WW: Everywhere I Go
I think I may need therapy. I was looking for a specific photo on my phone and here's what I found instead. As I was taking almost all of these photos, there was a friend, child, or stranger looking at me like I was weird. :-)
Unidentified Closer(?)
I received these photos a couple of weeks ago and we've been trying to determine whether this is a door closer, or possibly a lever-action shock for an old car. It was being used in an underwater application and needs to be replaced. Does it look familiar to you? If you know someone who might recognize it, please forward!
Black Tie Affair
You just never know what's going to show up in my inbox. Last week I received the clipping below from Jim Bystry of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. Jim said he received it from Sue Shapiro of Bell Hardware in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I'm guessing Jim's had it laying around for a while because it's dated February 14th, 2005.
WW: Vertical(?) Rods
Thank goodness it's Wordless Wednesday because I have no words for these photos. Well, no words other than - deadbolts aren't allowed on double-egress doors, and UL listed hardware can't be modified. Believe it or not, these exit devices actually work (as long as the deadbolt isn't engaged!).
Carpet (Touch)Pad
I'm in Las Vegas for a meeting that starts in a couple of days, and I'm pretty sure I could find enough cool and creative doors here to last me for a few months. Today we visited Red Rock Canyon (not a lot of doors there), the Hoover Dam (more doors there than you'd think), and a weirdly beautiful building by Frank Gehry. Since I'm blogging from an iPad which is not that easy, I'll post some quick photos and save the longer posts for when I get home next week.
Casino Wrap-Up
Considering how many photos I took of doors during my Mommy's weekend at Foxwoods, it's a good thing I'm not a gambler. I wouldn't have had any time to check out the doors if I was stuck at the slots. I can't imagine what Las Vegas will be like...I hope I don't get arrested like this guy. Now go get a cup of coffee while these 22 photos load.
Reader Photos
I received lots of reader photos while I was going on and on about hotel doors. Here they are!
Antique Hardware Identification
[I added an update at the bottom of this post!]
The Parthenon – Nashville, Tennessee
I've been to Nashville a few times, but somehow I missed seeing the replica of the Parthenon while I was there. Luckily I received some reader photos of the gigantic doors there, and I also found some photos on Flickr and obtained permission to share them here.
Reader Photos: Cruise Ship Doors
I have received SO MANY reader photos lately - THANK YOU!
Surgical Suite Entry
I have been amazed and touched by the number of people who actually read my Good News/Bad News post all the way to the end and took the time to call or email me about my daughter's surgery. Thank you so much for your care and concern. It has been a tough week and an extremely stressful day, but everything went perfectly and my daughter is doing really well. We're still in the hospital but we hope to be able to go home tomorrow (actually today since it's 2 a.m.).
Coat Hooks
A couple of weeks ago, someone called to ask me where in the codes it states that 12 coat hooks can not be mounted on a 90-minute rated wood door. I have to admit, that was a new one.
Back to School
I received these photos last week and I didn't have much advice...maybe someone else does. These are classroom doors in a school for autistic children, and the extra locksets are due to the special needs of the students. The students are unable to retract both latches at the same time (if they can even reach the upper lockset). While this keeps the children in the classroom (a good thing), it also prevents egress (a bad thing).
The Coliseum
You wouldn't think that a fair would be a great place for door-hunting, but I saw the doors below at The Big E last weekend. There's a lot going on here - sliding, folding, and swinging doors serving a giant assembly occupancy. This reminds of many scenarios dreamed up by architects that I've advised strongly against. No offense to all of the architects out there, but I'll bet the facility hates these doors.
Faux Stone
To finish up my spontaneous series on the children's museum, here are a few of the faux-painted doors we saw there. I think these are even harder to distinguish as doors (when they're closed) than the planetarium exit.
Planetarium Exit
When I need inspiration for what to write about and nobody has sent me a good code question that day, all I have to do is look back at my photos from family outings. That's sad, I know. :-)
Old Sturbridge Village
If you haven't been to Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, you're missing out on some great old hardware applications. They recently had an exhibit of antique door pulls, and as soon as my first-grader saw it he said, "Mom! I think you're going to want to get out your camera!" :-)
Reader Photos
Some creative and unusual hardware applications sent in by blog readers:
When is a door not a door?
When it's aJAR, of course!
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Since it's one hour until Friday and I've had a very long week trying to catch up from being on vacation, here's some door-humor (yes, really). It's an automatic door on the Columbia University Physics building. The auto operator was being replaced with an LCN Senior Swing, but the installers were struggling through the installation without a wiring diagram, which can be extremely tough if there's other hardware involved. I feel a site visit coming on.
Stud Hold-Open
Today's the last day of my vacation, and I'm headed to Woburn to get my computer fixed, and then leaving for the weekend armed with a set of plans for a project I'm revising. That doesn't sound very vacationish to me, but it goes with the territory.
Deer Stand
As I said in my last post, I'm on vacation and I just spent a long weekend in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. We're lucky to have friends who own a little piece of heaven and let us come to visit on occasion. I spent the weekend taking naps, watching the kids swim in the pond, and going on photo safaris in the woods, with no intentions of looking for doors or coming up with an interesting blog post.
Fort Williams Park – Cape Elizabeth, Maine
I'm on vacation in Maine, and the doors are few and far between. Today we went to Fort Williams Park, which has some really interesting buildings including the ruins of the Goddard Mansion, and the Portland Headlight (described as the most photographed lighthouse in the world). Scattered around the park are various batteries and other buildings left over from the property's life as a military post.
Locked In!
We're on our annual summer road trip, although I didn't have the stamina to listen to the kids bicker all the way to Florida so it's a much shorter trip than last year. Before anyone asks, I don't have a single piece of hardware with me on this trip.
Hospital Hardware
I'm sorry I've been incommunicado this week...sometimes life gets in the way of hardware. When I agreed to lend a hand to my sister-in-law during the birth of my niece, I had no idea it would take 4 days! The good news is that my niece has arrived, and I was able to spend 4 days wandering the hospital halls looking at the hardware.
Scissor Pull
I find this cool in a freaky sort of way.
Notre Dame des Victoires
After my request for readers to send me photos of hardware applications seen on their summer vacations, I received some photos of the entrance doors to the Notre Dame des Victoires Church in Quebec City, Canada. The church was erected in 1688, and is Quebec's oldest stone church.
Curved Doors
Here's another door from the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts. It's actually a curved door from the existing building attached to a new door. Because of the thickness of the two doors, wide throw hinges were used. Wide throw hinges are typically used when more clearance is required behind the door when open 180 degrees, not to be confused with swing clear hinges, which move the door out of the opening when open to 90 degrees (see below for comparison).
Piano Storage
Last night's CSI meeting was a tour of the recently-completed Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts. It was kind of a hike especially with the threat of traffic problems, but I thought I might be able to get some good door pictures.
Olive Knuckle / Paumelle Hinges
I haven't thought much about these since I was in DHI school (a really long time ago), but today I saw two types of paumelle hinges along with some olive knuckle hinges in the same facility. Beautiful hinges, but a very tough door and frame prep.
Bungee Closer
I swear, this blog is not going to become a collection of photos that can be found elsewhere on the web, but since two people sent me this photo today and it's pretty horrible, I just have to post it. It's another one from thereIfixedit.com, which is a really funny collection of weird stuff that people do to try to fix things.
Another Gravity Closer
I'm off to Carmel this week so it's going to be a busy one. I don't know if I'll get to the next smoke door post but I'll post some more application photos to tide you over. Here's another gravity closer with a bonus padlock on a temperature rise egress door. And before someone comments that these don't need to be temp rise doors, this opening is in Israel so I'm not sure which code was in use when they were installed.
Gravity Closer
I think I'm onto something...asking everyone to send their vacation photos of oddball hardware applications has already netted me several, including this photo of a gravity closer from Quebec City. The cable goes from the face of the door, through the pulley that the brown outfit is hanging on, then through another pulley and attaches to a weight that the green outfit is hanging on. Complicated, but pretty inexpensive as long as you don't need door control. ;-)
Actuator Kludge
After that last post I think we all need a break. Here's a "fix" from thereIfixedit.com:
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
Every day I find a new excuse to avoid reading and writing about smoke doors. I swear I'll get back to them, but as construction gets rolling again we're getting really busy.
Sortie D’Urgence. Briser et Presser.
This is a new one. Translation: "Emergency Exit. Break and Press."
Retrofit Dogging Pin
I've seen lots of creative ways of dogging fire exit hardware, but this one gets an "E" for Effort (along with an "F" for Fail). These devices are on fire doors in a hotel ballroom, and while someone went to great lengths on this modification, these doors are supposed to be self-latching to compartmentalize the building during a fire. The doors also had kick-down holders, so they're not self-closing either. :-(
Tiny Closer
I think these are about the tiniest closers I've ever seen. One was obviously not enough to get the bathroom door closed, so another one was added. The door still wouldn't close, so the closer was flipped around and mounted the opposite way. The door STILL wouldn't close, AND the sound of the closers was horrendous! (video evidence below)
TJ Bracket
When someone wants to install an electromagnetic lock on the pull side of the door, I feel like it's my civic duty to warn them that the installation will not be pretty. I was finally able to get a photo of this application in the T.F. Green Airport today, so I'll be able to use it as descriptive evidence in the future.
Dutch Door
I know I'm supposed to be talking about smoke doors but each of those posts takes quite a bit of research time. I'm headed out of town tomorrow for a meeting about fire door inspection, so I'll get back to the smoke doors later in the week.
Please Do Not Sit
My old buddy George Nimee used to tell a story about a school custodian who put black grease on the top of all the closer arms in the school. When the kids jumped up and grabbed the closer arm their hands would get all greasy, they'd wipe their hands on their shirts, and the custodian would know who'd been hanging on the closer arm. Ingenious!
Construction Zone
I know you're probably anxious for me to get back to the smoke series, but it's Mothers' Day so I'm going to take one more day off. Instead I'm posting the photos below, which I took yesterday at the local college campus center. Our school was using their function room for a fundraiser, and this door was the emergency exit for the room. On the other side of the door is a construction zone, and neither door was operable.
I'm Back!
I apologize for the shortage of posts last week. I spent most of the week in Indianapolis (where our main office is located) or in transit to or from Indy. Believe it or not, the hardware at the hotel wasn't really blogworthy, although I did see some fire-rated doors without coordinators (ho-hum). The door to my room had a closer on it and closed most of the time. It was not latched when I checked in and went to my room for the first time, but there was no boogie-man, just a lovely cheese plate left by the catering department.
Middle School Entrance
Last night I went to a presentation at one of our 3 local middle schools, which I'm guessing was built in the 70's. What struck me right away was that the exterior doors are all about 10' tall, and the interiors are about 9' with a transom panel above. What a strange application for a school. They still seem to be working pretty well though.
Hotel Meeting Rooms
It's a little scary how excited I get when I find photos in my inbox...mostly because it makes the subsequent post pretty easy and I don't have to try to make the doors I see during my own wanderings meaningful. I received these photos from one of our esteemed trainers, who travels around teaching people about hardware. Any hardware people who have attended a class in a hotel meeting room can vouch for the scary hardware applications you can find there.
The Gift of Hardware
Long before I started this blog, I had a personal one for my friends and family to keep up on what's going on in our household. Usually, I don't mix the two...most of my friends and family aren't very interested in door hardware, and I'm not sure I want my colleagues knowing that I sometimes squirt my kids with a spray bottle when they're misbehaving, but occasionally the lines get blurry.
Another Ladies’ Room (and Ladies)
I get a little self-conscious when I'm taking photos of doors because I think people are probably wondering why in the world I would be doing that. I haven't been approached by Security yet, but I'm sure that day will come.
Museum Hardware
Two of my defining projects as a hardware consultant have been the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. One of our other specwriters, Greg Thomson, currently has two museum projects in progress - the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard.
<90 Degrees - Follow-Up
A while back, I had a couple of posts about a door that opened less than 90 degrees. I received a photo of the application that inspired the original question, and I think based on the feedback I received from code officials and the fact that the clear opening width is 32 1/4", this application would be acceptable.
Full Surface Hinge
I've been writing a lot about fire doors lately, and specifically about what bad condition many existing fire doors are in. The codes have always required fire doors to be kept in good working order, but with the specific requirement for the annual inspection of fire doors it will hopefully bring more of these deficiencies to light.