I have searched through numerous catalogs (Lee Valley Hardware, WWS,
Rockler, Van Dyke's, Horton Brass) and have come up empty for the kind of
hardware that I envision will work best on the Captain's bed I am making.
The choices available are either too modern, too ornate, or don't tie in
with the overall piece. I have an idea for what I want and was wondering
if anyone has done business with anyone who would do custom casting or
milling of brass hardware. I tried a Google search and got the obligatory
65000+ hits, some of which may have some promise. But first, I'd like to
hear from others who may have done something similar and who might have
either specific recommendations of vendors to do business with or to avoid.
Several other questions:
1. What kind of costs would be involved in such an undertaking? I'm
looking at 6 sets of small hardware (Roughly 3" wide by 1 7/8" tall with
bail pulls) and 16 sets of larger hardware (Roughly 4" wide by 2 1/2" tall
with bail pulls). I recognize that this I am asking for custom work and
certainly expect this to come at a premium, but I also need to find out if
that premium breaks the bank.
2. How is the design handled? Does the custom house expect rights to the
design, or could the rights be traded for a lesser cost for the custom job?
3. What level of detail is needed by someone for this effort? I have an
initial basic design concept and can turn that into something from as
simple as an overall sketch and preliminary embellishment idea to a
full-fledged CAD drawing.

Any experience opinions or experiences with this would be greatly
appreciated.


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If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

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