visual idea of their size? Something generic like a soda can would do the job in lieu of a ruler. I just need a visual. Thanks.
Looks like a great opportunity to make a mould and teach yourself the ancient, lost wax method to recreate the missing 21. We all know that, if anyone can do it, you can.
I wonder if the plainer sash pulls are from the Carriage House?