WOVEN GRILLES

WOVEN WIRE PANELS

Weaving is the method of wire panel production in which two distinct sets of wires are interlaced at right angles to form a semi rigid panel. The advantages of weaving over welding are that the decorative woven panel is inherently more attractive with a distinctly authentic and historical appearance. Also the woven wire grille is slightly more flexible under stress, meaning that if wire panels are curved or hit, they can deform briefly but then return to their original state, whereas a welded wire panel would just stay bent.

In a woven wire panel none of the joints are welded but the woven grille is held together by the friction of the perpendicular wires being held together by the similar joints around them. The deeper the crimp the looser the woven grille will be.  If they are too shallow it would not be possible to weave the grille so just the right depth must be crimped into the flat or round wire prior to weaving each decorative panel.

Woven wire panels are initially woven oversize and then trimmed to the correct size. Both the weaving and the trimming are done by hand in exactly the same way that they have been done for hundreds of years.

The majority of our decorative woven grilles and wire panels are woven from either 3mm or 5mm flat brass wire, which is about 1.2mm thick. This is a decorative wire specially made for weaving decorative wire panels and grilles. As well as weaving in stainless steel, mild steel and aluminium we can also weave from 6mm wide strip but this is less popular.

The brass wire we use can have either a plain surface or a reeded texture, which means that it has two shallow narrow lines rolled into the length of it. This gives the resultant wire panel a slightly more decorative and detailed finish overall. The sizes of the holes range from 6mm through, 8mm, 10mm, 13mm, 19mm and our largest standard size is 25mm. The brass wire can be woven into decorative grilles with square holes so that the holes appear as squares when they are fitted, or they can be trimmed at 45 degrees so they are oriented as diamond shapes. If it is desired, asymmetric diamonds can be achieved by weaving the panels over wide and under high by a specific ratio and then when they are squeezed on fitting they achieve the correct size for the hole into which they are to fit, but, the brass wire diamonds will now be elongated which is regarded as an attractive and unique decorative feature.

Brass wire that is drawn out to very fine strands in precious metals such as gold,  silver and platinum is also sometimes woven into high value designer jewellery. The decorative panels and grilles that we manufacture from brass, bronze, stainless steel, aluminium and sometimes copper and other metals are in some ways regarded as being like the jewellery fitted to buildings to not only achieve a function but also to act as an attractive feature unto themselves. Currently the brass grilles, antique brass grilles and bronzed grilles, which are all made from brass wire are the most popular. But fashions change and only a few years ago it was the chrome grilles, stainless steel grilles and nickel grilles that were the most in demand. Whatever your choice is, whether you are creating a look from scratch or adding new features to an existing design, we are happy to guide you to the choice, which will most successfully create the effect you are looking for.

On this page you will see a broad selection of our standard ranges of decorative wire grilles. The default setting is for them to display with brass wire but the finishes can be changed to view them with other finishes. You can click on the finish icons at the top of the page to view all the decorative wire grilles on the current page in any of the finishes displayed. If you do not see either the decorative grille type or the metal finish that you are looking for then please view our specialist grille page and our dedicated special metal finishes page for more inspiration. If you have something in mind which you cannot find anywhere on our site, whether it is a different pattern or made from a different type of decorative wire or with a different finish, then please contact us directly with details as we are always interested in new grilles and patterns for wire panels or old ones that we have not seen before. We are yet to be faced with a decorative grille that we cannot reproduce.

WOVEN GRILLES

The oldest type of decorative grille is the woven style achieved by first taking a straight wire from a long coil and putting small dents in it that distort the metal permanently one way, then the other, alternating along its length. This stage is called 'crimping' and changes the shape of the wire from flat to a permanently wavy zigzag.

Each dent is called a crimp. The crimps are put into the wires using cogs with different numbers of teeth on them. With one cog above the wire and one below, both set at a specific distance apart from each other, the wire passes through. This can be done with a hand powered machine but nowadays is more often done with automated machines. If the cogs are too far apart the crimps will be too shallow, the wires will not fit over each other and it will not be possible to weave the wires. If the cogs are too close, the depth of the crimps will be too deep and the wires will be too loose and the lattice will fall apart. The distance needs to be inbetween these at just the right distance to allow the grille to be easily assembled and then hold itself firmly together once it is made. The frequency of the 'crimps' determines the size the hole will be once the wires are assembled. After the wires are crimped and cut to a suitable length, slightly over that which is required for the size of the eventual panel, they are interlaced together either by hand or by machine.

Once the panels are woven they are trimmed. This can represent the end of the manufacturing process if the desired look is that of plain metal from which the panel was woven and the degree to which the grille obscures the view of what is behind it is achieved by the grille alone. If a greater degree of screening is required then an additional layer of mesh of a finer nature, and usually made from the same material, can be added to the back of the woven grille. This is often held in place using wire ties stripped from the side of the finer grille.

Once the assembly is complete it will receive further finishing to either age (darken), brighten or change the colour of the base metal. In some cases where an antique finish is required some rubbing back of the darker patina may occur to achieve a more natural look of having the raised areas showing a brighter finished metal than the deeper areas where dirt and tarnishing would have naturally been allowed to accumulate over many years. James Gilberts grilles can be made to match any age or era of the building for which they are intended.

Woven wire grilles

Our standard interwoven metal grilles are made from either flat or round wire. Woven round wire is most commonly used in the restoration of vintage and veteran cars, in particular the stone guards (which cover the large headlamps that were typical in that period) and also the radiator grilles that protected the car radiator from stones thrown up from the road. It can also be used internally for decorative purposes. Due to the narrow gauge of the wires used it results in a meshwork with a very high ratio of open area to metal. A fine backing mesh is often applied to the back to make it more opaque.

More often the favoured choice of wire for decorative interwoven lattice grilles is a flat wire around 1.2mm thick and either 3mm or 5mm wide. This creates a denser grid with the 5mm wire providing the densest version. Another important factor, which contributes to the appearance of your James Gilbert grilles, and in particular the ratio of their open area to the amount of metal is the size of the holes. The standard sizes of the holes for decorative woven metal screens are 6mm , 10mm, 13mm, 19mm and 25mm. The larger the holes the more it is possible to see through them and the more likely they are to have a backing mesh fitted to them. Other hole sizes are available but those sizes cover most requirements. Sometimes two different holes sizes are combined in one grille allowing the individual wires to be assembled in a variety of patterns using a combination of square and rectangular patterns , many of which can resemble tartans and other checked patterns.

The wire from which the metal grilles are intertwined to achieve a netlike effect can also have a decorative detail imprinted onto them. This detail is called a reeded pattern and consists of two narrow lines rolled onto one face of the flat wire. Where the lines are rolled the wire is thinner. The contrast between the thinner rolled lines and the rest of the thicker surface of the wire creates a contrast and by way of the shadows cast from one part of the wire to the other. Depending on how the grille is lit this can give the impression of varying degrees of additional detail to the surface of the ornate grating.

Our standard interwoven grilles are made from either flat or round wire. Round wire is most commonly used in the restoration of vintage and veteran cars for their stone guards over the large headlamps that were typical in that period and as radiator grilles in front of the radiators to protect them from stones thrown up from the road. It can also be used decoratively internally. Due to the narrow gauge of the wires used it results in a meshwork with a very high ratio of open area to metal. A fine backing mesh is often applied to the back to make it more opaque. More often the favoured choice of wire for decorative interwoven lattice grilles is a flat wire around 1.2mm thick and either 3mm or 5mm wide. This creates a denser grid with the 5mm wire providing the densest version. The other important factor, which contributes to the appearance of the grille and in particular the ratio of its open area to the amount of metal, is the size of the holes. The standard sizes of the holes for decorative woven metal screens are 6mm, 10mm, 13mm, 19mm and 25mm. The larger the holes the more it is possible to see through them ad the more likely they are to have a backing mesh fitted to them. Other hole sizes are available but those sizes cover most requirements. Sometimes two different holes sizes are combined in one grille, allowing the individual wires to be assembled in a variety of patterns using a combination of square and rectangular patterns, many of which can resemble tartans and other checked patterns. The wire from which the grilles are intertwined to achieve a netlike effect can also have a decorative detail imprinted onto them. This detail is called a reeded pattern ad consists of two narrow lines rolled onto one face of the flat wire. Where the lines are rolled the wire is thinner. The contrast between the thinner rolled lines and the rest of the thicker surface of the wire creates a contrast and by way of the shadows cast from one part of the wire to the other. Depending on how the grille is lit this can give the impression of varying degrees of additional detail to the surface of the ornate grating.