By now many of you know what a serious salvaged hardware obsession I proudly lay claim to. In my book, the right hardware will make or break a home of any age, and this is even more true in an older home.
When we moved into our 1880's home, the door hardware throughout our house had been replaced with flimsy and odd looking 1980's brass hardware. Right decade, wrong century. Luckily we were still able to see what was once there. Through lock catch notches left in the door casings, hole patterns on the doors, and wear marks/outlines in the original doors, we determined that our house had been outfitted with rim locks throughout.
With the knowledge of correct hardware we set out on what has become an almost nine year journey to find matching door and lock hardware for all of our interior doors. Through searches in salvage yards, scouring eBay, and stumbling on a few in junk shops, we've been able to slowly put together a collection to outfit our home, but it hasn't been easy.
The lock we chose is a medium sized Corbin USA cast iron lockset with four screw hole pattern. It matched the size and hole patterns found on several of our doors, and it wasn't overly decorative for our relatively simple home.
The biggest problem with most of the locks we found over the years was the fact that they were all in various states of decay or malfunction. Each lock has required varying levels of restoration to get them into full working order. To accomplish this we had to open up each lock, take it apart, clean/restore (and sometimes replace) each piece, and reassemble it all.
Many of the locks we've obtained look good on the outside, but looks can be deceiving. They've typically been stripped of paint through some sort of a caustic soak or bath and then washed on the outside. Externally them seem to be in great shape. But when we open it up (by way of the single screw in the center of the lock) we have been met with a rusted and malfunctioning lock with the harder residue of stripped paint, spiders nests, and 100 plus years of dirt and grime.
Note: Many of the technical terms I use in this description like "spindle collar" and "latch bolt" are completely made up by me and my best guess for what they would be called. Beyond "rim lock" I really don't have much actual knowledge of terms.
Our job has been to take the whole lock apart to begin the cleaning process that would result in a restored and working rim lock.
It's best to take out all of the internal parts and pieces and set them aside. (If you're trying this on hardware of your own, take a photo of the fully assembled lock before you start. It will help if you're not 100% sure where a slide bolt or spring goes, or how it could possibly fit back in.) I then clean each piece on the wire wheel to get as much of the rust and grime off as possible. It's my preference to clean both the pieces that are visible from the outside, as well as the pieces that will never see the light of day.
After all of the elements are clean you can begin reassembling the whole mechanism one element at a time.
The first step is to is to assemble and install the knob and latch mechanism in the upper part of the rim lock.
The knob and latch mechanism is usually made up of about four pieces. Two pieces surround the knob spindle hole and have small levers on either side. These levers push and pull the latch bolt in and out as you turn the knob. Additionally a spring (just a flat piece of metal) sits on the top of the assembly and forces the knob spindle and latch both back to a resting position if you're not turning the handle. This is why the knob turns back and latch bolt comes back out when you let go of the knob.
Next I install the lock and slide bold assembly with the lock mechanism and lock spring.
The lock is actually very simple, and quite easy to pick. Similar to the latch bolt, the latch spring keeps the dead bolt in its current position (either locked or unlocked). When you insert the key and begin to turn it, the key catches the bolt and pushes up on the mechanism, allowing the bolt to either slide in or out to lock or unlock the door. The key's pattern isn't particularly advanced, but it needs to have the right depth slot in the middle of the key for it to work.
This particular style lock also has an internally operated slide bolt that allows you to quickly lock the door from the inside. This is considered a "privacy bolt" since it keeps the door locked even if you have a key. I'm guessing it's the first thing that parents removed from children's doors.
Finally, place the cover and center screw back into the lock.
Do you see that little slide thing at the top of the lock?
That little device is there to allow you to change the orientation of the latch bolt on the lock if you need it to switch from being a right hand lock to a left hand lock, all without opening up the lock. If you pull that slide tab up it frees the latch and allows you to unhook it from the spindle collar, flip it around, and then hook it back on. This effectively changes the orientation of the lock, then you just push the slide tab back down and put the last screw in place in the door and the lock is securely in place. It's a very cool and very utilitarian design. So functional.
I don't typically use any WD-40 or lubricant in the lock because I sort of like the creak of the lock as you turn the knob, but it's all just personal choice. If you spray a little WD-40 on the interior of the lock before putting it back together you'll have a nice and quiet lock as perfectly operational as the day its first owner bought it.
The only thing left is to install it on the door and claim your prize as a restorationist (no cash value).
It's a bit of a tedious process, and quite a bit of effort, but I feel quite good in knowing that we've slowly restored our old home to a point a little bit closer to its original state. What do you think? Is it worth the effort or should be just get a reproduction and call it a day?
I know some of you have restored these types of locks as well. Any tips you can pass along or things we shouldn't do?
