April 2017

BUILD / April 2017 41 , Best Replica Antique Brassware supplier 2017 – OptimumBrasses. We are now in our 35th year of trading, making exact replicas of brass handles and fittings fromperiod furniture and houses originating from the 1660’s to the 1960’s and later. Getting a Handle on Antiques These items, often representing the cutting edge of design and fashion of their time, are given a continuity through our catalogues. The award given to us by Build Magazine is therefore a tribute to the design traditions of the past from the classical simplicity of a plain brass knob from the 1770’s to the confident traditions of the design motifs used by the late Victorians. The growing popularity of our ranges show that our design heritage is still firmly appreciated by a sophisticated market. Our early customers were antique dealers and furniture restorers – and we still service these trades. Now, in the 21st century we also work extensively for interior designers, bespoke kitchen and replica furniture makers, builders, architects and anyone else who wants a perfect replica or copy in brass. Optimum now has an archive of more than 10,000 moulds. From this archive, we service customers in the UK, America, and 40 other countries both to match surviving originals and to recreate the fashions of the past or to complement modern design. A number of skilled processes are required to fulfil Optimum’s standards. The original object has to be encased in a silicone rubber cube: once set, this is cut expertly so that exact wax versions of the original object can be formed using this cube as a mould. These waxes are then converted into brass using one of the lost-wax processes. The brass castings are later carefully, individually finished by hand and then, for most customers, aged to replicate the patina of old brass. We use a fuming process to achieve this rather than the impermanent and unpopular lacquering methods used in mass production. Wherever possible, we work with our customers to make perfect replicas which also function effectively when they fit them. An example of this co-operation are the upholstery pins that we make for the Palace of Westminster: the heads being exact replicas of the originals, while the shanks of the pins are of a fit- for- purpose, easy- to- use modern design. In October 2016, Optimum became an Employee Owned Business. Employee ownership is a route being taken by a growing number of businesses – it being an effective way of securing both jobs and skills. This move has best secured the future of the company, the preservation of its archive and the continuity of its service. K Company: OPTIMUM BRASSES Ltd Name: Nick Savage - Managing Director Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.optimumbrasses.co.uk Address: Unit 1, Upstairs, Global Park, Station Road Bampton, Devon, EX16 9NG UK Telephone: + 44 (0)1398 331515 ID170039