Another good effect may be secured by beating the edges down slightly with a small hammer instead of dressing them with a file; this rounds or flattens them, and eliminates the angular edge that is common in all cheap hardware.
Long Hinge-straps
For cabinet and chest doors, and doors that open into rooms, some long hinge-straps are shown in Fig. 5, the proportions being correctly indicated.
If the jamb is sufficiently wide, straps may be placed on both sides of the hinge-back. Usually, however, the jamb is too narrow.
These straps, if made of lead, should be thicker than the short straps, otherwise they will look weak. For a strap twelve to fifteen inches long the metal should not be less than one-eighth of an inch thick, and for some designs it would look better if quarter-inch material is used.
It is quite as easy to saw out thick metal as thin, only it takes a little longer time. The saw must be held straight and not allowed to bind. Never force a saw through lead, as it will bind and check, and also will pick up a thin lead coating, materially adding to the friction. If the saw does not run easily, lubricate it with a little soapy water, and afterwards wipe it off to prevent rust. When working with a scroll-saw on which there is a table, or bed, the soapy water should be drawn along the lines on the metal with a soft hair-brush. As the saw cuts it will take up the water.
Drawer-pulls and Handle-plates
Small drawer-pulls and handles may be purchased at any hardware store for a few cents each, but they are usually very plain and unattractive. Rings in heads and handles on plain plates are the best to purchase, as then the heads may be mounted on fancy escutcheons, and the handles and keepers removed from the plain plates and reset in lead mountings of artistic design, wrought or sawed from lead or other ductile material.
Drawer-pulls are generally arranged with a shank at the back of the ring-head which passes into the wood, and into which a screw is driven from the inside of the drawer.
Handle-keepers are made in the same way. In designing fancy escutcheons and plates, care must be taken to arrange the holes the proper distance apart to receive the keeper-ends.