Real Solid Brass Casters

Many upholstered items come with 'brass' casters on the legs, and they are not 100 % sold brass. The housing is usually cheap Chinese pot metal that holds the wheel, and can crack and break as the piece ages. While they look like brass, they are not. A couple times a year folks reach out to me because their casters have broken and they are looking for replacements. Often you can't get a replacement from the maker of the piece as designs and sizes can change over time - the end result is no spare parts are available.

One of our forum members who has a H&M Tavern Sofa on order in a high grade leather saw me mention this in a prior post and wanted to know if there was a solid brass option. Yes there is, and of course four solid brass casters are going to run about $ 200 vs the pot metal ones that I imagine are worth about $ 16. However, we tracked down the right size for this sofa and I suggested using Horton Brass out of Connecticut. USA-Made, its done right and will never fatigue or break. H&M is not charging extra to install these, but she did have to purchase them from Horton direct and do the leg work to have them shipped to Hancock and Moore for her build.

http://www.horton-brasses.com/CA-4-1-00.asp

I will be most curious to see how this turns out, because this is how I would do it myself if I were buying a caster-equipped sofa or chair. It's an easy component tweak and the Horton wheels - especially in the brighter finishes - will look like a million bucks.

Hi, all.

I am said customer. Duane is giving me a bit more credit than due, at least in my opinion. Duane did practically all of the leg work and then sent me an email listing every speck of information I needed and every step I should take to make this caster thing happen.

Duane and the H&M guy figured out which Horton Brasses casters are needed, then Duane sent me an email with: 1) an exact description of what I should order, 2) a link to that Horton Brasses product so that I could select a finish, 3) the phone number for ordering, and 4) the complete H&M address/department to which I should have my order shipped. Duane also gave me an updated status regarding the H&M pieces my husband and I ordered because all of them, including the Tavern sofa, are already in production! So, I asked Horton Brasses to use UPS overnight shipping. My total for four casters, including shipping, was less than $200.

Seriously, all I did was read Duane's email and follow his instructions. How's that for some customer hand-holding?! Once again, Duane went above and beyond and I am incredibly appreciative. Thank you, thank you, Duane!

By the way, my husband and I selected Horton Brasses Antique (A) caster finish. It's not the brassiest or the darkest. Horton Brasses has quite the range. Our Tavern sofa will be covered in the Capri Tobacco hide, with L & C nails, and the Portsmouth wood finish. So, we picked a caster finish that was very similar to the nail finish.

Finally, I highly recommend Horton Brasses. The man who answered my call could not have been more professional, friendly, and helpful. He knows the product and immediately understood my goal. And, get this...He actually said, "If any problem comes up, which it won't, you don't need to worry about it. We'll make it happen." Now, when was the last time you heard that?

TXCajun

That's my job to make it all go smoothly and without drama! Glad to do it, and I know the real brass casters will be 10x better than the factory ones, you will see a definite difference. And 100 years from now, long after the sofa is gone, someone will have removed those real brass casters and used them on something else in the year 2116, that's how good they are.

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Originally Posted by drcollie

That's my job to make it all go smoothly and without drama! Glad to do it, and I know the real brass casters will be 10x better than the factory ones, you will see a definite difference. And 100 years from now, long after the sofa is gone, someone will have removed those real brass casters and used them on something else in the year 2116, that's how good they are.

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Duane,
These are the casters you mentioned & linked to in my post about the B&Y Hamrick 543-25 chair, right?

I was very surprised to learn that both brands(H&M and B&Y) go the cheap, pot metal route on their casters. If you're gonna go top notch with every other aspect of the piece, why opt for the cheap, standard caster everybody else is using?

I like TXCajun's approach on this. Since I'm not currently looking at any H&M pieces featuring casters; this exact approach in regards to H&M wouldn't pertain to me.

However, it does pertain to the B&Y 543-25 chair & 543-94 sofa. Would B&Y also be willing to consider doing a custom swap out for the Hortons on the 543- series? Or, are these Horton casters something I could easily DIY later on, down the road?

If B&Y can't or won't; would I be able to get measurements for the leg bases for the 543-25 chair & 543-94 sofa & go the route of purchasing the Hortons on my own, or have Horton retrofit a caster that I could just screw on, or however you properly attach B&Y legs to their pieces on my own?

Hopefully, B&Y's production & output isn't all that much higher than H&M's to make this kinda request a real monkey wrench! Lol, I mean all we're asking is to throw in some real brass casters acquired elsewhere by the customer onto the piece...that's not really asking too much, right? ;)

At any rate, I've now learned this IS an option I can explore further...as always, your helpful advice is priceless.

Andrea :)

Those inexpensive casters are the industry standard everywhere, few consumers will want to pay extra for real brass. Here's the economics of it all. Let' say one 'real' brass caster costs a maker $ 40 apiece and there are (4) of them like on that H&M Tavern Sofa. That's $ 160 to the brass maker. H&M then marks up their margin and that option to the dealer becomes $ 240, then the dealer puts on his markup to the retail customer and now its $ 360 added to the price. The cheap pot metal ones are probably $ 3 each in bulk so x 4 that $ 12. Big difference from $ 160. I would say that 95% to 98% of customers will never have a broken caster with the cheap ones. However, there are a few people that seem the added value of real, handmade brass ones of which I am one. Those are the same consumers that see value in a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton Handbag, or a Mercedes S class. For them, we can sometimes tweak it up - but its not for the mainstream consumer.

There is no way Bradington Young will do that, or even supply measurements. They are a full-on production company. The Brass casters if sent would never even make it to the factory floor - trust me on that. For that kind of personalized attention, you have to go Hancock and Moore. Quote honestly, I was surprised they agreed to install without a customization charge.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by drcollie

Those inexpensive casters are the industry standard everywhere, few consumers will want to pay extra for real brass. Here's the economics of it all. Let' say one 'real' brass caster costs a maker $ 40 apiece and there are (4) of them like on that H&M Tavern Sofa. That's $ 160 to the brass maker. H&M then marks up their margin and that option to the dealer becomes $ 240, then the dealer puts on his markup to the retail customer and now its $ 360 added to the price. The cheap pot metal ones are probably $ 3 each in bulk so x 4 that $ 12. Big difference from $ 160. I would say that 95% to 98% of customers will never have a broken caster with the cheap ones. However, there are a few people that seem the added value of real, handmade brass ones of which I am one. Those are the same consumers that see value in a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton Handbag, or a Mercedes S class. For them, we can sometimes tweak it up - but its not for the mainstream consumer.

There is no way Bradington Young will do that, or even supply measurements. They are a full-on production company. The Brass casters if sent would never even make it to the factory floor - trust me on that. For that kind of personalized attention, you have to go Hancock and Moore. Quote honestly, I was surprised they agreed to install without a customization charge.

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Ok, that was the answer I was expecting to get. It's just too much of a hassle for a major production manufacturer to agree to. I am in that group that sees the value & feels the added, extra cpl hundred $$$ is worth it. But, we are the minority as you have pointed out many times on this forum. The majority is constantly putting pressure on the dealers to come in at a certain price point, & that pressure works its way up the chain to the manufacturer.

Thanks again for the honest, tell it like it is truth :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by drcollie

Those inexpensive casters are the industry standard everywhere, few consumers will want to pay extra for real brass. Here's the economics of it all. Let' say one 'real' brass caster costs a maker $ 40 apiece and there are (4) of them like on that H&M Tavern Sofa. That's $ 160 to the brass maker. H&M then marks up their margin and that option to the dealer becomes $ 240, then the dealer puts on his markup to the retail customer and now its $ 360 added to the price. The cheap pot metal ones are probably $ 3 each in bulk so x 4 that $ 12. Big difference from $ 160. I would say that 95% to 98% of customers will never have a broken caster with the cheap ones. However, there are a few people that seem the added value of real, handmade brass ones of which I am one. Those are the same consumers that see value in a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton Handbag, or a Mercedes S class. For them, we can sometimes tweak it up - but its not for the mainstream consumer.

There is no way Bradington Young will do that, or even supply measurements. They are a full-on production company. The Brass casters if sent would never even make it to the factory floor - trust me on that. For that kind of personalized attention, you have to go Hancock and Moore. Quote honestly, I was surprised they agreed to install without a customization charge.

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Duane,
I have a somewhat related question I'd like to ask: I just discovered a high-end, to the trade only(you can't even view products on their website without a Tax ID # entered into the registration form,) highly artistic, transitional to contemporary "design house," by the name of Ironies. Their pieces are sold mainly in major cities' Design Center showrooms, etc. Many of their accent & dining seating, as well as benches & ottomans have cast brass or aluminum bases...hence, the play on the word iron in their name: "Ironies." Their more substantial pieces were not detailed much, if at all beyond basic dimensions & "as pictured" finish & upholstery info in the PDF tear sheets. But, I'd expect & hope at this assumed price point, those more substantial pieces are solid wood framed, 8 way hand tied, etc.

My question is: what exactly is cast brass as opposed to solid brass? Are aluminum & cast brass quality materials to use for the frame of a side chair?

I'm sure the seat decks have some wood components & webbing for support. But, are these expensive or difficult materials to make furniture with? Or, are you mostly paying for the artistry & generally perceived notions of a luxe "design house?"

I just submitted a price quote on an Ironies dealer's site for an aluminum framed 47" x 32" x 17" cocktail ottoman optioned in shagreen(tear sheet did not specify if Ironies is using genuine shagreen, or a shagreen embossed leather. I suspect the latter due to international laws re the importing/exporting of exotic hides?) The ottoman can be customized in any of Ironies fabrics, leathers or COM/COL. All of this tells me, they're probably working with designers most of the time.

I'm bracing myself for a quote in the ballpark of $3,000+ & that'd be on the LOW end!! Lol, I discovered them from ads I saw earlier today in the current issues of Architectural Digest & Elle Decor...if that tells you anything? Haha

Is that a crazy amount to pay for nothing more than a stylized metal & leather ottoman??

I'm attaching a picture of the ottoman I'm referencing so you can see the scale & artistry of it, as well as a lounge chair of theirs I really Iove the look of for the corner in my bedroom: