If you are missing hardware or adding a sensitive addition to your home our staff at Al Bar Wilmette can assist you. We have hundreds of existing designs and molds of hardware we have reproduced – and we can even reproduce your hardware exactly as it was originally manufactured. To further inquire about how this process works feel free to email us at info(at)albarwilmette.com and include digital photos of your hardware and detailed information of your work scope.

• LeverThis lever was cast based on an existing piece of hardware after having the detail touched up because of years of use. Because of the low quantity we cast from the original part provided by our client in Chicago, Illinois. Typically when casting from an original part using lost wax casting there is an associated shrinkage in the final size of each part – typically this shrinkage is about 3-5%.
• Custom LeverCustom lever based on a suite of exiting hardware with an olde bronze finish completed for a private residence in Hyde Park, Illinois. The lever was made using the profile of the center of the knob – this profile was sculpted and cast to mount at the end of the lever (also pictured on this page).
• lockboxThe lockbox and key below were hand-made for the Olde Governor’s Mansion in Milledgeville, Georgia. This project required fabrication of all internal functioning parts including cams, springs, etc. The finish architectural hardware was all silver plated and hand waxed.
• handleThis handle was re-sculpted to add additional fine detail that was worn off over years of use. Our client from Long Grove, Illinois selected this pull from our large collection of salvage hardware. The final handles were finished in a matte antique nickel finish.
• un-prepped leverThe lever here is an un-prepped lever that was finished to show the quality of the casting to a client.
• Deco LeverThis deco lever is a raw and un-finished casting that has been prepped with all the appropriate set screw holes and spindle inserts. This lever was produced for a client in Toronto, Canada.
• Wax LeverThe lever here is actually a wax that was injected into a mold that will be used to make the ‘shell’ that the bronze will be poured into. On some projects we get the wax pieces to an architect or homeowner to show them the process and stage we are currently at – it also is a great way for us to determine what the final part will look like.
• Rapic PrototypeThis lever is a rapid prototype we worked on with an architect in Chicago, Illinois. Rapid prototypes are very helpful in preliminary design phases allowing an architect and client to touch and feel their finish hardware prior to fabrication. We also generated sketches and 3D drawings prior to this prototype.
• LeverA turn of the century lever to exhibit some of the available hardware pieces we have in our inventory in Wilmette, Illinois. We have literally thousands of hardware pieces in our inventory that can be used for inspiration as design ideas.
• prototypeThis is a prototype end that we turned using a CNC turning center to allow a client in New York, New York to touch and feel the exact part and finish prior to final fabrication and finishing.
• knobCustom duplication of a solid bronze knob with an olde bronze finish completed for a private residence in Chicago, Illinois. This knob and the accompanying hardware was all completed by using our sculptor, patternmaker and the investment casting method to provide an extremely detailed final product.
• knobCustom duplication of a solid bronze knob with an olde bronze finish completed for a private residence in Hyde Park, Illinois. The lever associated with this hardware suite was made using the profile of the center of the knob – this profile was sculpted and cast to mount at the end of the lever (also pictured on this page).
• knobCustom duplication of a solid bronze knob with an olde bronze finish completed for a private residence in Chicago, Illinois. This knob and the accompanying hardware was all completed by using our sculptor, patternmaker and the investment casting method to provide an extremely detailed final product.
• knobCustom duplication of a solid bronze knob with a silver plated & hand waxed finish completed for a private residence in Chicago, Illinois. This knob and the accompanying hardware was all completed by using our sculptor, patternmaker and the investment casting method to provide an extremely detailed final product.

We have traditionally worked with homeowners, architects and builders to both create and replicate hardware for special projects. Some of our projects and custom work are shown in the gallery section of our website. There are also samples and ideas available in our showroom. We have one of the most extensive collections of salvage hardware in our collection in Wilmette. Some of our best hardware is produced by utilizing existing pieces, creating new designs, or working from drawings or freehand sketches.

Nouveau Hardware created in an olde nickel finish.