Advice ·
Learn About Cottage Bun Door Knobs
If you'd like to learn a little more about some of our favourite products you are in the right place! We have been selling the Cottage Bun Door Knobs for 12 years and we are proud to say they grace the doors of homes all over the world. Their quality is second to none and a product we really believe in.
HISTORY & USAGE
Our Cottage Bun Door Knobs are authentic replicas of a set discovered in Ivy Cottage in Broom Yard, Worcestershire. They are a little smaller than standard door handles but were still used on regular sized doors in Victorian houses. In fact, the house I lived in here in Falmouth for many years had original Cottage Bun Door Knobs on all the upstairs rooms! The Victorian property had large 4 panel pine doors and the handles were the same size as our smaller version. This is surprising to customers as these days we do expect handles to be rather larger.
This type of handle was used predominately on bedroom doors and in the servants quarters where the land owner wished to make less of an impression and save money. However they work beautifully within cottage refurbishments on smaller doors and once they have worn in are virtually indistinguishable from the antique originals!
Ours are available in two sizes and two finishes. We sell these door knobs in unlacquered Brass, which will aged beautifully gaining a darker patina over time or polished back to a shiny finish, and Polished Nickel which has been plated over solid Brass, which ages slowly and has a wonderful warm silver appearance.
These door knobs all come as a pair with removable backplates and can therefore be used on either a mortise lock/latch, keeping the two backplates, or on a rim lock/latch where one of the backplates needs to be removed.
Depending on their age, some rim locks may have a smaller spindle hole than the modern UK standard of 8mm. Our Cottage Bun Door Knobs come with a 7mm spindle with a special removable collar around the spindle that can adapt the spindle's diameter for use with 7mm, 7.5mm an 8mm locks.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHICH SIZE AND FINISH?
That's a personal preference! The Brass is authentic and true to history, and has made a huge come back in interior fashion over the last couple of years as you will see if you spend time sourcing inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram! Personally I love the aged patina Brass develops when left a little while.
Alternatively, the Nickel is a fantastic combination of old and new. A traditional style with a more contemporary finish, customers often find the silver colouring more versatile, particularly so when using in bathrooms that may already have Nickel or Chrome fittings.
The Small size really are very small so do have a look at dimensions. We tend to sell more of the Large but it may be that you think of using a mix of sizes as the Victorians would have considered doing - Large downstairs and Small upstairs.
FITTING & TROUBLESHOOTING
The classic period design of the Cottage Bun Door Knobs utilises a grub screw located in the neck of the door handle that screws tight to the spindle. You must ensure the grub screw locates in the groove that runs along each flat side of the spindle for a secure fixing. You will need a heavily sprung mortise or rim latch to ensure the handles return to their original position once turned.
If your handle turns but does not engage the latch, it maybe that the grub screw is not correctly located in the groove causing the handle to spin rather than be fixed to the spindle. When the handles are fitted ensure the grub screw is correctly located to avoid it working loose and damaging the spindle. It maybe that you will have to tighten the grub screw from time to time to ensure it is fully secured.
If your handles are hard to turn, it could be that they are not level with each other. This can be caused by the back plate being fixed slightly off centre causing the handle to snag. If they are level then you may have over tightened the handle causing it to pinch the door. We recommend to loosen the grub screw and turn the handle ¼ turn to release the handle slightly. Tighten the grub screw back up ensuring it is located in the groove and test the handles. This process will normally solve the issue.
All our spindles come as a standard length, but if it is too long once the door knobs are tightened up to the door you may have to cut it down slightly. This can be done using a junior hacksaw and vice. You may need to file the end of the spindle slightly to take off any metal burrs that will stop the handles attaching back onto the spindle.
The brass is unlacquered and so will dull down over time to create a natural aged patina. If you want your handles to remain polished, a little Brasso and elbow grease will return them to their mirror shine finish. Click here to read more about maintaining your Brass Cottage Bun Door Knobs, and here to maintain the Nickel finish.
Shop our Cottage Bun Door Knobs below:
