An old favorite returns. The iron chest lifts are back after a 2 year hiatus and are better than ever. We finally got a foundry who cast malleable iron. Why does this matter? Malleable iron doesn't break. The bails are cast. Casting leaves air bubbles in the metal-this is the nature of the process. The key is that you can cast with either gray or malleable iron. Gray is less expensive and fine for most applications. But it is brittle and it breaks. We finally found someone who casts malleable iron for a reasonable price; so the chest lifts are back. You can see the CL-5L and CL-5S here

Six finishes are great. Seven are even better. Horton Brasses is again introducing something new, and this introduction is huge. It's not as simple as a new product or size, instead we are offering an entirely new finish for every piece of brass hardware we make.

Light Antique is now a standard, stock finish! Light Antique is lighter than our regular Antique but not so bright as to look new. The beautiful gold color shines through the soft antique brown. Once again, this is a customer driven improvement. We have provided Light Antique by special request for a few years. Adding it to our extensive product list as a standard finish is a large undertaking, but a project whose time has come. In stock at all times; no minimum order; no upcharge; quantity discounts available. Check out the website: www.horton-brasses.com.

And as much I want to stay focused my thoughts turn to the weekends activities. This weekend, as happens regularly throughout the winter, I plan on skiing. The dilemna: We got lots of rain here in Connecticut, western Mass and southern Vermont got ice. Lots and lots of ice. So much so that all the southern Vermont mountains are closed today. They will reopen tomorrow. If you get far enough north though there is a lot of fresh, albeit wet, snow. So here is the question: My ski club card gets me cheap tickets at Stratton-right in the middle of the ice. If I get as far north as Killington they have about 10" of snow. No one is saying it, but I bet they got a hefty layer of ice on top too. Both are closed today. Killington should be quite a bit better tomorrow but I have to pay the full $72.00 ticket price. Ahh, what to do? Skip it and go another weekend? I suppose some people would do that, but that's not really my style. Skiing on ice and/or in the rain is better than not at all. I'd go Sunday but we have a kids birthday party to go to. Any thoughts?

Utah, spring 2007 for your viewing pleasure

Here is my press release and a picture:

Circles and squares? Yes. How about ovals? Why not? Horton Brasses is proud to introduce a new classic. Oblong, elegant, ovals-a new twist on an old favorite. When a ring is too round and a square is too, well, square, try an oval. Solid brass forgings; made for us in England, 2 sizes and six finishes. Try them in a media room, Mom’s office, or anywhere your heart desires. We make a finish for every décor. Satin brass and satin nickel are soft, warm finishes, while polished brass and polished nickel reflect and sparkle; daring the admirer to come closer. Antique brass and oil rubbed bronze are dark finishes and will appeal to customers looking for that timeless piece of hardware. In stock at all times; no minimum order; quantity discounts available.

Part numbers: OP-1, OP-2

What do you all think? Nice part? Not so nice? I'd love to hear it. One little thing, these are so new they haven't made it the website yet. Contact us if you are interested.

These photos come to me all the way from Juneau, Alaska. This is a necklace case made from solid Oak that uses 30 of our screw in hooks, BH-1. The piece was for the makers wife and I am sure she is thrilled. I am continually amazed by the beautiful objects our customers create.

Live in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or any US territory? You might be interested to know that our standard shipping charge to ANY US address is still only $5.00. For those living in various US territories that means we send the packages Priority Mail. One caveat, if you order something like 50 pounds of nails we will use surface mail. Other than that though, it goes Priority Mail for a pretty reasonable price.