Otto Meyer no. 9 brass - without rosette

When choosing the style of a door handle, it is a good idea to consider the period of the house, the design of the door, and the look you want to create. Solid exterior doors often pair well with larger, more substantial handles. Double doors and paneled doors are often best suited to more traditional handle designs. Using a similar style or finish across your different doors usually creates a more harmonious appearance. A door handle should not only look good but also feel comfortable in your hand.

Exterior door handles are generally more robust and designed to withstand weather, temperature changes, and heavier wear. Here are our recommendations for exterior door handles: Exterior Door Handles in Traditional Style.

If you would like to add a thumbturn for your exterior door handle, we offer: Brass Thumbturn & Cylinder Ring, 55 mm. Please note that the cylinder ring is designed for an oval cylinder. The cylinder ring is also available in a deeper version if the lock cylinder projects outward: Brass Cylinder Ring, 16 mm Deep.

All of our door handles fit most doors. The main things to consider are 1) the door thickness, 2) the opening in the mortise lock and whether it is 3) an older or modern mortise lock.

1). The door thickness determines the length of the square spindle: Our door handles are designed for interior doors with a thickness of approximately 40–45 mm, which is the most common dimension. If your door is thinner, the square spindle can easily be cut to the desired length using a hacksaw. If your door is thicker than 40 mm, you can purchase a longer square spindle than the one included with the handle. We sell separate square spindles in 100 mm, 120 mm and 145 mm. See image 1 above.

2). The size of the opening in the mortise lock determines the thickness of the square spindle: Check the size of the opening for the square spindle. The square spindle is the square metal spindle that passes through the mortise lock and connects the door handles on either side of the door. The door handles we sell are supplied with a square spindle that is 8 mm thick. On older doors, the opening in the mortise lock is often 9 mm, in which case you can use our square spindle sleeve (bushing), which fits over the square spindle to compensate for the difference. Some modern doors, however, have a smaller opening, 7 mm. If this applies to your door, please feel free to contact us, and we can investigate the possibility of special ordering a door handle with a 7 mm thick square spindle.

3). Older or modern mortise lock: By removing the existing hardware, you can determine whether your door has an older or modern mortise lock. This is crucial in determining which screws you should use to install the door handle. See images above:

OLDER MORTISE LOCK (image 2):
On older doors, the handle is mounted using three wood screws, which means that the rose is screwed directly into the door leaf. When ordering a door handle, select the option "wood screw". For the lower opening, you can order an escutcheon. Here too, select the option "wood screw". If you have a bathroom door that you would like to lock, we recommend the product WC Thumbturn (Round Brass WC Thumbturn) or alternatively a hasp (Brass Hasp for Doors and Hatches), as our other WC locks are designed for modern doors.

MODERN MORTISE LOCK (image 3):
On modern doors, the handle is mounted using two through screws that connect the handles through the door leaf. When ordering a door handle, select the option "through screw". For the lower opening, you can order an escutcheon or a WC thumbturn. Here too, select the option "through screw".

When installing your door handle, two small set screws are included and should be fastened into the underside of the handle. These screws fit into the groove in the square spindle to secure the handle firmly in place.

A long backplate is an elongated backplate with a keyhole. It can replace a round rose with a separate escutcheon and is used together with a door handle. During the latter part of the 19th century, round roses and separate escutcheons were most commonly used, while long backplates became increasingly popular in the early 20th century. The earliest long backplates typically featured softly rounded shapes with a narrow waist, but over time the designs became simpler and more angular.

All of our long backplates are compatible with all of our door handles. Since the backplate covers the existing screw holes, it does not matter whether the door has an older or a modern mortise lock. To choose the correct model, measure the distance between the center of the handle opening and the center of the keyhole.

Most of our door handles can be purchased without roses if, for example, you would like to use ones you already have. The handle will function without roses, but they help stabilize the handle, cover the opening, and protect the door from wear. All of our roses are compatible with all of our door handles.

Since a modern mortise lock has a larger opening, you can use a birch cover plug as a filler and then install the handle using standard wood screws. The plug is glued into the opening in the door, with a horizontal recess for the handle and a vertical recess for the escutcheon. You will need two wooden plugs for one door. See Cover Plug / Cover Plate for Filling 40 mm Openings in Modern Doors.

Brass is a living material that naturally oxidizes over time and develops a beautiful patina. Because of this, slight color variations may occur between different products when they are new. Over time, however, the parts will develop a more uniform appearance. If you polish all of your brass details at the same time, they will also oxidize at the same rate. Keep in mind that items used daily, such as door handles, may develop a patina slightly faster because they are touched more frequently.

We offer traditional indoor mortise locks with a key as well as models with a bathroom thumbturn. The included key is the same for all locks, so if you order multiple locks, every key will fit every lock. You can also order additional keys by contacting us. Unfortunately, we do not sell mortise locks for exterior doors.

No, unfortunately our door handles are not compatible with DIN mortise locks, as they have completely different dimensions.

Rim locks are well suited for interior doors and bathroom doors and are a good option if you want to avoid making major alterations to the door or frame. The lock case is mounted on the inside of the door, while the key and matching escutcheon are installed on the outside. The key supplied with a rim lock is 55 mm long, which means the door thickness should not exceed this measurement.

You need to purchase 1) the door handle (i.e. the handle pair) and 2) roses (also called roses), which fit around the handle mounting. If your door has a keyhole beneath the handle, you also need to purchase 3) escutcheons. If you would rather install your handle with a 4) long backplate, it replaces both the rose and the escutcheon.