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.