Antique Mortise Lock Restoration

Sandman0077

Sandman0077

Sr Member
Hey guys, me and my wife just got a house that has the old style Mortise locks on it (skeleton keys and all). I was going to take them apart and clean them up and noticed that the key doesn't fit the front door, but fits all the others in the house. Thinking something was wrong with the front lock, I took it apart and it seems like it's the wrong key! There was only 2 skeleton keys in the house (that we have found) and I don't know why anyone would have a different key for just the front door. I was thinking of moding the lever inside to fit the key (the front and back doors of the house have modern deadbolts installed above the old mortise locks, we are only keeping them because we like the old style locks).

I know that this isn't a prop from a movie (unless you count The Skeleton Key :) ), but it may involve fabrication new parts, which I thought would be cool to post. Move if necessary.

Now, I was hoping SOMEONE with experience could identify the exact type of Mortise lock I have.

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I have exactly the same one on my front door, haven't had to open it yet though. Have similar ones on every interior door too, just without the push buttons. I have to repair some of them as the retaining clips have broken.

You can find keys for these at salvage yards, the number 4 that is stamped on the casing indicates the key you need.
 
Hm.. That would explain why the key I'm using that has a #3 stamped on it isn't working..
Not sure if you can see it well, but on the deadbolt piece there is a #5 on it. Is it just the outside number that matters, or could the inside piece have been replaced at one point? I knew I should have taken the back door one off as well while I was there. That will have to wait for tomorrow.
 
A good locksmith should be able to make a key from scratch if you give him the lock. I've done this myself.
 
I've been researching for a couple hours now and still can't find one that matches. I wish I knew the brand.
For now I disassembled the lock and all the parts are soaking in Simple Green overnight, hopefully to break up some of the grim before I start removing the old paint and rust. Updates to come.
 
*UPDATE*
Got all the old paint and junk off the lock. Looks nice and shiny now!

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I was gonna paint the door knob and lock casing to look like brushed copper. Anyone know how to do this?
 
Nifty project! :)

It should be a pretty trivial task to electroplate for the copper knob and casing, I would think. Think back to your old chemistry teacher's demonstration. a battery, chunk of copper wire, your door knob, and some copper sulfate (root/algae killer)from the hardware store should do the trick.


Edit: it won't help for the brushed look though, you'd probably need to wire brush first. I'm also not familiar with how permanent it will be. A topic for... research!!!

Also, the lock picking tinkerer in me has to add that for a key, now that you have the thing apart, the mechanism should be pretty simple and most of it can be 'bypassed' rather than 'picked'. You can probably cobble together a nice 'universal' key consisting of a single tooth. All the rest of it is ornamentation, so you can design it however you want as long as it fits within the existing profile.

Second edit: because knowing is important: it's not overly toxic, but you probably shouldn't pour it down the drain msds
 
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JBD, good idea about the copper electroplating. I will have to look into it. Me and my wife were talking and she had a pretty good idea. Paint it in copper/bronze, let it dry, then paint it black, but while its still wet, use a dry brush to remove the black and highlight the edges.
I'm gonna give that a try now bc I already have the paint. I will post the results.
 
Gave the lock casing a flat black paint job. Looks almost new now!

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I wonder if I have realized I have 3 more locks I have to do this to..lol..
 
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If the Brinks lock is the look you're going for, brushing on a coat of black and letting the brush marks show could work, then you could use a rub-on copper finish that should give you a pretty decent look (arts and craft type thing, oil based, I think). I didn't suggest it earlier because it can be a little messy and takes ages to cure, but a perk of going for a look like the Brinks is that lots of locks have what amounts to be a coat of shalac that you could use to coat yours to give it a bit of protection.

Yes, I do realize I'm telling you to go ahead and ruin your nice even paint job.
 
Yeah it's a couple layers of Rust-oleum Metalic Copper. It didn't come out as smooth as I wanted, but the metal itself is pitted, so unless I put a crap ton of layers on I'm afraid it won't be completely smooth. You can't see it unless you get really close. Which I don't think anyone will unless they are creeping through the key hole haha
 
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