FAQ

Hardware Glossary

2-1/8" Bore: The current standard installation prep - a 2-1/8" hole drilled through face of door to receive a modern-style "cylinder latch" mechanism.

Backset: Measurement from edge of door to center of doorknob (and spindle hub where spindle passes through latch).

Ball-Tip Hinge: A hinge with ball-shaped tips at top and bottom of knuckle; standard for most pre-1940 hinges.

Bolt: A mechanism that locks a door shut only.

Builders' Hardware: The historical term for the many various decorative and functional pieces of hardware that are used in outfitting a home.

Butt Hinge: Hinge in which both leaves are mortised (cut) into the edge of door and frame.

Casement Adjuster: Allows a casement window to be opened and set in a fixed position (so wind, etc., doesn't blow it closed). Our adjuster is for out-swinging windows only.

Casement Fastener Strikes:

Casement Mortise Strike: fastener strike for out-swinging single-casement window; install with tapered hole pointing down and tapered side towards sash.
Casement Extended Mortise Strike: fastener strike for out-swinging single casement window with gap along sash edge due to insulating bead; install with tapered hole pointing down and tapered side towards sash, extending out over gap.
Casement Rim Strike: fastener strike for in-swinging single-casement window; install with "hook" extending out and pointing up.
Casement Surface Strike: fastener strike for in- or out-swinging pairs of casement windows; install on surface of passive (fixed) sash. Passive side usually fixed with a surface bolt at top and/or bottom.

Casement Window: A window in which the sash (frame that holds the glass) is hinged on one side to swing open.

Center-To-Center: Measuring convention that means "from the center location of one hole to the center location of a second hole."

Commercial-Grade Hardware: Hardware that is made with heavy-duty materials and details to withstand prolonged and extensive use.

Door Set: A set of two knobs (w/spindle) and two escutcheons for decorative door trim. Latch purchased separately.

Double-Hung Window: A window with two sashes (frames that hold glass) that slide up and down next to each other.

Dummy Spindle: A short-threaded square steel rod attached to a metal base that allows knob to be mounted to door with no internal latch mechanism.

Elbow Catch: Used with pairs of cabinet doors to hold the passive (fixed) side closed while the active side is in use; mounted on the inside surface of passive door.

Escutcheon: Fancy name for a backplate.

Fixed-Pin Hinge: A hinge in which the knuckle pin cannot be removed and the two hinge leaves cannot be separated.

Floating-Pin Hinge: Hinge in which pin has no tip and is suspended in hinge knuckle between two threaded tips; must be unscrewed to remove the pin.

Grille: A ventilation plate that allows airflow but cannot be opened and closed.

Half-Mortise Hinge: A hinge with one leaf that mounts on the surface of door, and one leaf that is mortised (cut) into the edge of the door frame. Commonly used where full surface hinges won't fit side-by-side on a narrow frame, or to lessen the amount of hardware showing.

Key Hole: Hole in door/plate that allows a key or other device access to the inner locking mechanism.

Keyhole Escutcheon: A separate plate used beneath with a rosette for covering the keyhole bore - works with different knob-keyhole spacings.

Latch: A mechanism that holds a door shut; does not lock.

Linfield Brass Bathroom Hardware: Our reproductions of the distinctive San-O-La line of bathware, originally manufactured by the Art Brass Co. of New York during the early 20th century.

Lock: A mechanism that holds a door shut and offers a locking option.

Loose-Pin Hinge: A hinge in which the pin in hinge knuckle is attached to one tip and can be easily removed.

Louver Assembly: The device mounted to a grille that allows airflow to be controlled.

Marine-Grade Hardware: Hardware that is usually all bronze or brass, to withstand oxidation.

Molly Bolts/Screws: Known by many names, this generic term can signify any fastener that works by spreading some device on the backside of a wall/panel/ceiling surface to create a hold.

Mortise: Term used when a rectangular hole or area needs to be cut out of wood to receive a piece of hardware, etc.

Mortise Lock: A locking latch mechanism that requires a rectangular hole in door edge for installation. Ubiquitous in pre-1940 homes, this type of lock is known by many other names.

Mortise Tube Latch: A latch mechanism with a rectangular body that requires a rectangular hole in door edge for installation.

Off-Set Hinge: A hinge that is offset to allow for a door that overlaps its frame.

Rail: Term used for the horizontal pieces that constitute the top and bottom edges of a door.

Register: A ventilation grille that can be opened and closed.

Rim Lock: An old-style "box" lock that was made to mount on the surface of a door instead of being mortised into the edge of the door. Knobs for rim locks typically have one knob with a flared seat on the bottom of the shank (for the lock side).

Rosette: A circular escutcheon behind a knob.

San-O-La Bathware: The original trade name under which our Linfield reproductions were made and marketed by the Art Brass Co. of New York in the early 20th century (nearly always marked/signed).

Sash: The "frame" that holds the glass pane(s) in a window.

Set Screw: A small screw in the shank of a knob that is tightened to fix the knob on the spindle. Old set-screws varied widely in diameter and thread count.

Shank: The cylindrical base of a doorknob, which seats in the collar or ferrule on the escutcheon/rosette.

Spindle: A square steel rod connecting two doorknobs through the latch. The spindle can be threaded or have holes in its side, depending on what type of knob it's used with. Old spindles (and our spindles) are usually 9/32" (7mm). New spindles are often 8mm (slightly larger). Threaded spindles can be 16tpi (threads per inch), 18tpi or 20tpi. Most new spindles, including ours, are 20tpi.

Spindle Hub: The device in a lock or latch through which the knob spindle passes to operate the mechanism. The spindle hole in a hub can be oriented "on the square" or "on the diamond" (or "star-broached" if it allows the use of both orientations). Old hubs are typically "on the diamond" (except for Yale locks), while new hubs are typically "on the square." Orientation will impact proper installation angle for knobs that are directional (oval, etc.). Hole size can be 9/32" (7mm) or 8mm, so proper verification of compatibility is required when using our knobs with other locks or latches.

Stile: Term for the vertical pieces that constitute the side edges of a door.

Strike: The protective metal plate installed in doorjamb that receives the latch or lock "tongue" when door is closed. A latch strike is typically T-shaped with a single hole, and a mortise lock strike is typically elongated with two holes (for latch and bolt).

Surface Bolt: For pairs of doors or windows - a device mounted on the surface of the passive (fixed) side of pair to allow it to remain shut tight while active side is in use.

Surface Hinge: A hinge that mounts on the face of both door and doorframe.

Tube Latch: A latch mechanism with tubular body intended to be inserted into a drilled hole in door edge for installation.