Choosing retro door, window and furniture fixtures is not something you do lightly. You choose these because authenticity is important for you and because you have an eye for detail in your home. All of the fixtures in Dauby’s retro collections are manufactured by sand casting, an age-old manufacturing technique that makes every piece unique.
Unique and authentic
Carefully chosen retro fixtures make all the difference. At Dauby you can find eight different collections. Without a doubt, you will find something that fits perfectly with the style of your interior.
Every single one of our products is handmade, which means that no two items are exactly alike. This means that you will always have something unique in your home with a real story.
What is sand casting?
We still make our retro fixtures by sand casting, even in 2017. The technique is at least 5,000 years old. As the name suggests, this type of metal casting uses sand as a mould material.
What does the production process involve exactly? We place a wooden model of the piece to be produced into a two-part mould with sand that is slightly sticky. This quartz sand contains extra clay and water for improving binding and plasticity.
When we open the mould and remove the model, an imprint of the precise shape of the model remains in the sand. We then close the two halves of the mould again and pour molten metal, such as iron or bronze, into the mould cavity. Once the metal has solidified, we then remove the sand and we are left with a metal cast in the correct shape. However, the product is not yet finished. It is then worked by hand to remove things such as burrs (uneven edges).
More attractive over time
Sand casting guarantees pieces with a unique look that evoke the grandeur of olden days. Dauby’s retro fixtures always retain their value and even become more attractive over time. That’s why we say that they have a ‘living finish’. Through daily use, the fixtures acquires a natural patina after a certain time. The colour variations in the metal become more intensive and create an original look. This is quite a fascinating development!