Our Specialists
Samuel Heath has been crafting from solid brass since 1820 and combines this experience of hand crafting skills with the latest in technology to sculpt the finest bathroom and architectural hardware pieces. Many of the specialist skills we employ have been handed down over the years, we ensure that the best practice is used at every stage whether this is a traditional technique or the latest technological advancements.
Hot stamping
Hot stamping or hot forging is one of the original ways of sculpting brass. Heating the finest solid brass in a furnace until it's cherry red our stampers then use a 40 tonne press to stamp the products into shape.
The ‘billet’ of brass is cut into precise size tolerances and placed between two metal dies to create the shape, the billets are heated to the correct stamping temperatures (between 250-300°C). Close control of the temperature ensures consistency of the finished product.
True to Samuel Heath philosophy the ‘best’ process is chosen and ‘Hot Stamping’ produces products with a high tensile strength and a high quality finish.
CNC Machining
The original way of shaping brass products which are too complicated to be stamped was to use electric lathes, Samuel Heath has over recent years invested heavily in new CNC machinery which carry out specialist tasks to form intricate shapes; particularly our taps. The CNC machining uses up to 16 different cutting heads simultaneously to shape the brass, it is this precision and accuracy that allows more complex design and allows us to employ the latest in tap technology.
Our polishers
Samuel Heath polishers have many years' experience which means there’s nothing they don’t know in producing the smoothest high gloss finish to all our brass components. Working on lathes with 6 reducing levels of emery cloth our polishers pride themselves in making sure every product is hand polished to perfection.
This process removes all the imperfections and it is finished with soft ‘mops’ and a finishing compound, called ‘Colouring’ this aids the final shine and check of the surface before plating.
Our commitment to excellence means that each Samuel Heath product has the smoothest surface for the plating to adhere to give you a product which has that deep lustrous long lasting finish.
Our platers
Our fully computerised automated plating facility employs up to 28 different processes to give Samuel Heath products a superior finish. The team also have on hand a manual facility which allows for small batches and specialist finishes. Products are individually tied to our jigs and copper then nickel is electrophoretically applied followed by the required decorative finish, whether this is chrome or antique gold.
The inclusion of a copper layer is not required on brass but we use it here at Samuel Heath to give an enhanced hardwearing finish. It is also the depth of each layer that we apply which means the finish will give a lifetime of appreciation and will not mark or peel as you might see with some plated products.
Our basket assemblers
Every single one of our shower baskets are constructed by hand. Each basket ‘wire’ is hand positioned and crimped securely in place 'never soldered' so your basket will remain perfect for years to come. Of course there are automated processes which can also achieve this however we aim to always use the best method available and in this case our expert basket assemblers ensure your basket will remain as it was the day it was made.
It is the combination of time honoured processes and modern technology which ensure your Samuel Heath product is so special.
