Press

The name, Greenwich Metal Finishing, speaks of science. To appreciate the art, spend some time with Stephen Grisanti and Anthony Cassano and hear them talk about the breadth and depth of what they offer--whether it's a relatively simple polishing job or the replating of ornate candlesticks, the refinishing of antique outdoor lighting or the complete restoration of a brass chandelier.

The idea for Greenwich Metal Fishing was in the making for two years. "Tony and I grew up together and we've been in business together," says Mr. Grisanti. "We live in the same town, in Rye, New York, and both have Families. All the research for this business we've done together. We're partners, 50-50. We'd both always worked with metaI soldering, brazing, shining. It was just a natural progression that we had a shop."

Describing his partner as "amazing," Mr. Grisanti said: "Whether it's repairing or fabricating something, he can do it. He's more behind the scenes and I'm more of the people person, and thats how we run the company."

For anyone unfamiliar with the art of metalwork, a trip to the shop is an education in the kind of refinishing and restoration that can be accomplished. Something that to the unschooled eye appears hopeless can be completely redone so that it looks new, or handsomely reflects its age and antiquity.

On a recent Wednesday, the tiny shop was packed with items that had just come in, were in the process of being redone or were ready to go home. A beautiful sterling-silver filigree bowl from 1906 had just arrived for a polishing.

Asked why good old elbow grease and a little silver polish from a jar at home might not do the job, Mr. Grisanti replies: "When I get done with that, it'll look like glass.

"Getting the shine is accomplished through a series of steps," he continues. "You start out with a coarse compound, then the next step is using a medium that brings out the shine, and the buffing is the final touch. To this day, every piece I do, I'm just amazed at how incredible they turn out. You have to be into it. The reason we're successful in auto detailing is...the details. And this is the same. We're perfectionists. When we return something it looks like it just came out of the box."

Another item that had just arrived was what looked like an Art Nouveau planter. Whoever had long ago attached the brass ivy vines and delicate birds to the pewter pot was clearly enamored of solder--or at least was trying to make sure those things never came off.

The job was tricky, Mr. Grisanti admitted: to refinish the pot properly, he'd have to remove all the ornamentation, then undo the sloppy soldering job. "Breaking the solder is the only way I can redo the bowl so it's beautiful. Then I can reattach the vines and birds properly. That's what makes this job interesting. Every day, it's something new and always different."

The tiny backroom workshop in Greenwich was crammed with everything from copper pots to chandeliers, simple creamers to a country-club awards plaque dating from the early part of this century.

One of the advantages of Mr. Grisanti's hands-on service is that he can often show customers when they come in just how good their piece will look when he and his staff are done. For example, the brass plates on the awards plaque were deeply tarnished--so much so that one could hardly read the winners' names. The wood base also was scratched and the finish peeling. While the representative of the local country club stood by, Mr. Grisanti cursorily polished one of the plates so that the warm gold finish came through. There wasno need to wonder and worry how it would look when the piece was done--it would be a showpiece.

Another customer brought in a copper pot, and Mr. Grisanti offered the choice of a high gloss or butler finish (more of a matte, or satin, look)--then demonstrated both. The customer, who had not known what a butler finish was, liked it so much that she chose it.

Hanging from the ceiling were a pair of sconces that had needed a complete overhaul. "We had to finely sandblast them, because they were pitted," Mr. Grisanti says. "Then we completely rewelded, primed them and painted them." Now, they awaited the final touch--the artist who would recreate the original paintings on the front.

Lighting restoration is another big component of Greenwich Metal. "We will completely disassemble a chandelier or other lighting fixture, restore the base metal, clean and wax the crystals, do the wiring and any repairs," says Mr. Grisanti. "We can turn anything into a lamp, too--for example, a trumpet or candlestick--we get a lot of candlesticks that people want to be made into lamps."

Much of Greenwich Metal's work is on heirloom pieces that owners--whether family members or antique stores--want restored to their original condition. They also offer a cleaning and polishing service for weddings, parties and corporate affairs.

They also do commercial work for designers, decorators and architectural companies in New York, Florida, Boston and other places on the East Coast. Restoration of unique details in older homes and public buildings is also a specialty, and the company works closely with homeowners and builders.

Their biggest and perhaps most unusual job now is creating eight elevator doors and other parts of the lifts for Ralph Lauren's new store in Chicago. The Lauren reps chose a verde patina with slight bronze overtone that takes skilled hands and several chemicals to create. By the time they're done, the elevators will look like they came right out the 1940's. Recently, Greenwich Metal also did several plaques for the Saks Fifth Avenue store on Greenwich Avenue.

Prices range anywhere from $25, for a simple cleaning and polishing of a doorknob set, to $1,200, to re-silver an entire tea set. Everything is wrapped with tissue paper and bubble wrap for protection.

Working in the cramped Church Street quarters has been a challenge, says Mr. Grisanti, especially since the business was so successful right away. The new Stamford factory boasts 4,000 square feet and was designed to accommodate the latest in sandblasting booths; lacquering, polishing and painting rooms, and restoration and cleaning sites, as well as the company's offices. Customers, however, will still drop off and pick up their items at Church Street, where everything is documented, identified and videotaped upon receipt and all work is completely insured against damage or loss.

In just over a year, Greenwich Metal has done at least a couple of thousand jobs, Mr. Grisanti estimates. So has there ever been one he found he couldn't do? "None," he says. "The only job we won't do is when someone wants something less than our standards."

We are an Authorized Marking and Inspection Facility
Greenwich Metal Finishing, 300 West Main St., Stamford, CT 06902
Phone: 203-977-0494 Fax: 203-316-8702
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