Locked combination safes

Have you inherited an old safe along with your home or business property acquisition?
It was probably because the thing was too heavy to move, and that may be why you still have it around.
Anything over 600 pounds, and you will probably want a professional cartage company like BOWIS CARTAGE in Toronto to get rid of it for you.  Their invoices start around $400 dollars or so, and if there are stairs involved, things start to get expensive real fast.
Getting it professionally opened might be a less expensive proposition.
But do consider one of these two options, because a safe with a lost combination is a potential liability.
More than one property owner has been confronted with armed felons demanding the safe's combination, and when they refused to believe that the combination was lost, things got ugly real fast.

A Brief history of Historical/Vintage Mortise Locks in Toronto

In 1885 William C. Springer moved from Cleveland Ohio to Peterborough, Ontario and established The Belleville Hardware and Lock Manufacturing Company.

Here is a bronze bodied Belleville lock opened up.  The Belleville logo can also be seen on the deadbolt strike face:

Click on image to enlarge.
Click outside area around image to return to page.

In 1910 Springer left this company to establish The Springer Lock Company.

This is a link to a complete catalogue of Springer products circa 1920: (The live link is in red.)

https://archive.org/stream/IllustratedCatalogueOfLocksAndBuildersHardware/CCA67339#page/n85/mode/2up

The company's solid bronze hardware secured the Lieutenant Governor's residence in Toronto, the Sun Life head office in Montreal --at that time, the largest and finest office building in the British Empire -- and also shipped abroad to England, New Zealand, Mexico, China and other countries.

Below is a Springer Lock opened up:

Springer sold the company to The American Hardware Corporation* (AHC) of New Britain, Conn. in 1931 and it was renamed The Corbin Lock Company of Canada Ltd.

Here is an AHC lock opened up:

Around 1947, Corbin Lock purchased two other lock-manufacturers: The Belleville Hardware Company Ltd., on Pinnacle Street and The Peterborough Lock Manufacturing Company of Peterborough, Ontario.

Below is a Peterborough lock opened up:

Following the acquisitions the company was renamed The International Hardware Company of Canada LTD until operations ceased in 1978.

Here is a vintage Corbin Lock of a style very common in Toronto:

Another common lockset in the High Park area are those made by The Toronto Lock Manufacturing Company which was in business as early as 1916, and possibly earlier.

Below is a Toronto lock opened up:

If your vintage lock is giving you problems, High Park Lock may be able to help you with out with diagnostics and/or parts from our selection of refurbished and replica hardware.  If you are interested in DIY, another excellent source for parts, and vintage builders hardware is The Door Store on Castlefield Road, Toronto. 

For additional options to vintage lock repair and replacement, please visit my article on "Antique Mortise Lock Solutions" posted here: http://highparklock.blogspot.ca/2013/07/antique-mortise-locks_17.html

NOTES:
*The American Hardware Corporation was formed in 1902 as a holding company through the merger of the Russell & Erwin Manufacturing Company and P. & F. Corbin, which were at that time separate and independent and rivals in the market for builders' hardware. At the time of the merger the two companies produced nearly one-half of the total hardware of this type in the United States.

In 1964 American Hardware was bought out by Emhart Corporation and in 1970 a new plant was built in Berlin. In 1989 Emhart was taken over by Black & Decker. Today, Corbin Russwin Architectural Hardware in Berlin, Connecticut, manufactures padlocks and is owned by a Swiss concern, which also owns Sargent Lock Company in New Haven, Connecticut.

Adding a deadbolt lock to a wooden gate

I've sometimes been asked to make a keyed lock work on a gate door.
The problem is usually that the gate door is too thin to accommodate a standard door lock, and/or the wood (often pine or cedar) is too soft to work with.
Sometimes, both these issues can be resolved with a wraparound plate, after strips of wood have been added to make the door a standard thickness that can accept a modern deadbolt.
The wraparound plate provides both additional strength and stability for the lock hardware.

Click photo to enlarge

The lock in the picture above is a Schlage P252 double sided, (key operational on both sides) with a spring latch instead of a dead-locking deadbolt so that the gate will lock again with just a push or a pull.
Call for a free estimate.

To Alarm Or Not To Alarm? Are burglar alarms worth the money?

In 2011, the number of reported burglaries were higher in the USA (702 per 100,000 households) than the same year in Canada, (526 per 100,000 households).  Canada has never been far behind, and in some recent years past, we had surpassed them. 

This very un-Canadian sounding fact is frequently downplayed by think-positive, nothing-to-see-here, political/media entities who prefer to stress the feel good statistic that there has been a steady decrease in reported burglaries since 1981.

However, if asked, these same sources will also admit that an estimated 50% of break-ins aren’t reported. And it's impossible to tell if the rate of unreported incidents has risen or fallen over that same period, since  "50%" is not really a statistic at all, but a mere guess.  Sorry, but another word for a statistic based on guesswork is hogwash.


Still, even without counting the unreported burglaries, that is still works out to about one residence every 10 seconds in Canada, or one home in every 33.


So is it worthwhile considering whether or not an alarm system is worth the freight?

The following factors have contributed to my decision:


SOME BURGLARS DON'T CARE ABOUT ALARMS

I remember reading a study that suggested that about half the identified burglars (incarcerated/paroled) who were interviewed for a research project, claimed that they were or would be deterred by signs that a targeted premise was/were protected by alarms.  The other half said that signs or indications would not be a factor in deciding whether or not to burgle a house or apartment.  They reasoned they would probably be in and out long before law enforcement arrived, and are aware that unverified alarm-activations (as opposed to a verified Crime-in-Progress) take a low priority in Police dispatch triage. See: The Four-Minute Rule and three modern myths about home security.) The average time in is eight minutes, but experienced burglars like to stay under the average dispatch time of any potentially responding police.


So, if half the burglars out there don't care if the home is alarmed, fake alarm signs may be almost as effective against those who do.


This eBay listing, for example, is for 6 Alarm Stickers for $5.86, plus $3.00 international shipping, that may or may not fool some potential burglars into thinking the risks are not worth the effort, and pass on by.

I'm sure some burglars are going to look at this and think, "That's fake.  Absolutely."  But the next guy down the alley may ask himself, "Why take the chance?"  We need to bear in mind that burglars are individuals in the risk-taking business, and we don't really know what goes on in their minds. When they see a sticker, they have to speculate on the odds that a sticker is bona-fide, and that the alarm system is paid for and up to date, and not just an artifact of previous owners.  Regardless, a dummy sticker will deter some fraction of the fifty percent of burglars who are leery of homes with alarm stickers.


There are also a variety of dummy CCTV cameras, that look like the real thing, and even the real ones have come down in price, and are available for  less than a couple of hundred dollars at the big box stores.


Another free service which has been shown to statistically reduce the chances of a breakin, and that is to become part of the Toronto Police Service "Operation Identification."  Contact the Crime Prevention Office of you local Police Division, and they will lend you a hand-held, electric engraver, with with which you can discretely mark your valuables with your name, SIN, or Driver's Licence number.  This will make your property very undesirable to a criminal, and increase the chances it will be returned.

 

You will also receive window stickers, that say WARNING Valuables in this house have identification markings, and most burglars will probably opt to pass on by.  Marked items are dangerous to be caught holding, and virtually impossible to fence.


You can buy a little electric engraver of your own, for under fifteen dollars at Canadian Tire, and this will let you add to markings to any new acquisitions without a back and forth to the police station, but the stickers are what you want for burglary deterrence, and your local police will provide them for the asking.


MONITORED ALARM COSTS VS. ACTUARIAL COSTS

Insurance actuators estimate the average dollar loss for a typical North American burglary to be $1,607 per residential break in which happens to be very close to the average costs of a monitored alarm-

-system over three years. So, an unalarmed homeowner who isn’t burglarized over a three-year period, looks to be ahead of the game after about this amount of time.


Now, this simplistic theoretical equation suffers from the same flaw as most simplistic, theoretical equations do, in that it is complete, simplistic, theoretical hogwash.  It doesn't factor theoretical life safety issues, or the peace of mind that an alarm system may provide some individuals, and the actual, and emotional value of your possessions.


On the other hand, find out if an alarm will pay for itself, in a significant reduction of your policy fees.  (This was not the case with my insurer.) 


TORONTO'S $1000 DOLLAR FALSE ALARM FEE

Now consider the hidden costs of  false alarm-activations.  The fire department isn't supposed to attend burglar alarm activations, but they sometimes do.  Among other reasons, if your alarm triggers an audible alarm, your neighbours might be calling it in. 

In 1998, The City of Toronto enacted Bylaw No.133-1998 (Municipal Code, Chapter 441-1) was enacted, which identifies fees to be charged for nuisance and malicious alarms. Currently, the so-called administration fee has been upped, (again) to $1,230.00 when the following criteria are met;

• A mechanical failure

• An equipment malfunction

• Improper maintenance or installation of the system

• The negligent or intentional misuse of a fire alarm system resulting in the activation of the system (Any of a variety of “Oopsy" mistakes."


Many other surrounding municipalities have followed suit, and have their own fee schedule.

Homeowners can get a partial refund of a fine if they upgrade their systems within a year of a false alarm.   But if your insurance company foots the bill to replace malfunctioning equipment, however, you are still on the hook.  http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/55911-homeowner-fined-1g-for-false-fire-alarm/

Single-family homes used to be allowed one false alarm a year without being billed. But in February 2010, Toronto councillors approved a zero-tolerance approach. Toronto made a whopping $7.4 million off these fees last year, but Toronto council refused to budge and give up on the estimated $1 million revenue loss that a first-time exemption would cost.


You can request a review of the fine, (sorry, "Administration Fee") here: http://www.toronto.ca/fire/false_alarm_review.htm

In the event you have a police only response, (A $130.00 "Administration Fee") contact the monitoring station and request that an Alarm Disposition Appeal Request be submitted with any supporting documentation.  The Toronto Police Alarm Response Coordinator will only accept appeals that have been submitted in writing by the monitoring station. To request a review go here: http://www.toronto.ca/fire/false_alarm_review.htm

PRO's and CON's

My personal opinion, for what it's worth, leans toward forgoing the cost of a monitored system and investing a portion of that money towards physically hardening the security of my residence.  There are alternate points of view, and you may disagree.  In fact I'd like to hear alternative viewpoints, and I hope to see dissenting views in the comments.

And interesting article: http://www.asecurelife.com/burglary-statistics

Double-Sided Deadbolts - A love story

            

Double-sided locks (locks that need a key to operate both inside and out) are often installed near doors with glass windows, or nearby glass panels. 

Laws in Ontario regarding double-sided locks in commercial or public structures are unambiguous.  They simply aren’t allowed by the Ontario Building and Fire code. 

Residential codes on the other hand, are rather more loosely interpreted by different insurance companies. 

Some insurance companies, after a home inspection of a recently purchased house, will stipulate that all double-cylinder deadbolts be removed and replaced with single-cylinder deadbolts only.  Other adjusters don’t seem to care, and seem more concerned with having spring-locking, night-latch, style rim locks removed and deadbolt style rim locks, or cylinder deadbolts installed in their place.

High Park Lock carries these bolt-style, non-spring actuated rim locks, or you can get them from your local hardware store.  In most cases, this will require a special order.  They differ from a night latch, by having a rectangular block shaped bolt, instead of a wedge shaped, spring latch.  This is often a relatively simple do-it-yourself retrofit project, or we can do it for you.

The theoretical advantages of double-sided locks for the homeowner, is that if a small pane of glass is broken, cut, or otherwise removed, the burglar can simply reach within the opening and unlock the thumb-turn from the outside.

Additionally, if the burglar happened to enter the premises from, lets say, a basement window, and then encounters doors locked from the inside with double-sided locks, he will be forced to exit the premises the same way he came in.  He may then be forced to leave certain valuables, large screen televisions, for example, behind.

The disadvantages come under the heading of Life Safety.  If a key is required to exit a structure in a fire or other emergency, valuable seconds may be lost if the key is not readily at hand. 

For some insurers, this is a no-brainer.  The potential payout on a fire claim that includes a fatalities or serious injuries will be vastly more expensive than any potential savings from any theoretical burglary deterrence.

My vote, is for single sided locks, that can be opened by all family members, quickly and easily at all times.

Antique Mortise Locks

Mortise case locks are a common feature in High Park homes. The exterior hardware often features a thumb-actuated grip-set, and elaborate escutcheon trim plates.

The term "mortise" refers to the cut-out cavity in the side of the door panel into which the lock case is fitted.

There are a number of brand names associated with these type of lock found locally in the area: Yale, Peterborough, Bellville, Springer, and Toronto Lock, among others, are brands commonly found in West Toronto homes.  I have written a brief history of mortise locks in Toronto, here: http://highparklock.blogspot.ca/2014/01/a-brief-history-of-historicalvintage.html

These locks are now vintage or antique items, and parts are both hard to come by and expensive, when and if they can be found at all. The Door Store, on Castlefield Road in nearby Etobicoke, http://www.thedoorstore.ca is a good place to buy refurbished mortise locks and parts.  You can get lucky at Re-Store occasionally, but The Door Store has both a vast selection, and a knowledgable staff for the times when all that is required is a "new" antique handle, spindle, or both.  And, it's one of the more interesting antique stores you are ever likely to run across.

If your mortise lock has problems, you have a number of options:

1.    Repair/Replacement with original or reproduction parts.

2.    Add an auxiliary deadbolt.

3.    Retrofit with a modern cylinder handle set & deadbolt

4.    Retrofit with a modern mortise set

REPAIR/REPLACE

When antique mortise locks start to go wrong, it is usually the somewhat more complex deadbolt locking mechanism that goes first.

Sometimes, all that is required is a simple adjustment.  Or, a part may be worn, or broken and must be sourced/replaced, which is time consuming, possibly expensive, and you have to remember that you are replacing one antique part for another.

Repair notes:  If your handle keeps coming off, or slipping, the threads of the spindle, or inside the handle may be worn or stripped.  New, after-market-spindles are pretty easy to come by, as are new, reproduction, or else, good-quality, antique, door knobs.  Oftentimes, replacement, is all that is required to get one of these mortise locks back in the game.

Once the interior handle is off, you may notice that the square, threaded, knob-spindle is the split-spindle variety.  That means it is split lengthways into two parts, with the uppermost part needing to be removed first.  You may need a screwdriver to separate the two halves, and the top half will wiggle out.  Then the bottom half will come out.  It will have a bend of sorts at the inside end within the lock body.

If the deadbolt mechanism is giving you problems, it may be a broken or disengaged thumb-turn receiver disc.  New, after-market, replacement discs are available for most mortise locks.  The repair is a bit more challenging, as everything has to come off the door to completely remove the mortise lock case, open it up, and swap out the disc.

You might a new or vintage disc unit locally, in the High Park/Junction area, at at Post And Beam Reclamation Ltd.  2869 Dundas St West, Toronto.  www.pandb.ca

 

Other times, the lock problem is not lock related at all, but rather an issue with the wood around the interior handle, and/or the thumb turn mechanism.  The wood beneath the handle escutcheon, is very thin, and over the years, the screw holes in the wood can wear out.   Generations of homeowners start to turn the escutcheons slightly to find fresh wood that the screws can bite into.  Time and again. The result is that over the years, all the wood gets almost completely chewed away, and the handle and/or thumbturn can completely detach.

One repair option is to have a piece of brass cut to size, with holes drilled to correspond to the holes for the handle and thumbturn spindles, and drill and tap holes for the mounting screws.

We recently performed the work below for $120.00 plus tax.  It is possible to chemically "age" the brass plate and its mounting screws, but it wasn’t deemed necessary in this instance.

To completely replace the lock case for a refurbished antique, you can expect to pay about $150.00 for a matching lockset in working order, (although less for just a specific part), and this is, of course, subject to availability.  

ADD AN AUXILIARY DEADBOLT

Because the door handle and grip set portions of antique mortise locks are fairly simple mechanisms, they tend to last a very long time.  Consequently, if your handle/door knob is still working and still closing/latching properly, you might consider just having the key locking function on your mortise lock disabled, and then have a modern deadbolt installed a few inches above your current lockset.


Specialty finishes on the new deadbolts are available as well, including antique brass, and pewter, which may closely match the patina and appearance of your existing door hardware.

The advantages here are twofold: Firstly, your security is actually upgraded. Customers often say to me about their old locks, “They don’t’ make ‘em like they used to!”  And I reply, “No, they don’t… they make them way better now.”  Modern deadbolts have a full 1” deadbolt length, compared to the typical 1/2 “ throw of a typical antique mortise deadbolt, and properly installed, are very robust, reliable, and force resistant.  

And since the 1/2" bolt throw on these locks is less than the 1" required by Ontario code, some insurance companies may have a problem with their sign-off for new insurance policies. 

Secondly, it is an inexpensive fix.  High ParkLock can install a new deadbolt for as low as $140.00, (including tax) and often the new lock can be rekeyed to match the locks of other doors in the house, such as the back, side, or garage doors.

RETROFIT A MODERN DEADBOLT/GRIPSET COMBINATION

To completely retrofit the lock with a modern cylindrical deadbolt/handle set combination, you must remember that removing the mortise lock case, which is typically about the size of a large paperback book, will leave a similarly sized cavity in the door, which must then be filled or covered. There will also be holes through the door, that are incompatible with the new style hardware, and there will be the “footprint” left by the removed handles and escutcheon plate trim to contend with.

One simple solution is to install a “wraparound plate”.  These plates are machined and formed metal plates, essentially a three-sided box, which wraps around the door, which both covers the old holes and reinforces the door itself. 

This system can look very nice with many of the grip sets you see for sale at the large hardware stores, and again, specialty finishes that closely match the hardware on your door are available.

 Schlage “Plymouth” handleset in brushed steel

From Home Depot $189.00 with a 9” brushed steel wraparound plate from 

Edwards Builders Hardware.

Typically, the list price for a basic Schlage or Weiser brand handleset combo will be in the $160.00 range, (although you may see them on sale occasionally) and a 12” double-hole wraparound plate and strike plate from Edwards Builders Hardware, will cost about $55.00. You can expect to pay about $120.00 in labour costs from High Park Lock.  More elaborate models are available, and specialty finishes may be ordered.

Another type of cylindrical deadbolt retrofit, involves filling the mortise cavity with wood, and using specialty locksets like the one shown here, with a larger estucheon plate designed to cover all the through bore holes.

“Yorkville” cylindrical handleset in Brass

From Edwards Builders Hardware, $340.00
Installation Extra 

These locks are more expensive than the sets that the hardware stores sell, and there will be a surcharge for additional time and labour. You can expect to pay around $550.00 after labour costs.  (And up, depending on lock selection.  You can visit Edwards, or the Home Depot for sample inspection.)

RETROFIT A MODERN MORTISE CASE LOCK

Complete retrofits with a modern mortise case lock and trim, will be your most expensive option of all, but the look of your front door, and value of your home will be correspondingly enhanced.  The hardware costs alone begin at around $800.00, with virtually NO upward limit.  Some examples of these locks can be seen at the hardware section of Gingers in the Castlefield Rd. design district.  These locks are not only beautiful, but very secure as well.

“Hyde Park” Mortise Set from Gingers, $1,400.00

(Installation extra)

Feel free to contact High Park Lock, at high parklock.com for a no charge, consultation on any of the above options. 

Lighten up. (Your key chain) For your car's sake

Does your car key share a chain with a fistful of other keys? 

That’s a lot of weight hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition. That weight, combined with the shock loading of the keys bouncing around while you're driving can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition switch, and eventually lead to ignition switch failure. 

To add years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others, and drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. 

If your ignition key “sticks” when you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail. Replace it before you get stranded.

Also consider losing some weight by having all the locks in your house put onto one key.  High Park Lock, can rekey your locks for the price of a service call.

If, for example, your back door lock will fit in your front door lock's keyway, (whether or not it turns and unlocks the cylinder) these two locks are said to be, On the same keyway," and can be rekeyed so one key will work both locks.

If the locks are of different keyways, one or the other cylinder can be replaced, inexpensively, with a cylinder that matches.

Are you carrying keys you rarely use?  Such as the key to the family cottage?  Put a copy in the glove box of your car instead, so that its there when you need it but not  weighing you down day to day.

And that safe deposit key, you use once every two or three years?  Put it in a drawer.  Banks can replace a lost safe deposit key, should you ever lose your key ring in the lake, but you won't like hearing how much the bank is going to charge you to do it.