subject: Ellie Elephant, Rue Rabbit and Terry Turtle take up residence at HGC [print this page] Door Opens, Door Closes, Door Stops Put - Wow!
Now there's a funny thing. Most times we want a door to open and then close. But quiet often it's nice to have that door stay open, or part open and to STOP where we want it to.
Hang that Door
But carpenters, the guys who hang' doors, are trained to fit them so that any door that is opened, swings closed if left to its own devices. And for those not so good in the art of swinging a door, rather than simply hanging a door, there are special hinges to make sure the door will close.
Hinges or Butts
In the UK these hinges are often referred to as rising butts'. That is to say a rising' hinge, so named because the hinge is constructed so that there is an incline on the face of one part of the hinge. This acts as an elevator' for the swinging part of the hinge so that as it opens the door to which it is fixed also swings upward. Pretty good if you have a carpet, mat or some other floor covering that you want to avoid obstructing the opening of this door. But a bit of a nuisance when you let the door go, because the cantilevered weight of the door causes the hinge to slide back down the incline under the force of gravity and to close the door as it does so.
Door Closers
If you don't have this kind of hinge and your door has not been hung so that it swings closed, then you may have automatic door closers fitted to your door or doors. These may be a simple spring door closer fitted roughly in the middle of the door and jamb or door frame or a type of hydraulic door closer fitted to the top of the door and its frame head, or even a chain door closer mechanism that fits inside the door and the frame, i.e. rebated into them, and then closed over in a way that almost hides its mischievous purpose. That purpose of making sure the door closes when you don't want it to.
Comedy Cuts
Now you may not think that this is funny, but a few years ago, Larry Grayson, a British comedian created a very humorous catch phrase for his act "Shut that door". It always raised a laugh, possibly because it gelled with what many a parent has impressed upon their offspring over many a year, to do just that shut that door if not shut that b***y door.
You see, in the UK at least, we are all rather conditioned to the idea that doors must be closed. That is to say, if they have not been deliberately opened.
An Open and Shut Case
But here's the rub. As noted at the beginning of this article there are times when it is rather nice to actually have a door any door, front door, back door, side door, office door, stable door, indeed any door at all open. Maybe it's because we rather like the idea of not being shut off' from our friends, family, work colleagues, neighbours, street, or even nature. Now there's a thing! We'll come back to that a little later.
Door Design
So there we have it. Doors were, and are, made to be mainly closed. Sure, they need to have mechanisms, procedures and even craftsmanship to make sure that, after they have been opened, they are closed again quite quickly. But damn it all how on earth do we get them to do something that they were not designed to do?
A Pat(i)ent Idea
Maybe it took years and years of patient thought to work out how to overcome this most intricate of personal door' problems On, the other hand, perhaps it is something that came almost as a basic part of door technology from the moment that doors were invented'. For sure the answer has been around for a long, long time. And it is a pity that whoever came up with the idea did not live in a complicated society like ours that would have enabled him or her to patent the idea.
Valuing an Idea
An international patent on the answer to such an inherent, integral problem of door technology would be worth literally billions, if not trillions of UK pounds, even more Euros', many more US Dollars, squillions of Yen, Yuan, and so on, and not a bad quota of Dirhams, Shekels, and even Pieces of Eight either.
Simply Stop
And yet the answer is something so simple it may have been thought up of as a rock, a brick, or a piece of wood that can simple and instantly be used as you've guessed - a Door Stop'.
Yes. There you have it. Simplicity itself. Put something in the way of the door that will block the door's inherent design and desire to close.
Door Stop Technology
But all is not quite so simple. Whatever is used as a door stop has to have sufficient mass and weight to be able to overcome the nature inclination, speed, and force of any given door that is simply striving to achieve its closed position. That, after all, is what it was designed for.
Moreover, it may be that the reason behind the desire for any particular door to be open needs to be taken into account. Not only must we consider the weight, mass, and resistance required, but also the objective and the aesthetics of the Door Stop is today an important consideration.
Gone are the days when simply stuffing a rock, brick, lump of concrete, bunch of rags, log, or timber offcut in front of the door to achieve this purpose. Today we are subject to fashion, interior design, and style.
Latest Innovation
Hurray, therefore, for the latest innovation to hit the functional as well as aesthetic door stop market. The animal' doorstop.
Species Protection
No, we're not talking about big game hunting, killing off rare species, ultimate extinction, or any of that really important environmental, ecological and naturalist stuff. We're simply concerned with small leather, heavy weighted representations of animals that can be used as door stops'. From Elephants to Rabbits, Turtles to Pussy Cats, you can have your choice of environmentally sensitive, fun loving, nature corner right at your own open door'.
Sweet Dreams
Dream your dream of being on safari, cuddling your bunny, stroking your cat, or walking your dog. Use them as your dormant pet (remember pet rocks?) and talking points with whoever is on the other side of your open door or doors (you may need to stop' more than one door). Or simply get the better of any door that is annoyingly designed to swing closed when you want it to stay part or fully open.
Gift Problems Solved
You can buy these delightful door stop items as excellent presents, or for your own use. They are available from Your Favourite On-line Superstore now at www.hgc.uk.com. They make fantastic as Christmas or Birthday gifts. Or simply add them to your own wish lists of splendid things you'd really like to receive. And at around 15 a-piece, delivered to your front door, they're a bargain.
Enjoy the fantasy!
Ellie Elephant, Rue Rabbit and Terry Turtle take up residence at HGC
