Door-plates
On swing and sliding doors—and sometimes on plain doors—plates are mounted above the lock on both sides. Their use is to protect the painted or polished wood-work from finger-marks and similar defacements. Quite elaborate plates are used on some doors, while others are mounted with very plain ones. In Fig. 7 a variety of designs are shown.
The average plate varies in length from six to twelve inches. In width they measure from two and a half inches to three inches, and the metal should be about one-eighth of an inch in thickness.
Door-pull plates are made to receive the ends of a handle. The latter is bolted to the reverse side of the door with countersunk nuts or flush screws. The upper line of drawings in Fig. 7 are designed for this purpose, and the two holes are spaced to line with the ends of the handle that is to be inserted. In addition to the anchorage these plates will get by being held to the wood under the handles, it would be well to make a few holes at the edges, through which small nails may be driven.
Large Lock-plates
In Fig. 8 several designs for large lock-plates are shown. In this instance the knob and key-hole are placed in the same plate. This variety of door hardware offers a broad field for the young designer. But be sure and space the two holes so that the knob and key are in the right place.
In the extreme right-hand plate (Fig. 8) an effect of continued scroll is secured around the key-hole by cutting the ornament out of the body of the plate. This is just the reverse of the scrolls forming the right side of the plate, the ornament in this latter case being of the solid metal. More “feeling” may be given to the solid scroll if an effect of relief is worked out with some blunt tool and the mallet. This may be done with an ordinary nail-punch or a blunt awl. For the veining use an awl or a dull chisel, lightly tapping the tool with a wooden mallet.
Fig. 8. Fig. 9.