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Vintage doorbell buttons

It is commendable to cogitate on the idea of installing vintage doorbell buttons to assist in keeping or resurrecting a historic appearance on a vintage home or commercial building. It may very well be possible to locate vintage doorbell buttons that functional successfully. On the other hand, difficulties may be encountered due to the internal copper contacts having developed corrosion or some sort of oxidation over time that prevents electricity from flowing through the circuit thus preventing the chime mechanism from ringing successfully. A lot can happen over a hundred years. Is it realistic to expect an automobile from the nineteen twenties to start, run, and drive without problems? Why should vintage doorbell buttons be any different. Granted, it may be possible to somehow disassemble or clean the contacts thus restoring proper functioning. If that is something you'd like to try please feel free. Alternatively, consider procuring a new doorbell button with new electrical parts, but that has a great vintage look it. They exist, but are not likely to be found at a big box store.

Craftsman doorbell button materials

An excellent quality craftsman doorbell button will be made of materials such as hand hammered copper, while others will be made of something substantial such as cast bronze with hand patinated surfaces. Even a stone such as a gray slate can give a natural back to nature feel that was popular among closely related styles such as Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie school

Wiring a doorbell button may be one of the easiest jobs ever. The doorbell transformer in a typical house supplies about sixteen volts. That is low enough that you don't need to worry about getting shocked. In fact, it isn't even possible to feel a tingle from voltage that low. If you have a working electrical doorbell system then you have a transformer located inside the house somewhere, usually attached to a floor joist viewable from the basement. If you happen to have a voltmeter it probably isn't a bad idea to check the voltage from the wires that will attach to the doorbell button. As mentioned, the typical voltage is around sixteen volts plus or minus. If you get that reading you can be assured that your transformer is functioning normally.