Jappaning

Like the woodwork, our hardware is also covered in paint.  We headed to Hippo Hardware for advice; one Goodwill pot and a set of chopsticks later, we were boiling some hardware.  Once the hot water and intermittent scraping removed the paint, we found a coppery shine with intermittent darker smudging. Varnished? Damaged? Nope - turns out the coloring was intentional.  In returning to Hippo, we were told the hardware had a Japan finish.

 

 

Per Bob Slone's helpful article in Northwest Renovation:  "Japanning is the builder’s hardware plated finish that looks like varying patterns of copper and black. Japanning hardware started in the late 19th century but peaked in popularity in the first few years of the 20th century. The “Japan-finish” was done with a process of electroplating and fuming, and the patterns and styles that different hardware companies came out with varied immensely.  The process was also improved upon as the technology itself improved.  The simplest patterns in this finish came from the 19th century. On a doorknob escutcheon for this era you may see black with just a bit of copper on the top and bottom; others had random highlights of black and copper on relief pattern pieces. Light fixtures can be all copper with just a couple black stripes here and there but as technology improved, more brazen patterns became in vogue. The early 20th century brought zigzag patterns, circles, dots and even animal pattern motifs. This was Japan finish at its best."  Ours turned out to be simple stripes or blobs of black mostly, by the time the paint was removed. But they are pretty nice "designs" nonetheless.