Dear Lock Gods and Goddesses, I need some help and advice-and fast! Here’s the back story:
We’re deep in the throes of amassive remodel, and to that end, my husband and I purchased a stunning antique salvage door, fully restored, that has a glass and ironwork center. It has never been drilled out for a lock (it looks like a small doorknob hole was drilled at one point in it’s history, and that maybe a rim lock was also installed).
The door is a normal thickness, but the stiles are a little on the narrow side and further constricted on the outside by the trim that holds the glass in place, which has turned my search for a front door knob set into a nightmare. I finally found a narrow “antique” (or so they claimed) mortise set that I hope will work on eBay. It’s very nice looking, made of cast iron, and has a nice heft and handle to it.
Before I drilled into my 5K door and left a permanent hole in it, I thought it would be prudent to take the lock apart and clean and lubricate it, and just check everything out.
Upon closer inspection, I saw that someone had painted the outside using a cheap brush which left little hairs in the glaze, not a big deal, but it bugged me. Inside, the lock was super dirty and was rusty in places and filled with old spider nests etc. Again, not a big deal, and truthfully, I expected to find crud in an antique lock.
As I took the parts out to clean and de-rust (all of them are iron), I ran into a part that made me go “What the heck??!!” It’s extruded PLASTIC!!(the rest are all metal)The lock came with a heavyish working skeleton key shaped like a sideways “M”. All the metal parts are in good shape,and the lock now works fine, but the mechanism isn’t terribly complex-it looks somewhat primitive.
So here are my questions: 1) Has anybody heard of this lock company?-B. Lapp. The lock is stamped with a letter B with an L inside it as the logo, along with the words “Lapp Exakt (sic) Original” inside a circle. There is an additional stamp inside a rectangle that reads" O Norm,B5350 I can find no information on it at all.
2) I plan on adding a deadbolt to the front door for added security, but should I/could I find another mortise lock to use instead of this one (and still use the plates and handles. The spindle is 5/16″)? It only came with the one skeleton key, and it will cost me a fortune to make duplicates.I love it though.
3) Just how old is this thing? When did they stop using skeleton keys in doors? The lock is clearly machine made, older, and not cheapie looking inside or out-just not complex. Any info and advice would be VERY gratefully received!!Yours kindly, Laura
