An insight into what specialist hardware source and supply actually involves in 2021.

We advertise that we have experience in sourcing hardware items for customers.  This is not what many people think it is.  It involves sourcing specialist door locks and hardware products world-wide for specialized customer requirements in Ireland.

 Most secondary school students can source what they need in electronic gizmos nowadays on the internet from where ever the supply source is.  This is sourcing of cheap fast moving consumer goods from where they can be bought cheaply on the internet. It is global sourcing but very different to what we do.

First of all, specialist door hardware is expensive.  On our side we have specialist databases  to source products and also a network of expert advisors to assist.  The hardware products to be sourced are often expensive and very specific in technical specification. A widespread  technical product understanding is vital and experience of specification terminology also.  Price negotiation is not high on the list of barriers to success in this work, there is almost never negotiation on the level of price, trade prices are  set and in place most often.

Because price is not an issue for debate, our end customers will often prepay for the specialist hardware needed. For us diplomacy is the top skill required, some way has to be found to get our orders up the line in a global battle for supply.  First step, some way has to be found to get a reply form a very busy global manufacturing company that may be situated anywhere in the world. Next a global or continental Sales Manager has to be wooed and encouraged into action to  help with the sourcing and specification , next a country distributor (most often not in Ireland) must be contacted and exactly the correct product ordered and prepaid for. Them the products are shipped to our stores in Ireland and onwards to the customer.  In times of global shortages this is a difficult task. It is rewarding work on many levels, but money is often no help is getting  priority of supply. Often manufacturers will intentionally leave out vital technical specifications from catalogues to insure any new customer must come through official sales and supply lines and be vetted as a fitting reseller of their products.

In the last few months we have had success in sourcing hardware manufactured in Tokyo, with the help of a Continental Sales Manager from the official French distributor, and we managed to achieve this in a major global shortage of the hardware products concerned.

We have recently supplied specialist hinges, and pivots, and locks and handles from Germany, Japan, Holland, France, Italy, the UK and China.  Although most of our customers are Irish based, we have supplied customers all over the world.

It is an expensive demanding business and cannot be confused with buying on Amazon. Suppliers concerned have a strong global demand for their products, they mostly manufacture in small volume, they will only supply through official specialist supply channels.  This is a highly structured controlled business and we have being successfully doing it since 1986.

If you need our expertise in our area of expertise, why not get in contact?

The Tokyo hinge

Spy holes for your front door, door viewer,

Many modern front doors require a longer than standard door viewer spy hole.  This is because many front doors are now made thicker in construction than before.  Older front doors tended to be no more than 50 mm thick and the standard door viewer extending to 55 mm was easy to fit.  Now modern doors are made 60 to 75 mm thick, these require a extra long door viewer spy glass, capable of fiting the thicker door.  In the picture above we show our long door spy glass viewer that extends to 75 mm in polished brass, we have this in polished chrome also.  www,handlesupplies.ie

Door handles and door locks from Cork for Ireland and beyond.

Customers from near and far visit

Handle Supplies

EM Hardware Supplies Ltd is trading in specialist door hardware for the last 35 years.  Although the company was there long before the internet became a part of everyday life; one would think that the vision in setting it up required fore knowledge of the upcoming power of the web in order for the business to achieve it's full  potential.  In recent years the web friendly name 'Handle Supplies' has been registered as a trading name and also purchased as a domain name to keep the online and offline trading identity consistent. handlesupplies.ie , handlesupplies.com and hardwaresupplies.ie are also now domain names used by the company.

Owned and operated for the last 14 years by husband and wife team John and Brenda O'Driscoll, a vast range of door handles, locks and related hardware items are supplied to retail and trade customers locally, throughout Ireland and beyond.  Selling in answer to web inquiries, e-mailing, texting and viber messages are as much a part of doing business as meeting and selling to walk-in customers.

 Because the market for many of the door locks and handles in Ireland is not of a sufficient size to justify stocking everything, many our of customers have come to know that nearly anything can be quickly and efficiently supplied to order.

 It is a good sign of the improving Irish economy to see an increasing demand for kitchen handles and doors handles from local and nationwide customers, who are now doing-up their houses in increasing numbers. All tastes are catered for in door handles and related hardware fittings, from the most modern to ageless classical designs.  To help keep up our product knowledge we reqularly attend the largest trade fairs in the world. We have an envious list of more then 60 quality suppliers to help us supply everybody.

The picture above shows one of our  customers from India on his second visit to our store. Handles purchased in our store at Cobh Cross Industrial Estate outside Carrigtwohill were later fitted in his house in India.

Customers from the UK, South Africa, Australia and America have also bought from us.  We look forward to greeting more local and global customers and to supplying all with the best quality door handles and related hardware fittings and at the best prices . Call 021 488 3131, email handlesupplies@gmail.com or just walk in and find a range beyond anything you thought was possible.

Dog proof door handles our solution to stop your dog opening the front or back door

Because we sell door handles of all types we get all types of requests from customers as well

Recently we made up a pair of dog proof front door handles.  If fact what we did is we modified a pair of front and back door multi-point lock handles to stop the family pet letting himself into and out of the house when the door was on the latch.  The multi-point lock installed was working very free so the oval knobs I attached in place of the lever handle to the back plate worked the lock without any difficulty. My customer asked me to make up a door handle to stop the dog coming in and also going out so I added an oval knob to the inside plate as well as the outside plate of the door handles.  Now with the oval knobs fitted in the vertical position as in picture one below, the dog can no longer open the door from inside or outside by slapping the handle with his paws.  The polished brass finish is very good looking as well and these handles are 70 mm centres (keyhole to centre of the spindle) which is a difficult size to find.  We stock and sell all manner of external and internal door handles. Call 021 488 3131 or email John at  handlesupplies@gmail.com

The dog proof front door knobs

A view of the dog proof knobs side-ob

The lever handles  that the dog opened easily, before we modified them as shown above

Old-world porcelain and antique brass handles; a matching set for your new kitchen or a great way of upgrading your old kitchen doors

This is a selection of exquisite kitchen handles and knobs that will make your kitchen  look great.

On the right is porcelain on antique brass pull handle. Below is a full set of matching knobs and also a great looking old-world cup handle at the bottom.

Check out more porcelain and other kitchen handle options on our web site
www.handlesupplies.ie

Call to arrange a visit to our warehouse showroom or to place your order

Tel 021 488 3131

We offer kitchen hinges and a full range of door knobs and handles for your house

Kitchen knobs in porcelain cream on antique brass with matching alternatives to suit many styles of kitchen and house










Breath new life into your old and tired kitchen by repalcing your knobs with these great looking kitchen knobs and handles

 This is a traditional cup handle on the left.  It is unique in that it has a full set of matching knobs and a handle above.  The finish is cream on antique brass.

email me on handlesupplies@gmail.com
with any questions or a request for a trade price quotation for a full list of these porcelain fittings to suit your complete kitchen,   Antique brass surface fit hinges are  in stock to match the antique trim on  these kitchen porcelain fittings.  

We also stock a full range of modern metal kitchen knobs in six finishes; nickel, brass, polished chrome, satin chrome, antique brass and black. Call our number or email and look for John, I will be glad to offer any assistance and advice that I can.

Give us a call on 021 488 3131 for the best factory price on your new kitchen handles and knobs

Crystal cupboard and door knobs add a little sparkle

Always popular, to add a little sparkle to your wardrobe or cupboard doors, are crystal knobs.
We offer them in several sizes (30, 40, 50 mm) on a polished chrome silver of polished brass gold coloured mounting plate.  If you like a little colour to shine through we offer these crystal knobs in pink, blue, green and lilac colours.  These are high quality real cut glass crystal knobs not plastic.

Clear crystal on polished brass (gold) plate door knob.

We have many customers who like to fit crystal knobs to their doors These are full size door knobs with a 55 mm diameter (2.25 inches),  We supply these with a polished brass plate as shown above or a polished chrome silver plate which ever better matches your furnishings..  We also have matching crystal keyhole covers as shown across.,  These offer the final sparkle and they are specially available for our customers  only see www.handlesupplies.ie.

Simply call for assistance on 021 488 3131 email handle supplies@gmail.com

Front door locks jammed The possible problems and the solutions that we have found to work

In the last 2 days we have assisted 2 customers with what is a common problem where the front door is locked shut and the keys are lost or locked inside the house or the lock simply will not open with the key as it should.

Below is a lock mechanism of a multipoint front door lock commonly called the gearbox.  This is attached to the front strip that you see running up the front edge of your door. In most cases when there is a problem opening the door it will relate to the lock gearbox.

Here are some of the common problems.

 I will cover 4 here.

There are many possible causes of the door jammed locked and I will cover more possible causes and solutions in later blogs.   Contact me if you need to by clicking on www.handlesupplies.ie

Problem 1  Keys left inside the house or keys left on the inside of the cylinder (barrel) lock and the door locked out on closing after you have walked out.

With this problem only the spring latch has engaged in the middle of the frame and is holding the door locked.

          1 The solution to opening this door particularly if is a PVC door is to press you knee against the lower front corner of the door.  The door will flex in, this flex will often pop the door open and you are sorted. This was the solution today.

Problem 2  Door  locked with all the points fully engaged in the frame of a PVC door and the handle will not move the lock mechanism.  Here the square spindle drive may be broken in the lock gearbox.

2 Solution, remove the handles if you can get inside by another door.  Check that the square drive is ok by looking in through it.  If it is broken try and insert a large screw driver to turn the lock open making sure the cylinder is in the open lock position. If the gearbox is badly broken you will have to take further steps.

Problem 3   Same problem as 2 above, with gearbox broken and no easy way to forcing it to turn the lock points to open position in a PVC door.

3 Solution, remove the PVC door panels by pulling out the rubber seal from the front and taking out the panel securing strips from the inside.  The PVC door now becomes very flexible with the centre panel out and the front edge of the door can be pulled out of the locking points of the frame and the door open, the centre panel is then easily fixed back in the door in reverse order.  This was the solution to yesterdays problem.

Problem  4 Same problem as 2 above, with gearbox broken and no easy way to forcing it to turn the locking  points to open position but this time in a wooden door

          4 Solution,  look at the hinges on the timber door. If the pin can be removed then remove the hinge pins and pull the back side of the door open and the front of the door will release.

Please be aware that described here are only real front door problems that we have come across for customers and solved by help over the phone or by making a service call to open the door where customers are near by.  We supply all manner of multipoint locks, handles and lock (barrel) cylinders.  If you have a problem please get in contact and we will supply any lock that is available or a suitable upgrade lock where your lock is obsolete.  We have never failed to supply a fitting lock solution.

email handlesupplies@gmail.com     www.handlesupplies.ie   Tel in Ireland 021 488 3131