38 • HISTORY & HERITAGE
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Guide to reproducing a 16th century church door lock
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FINDING A REPLACEMENT LOCK for a 16th century church door is like hunting for a needle in a haystack, nothing ever lines up. When asked to match a wooden cased deadlock on an old friary door, Trevor Stroud came up with a reproduction lock based on a Chubb 3G114E. Here, Trevor explains how …
“ The keep, metal strapping and escutcheon matched the existing lock on the opposite door of the old friary. The keyhole had to avoid the beading on the outside of the door.
“ From a well-seasoned, planed and prepared piece of oak purchased from my local wood turning shop, I marked out exactly where the key hole needed to be, this being the critical measurement.
Case Block
“ I then routed out with a plunge router the for-end of the 114 to a depth of 25mm, making sure it was exactly square to the oak block. The next step was to lay the body of the lock into the channel for the for-end and scribe around the lock case and then route out the shape to a depth of 23mm.
“ With the bolt thrown to its maximum, mark and route out the channel for the bolt, making sure the bolt sits nicely at the bottom of the routed channel.
Routing Details
“ With a piece of brass stock or, better still, an old B. S. bolt, which will have its anti-saw pins still in place, drill and tap both bolts making sure all is parallel and square. Join these with a length of studding. You can now adjust the front bolt to align with the face of the wooden lock case.
Internal Strapping Details
“ Now route out the remainder of the bolt channel making sure it is a perfect fit. Make up the strapping bars that hold the lock body in place and again route out the wooden case to allow these to fit snugly on to the 114 case. Also I like to have the front bolt work running on a strip of brass, which also needs flushing into the wooden case.
“ Once you have the 114 snugly fitted and the bolt work to the correct length, make sure there is no binding or slackness to the bolt work operation.
“ Make the keyhole, bend up the strapping for the wooden case and the keep, make or purchase the escutcheon.
External Metal Straps & Escutcheon
Finished Lock-case
“ Before final assembly, seal the whole of the wooden case and keep with finishing oil and thoroughly wax, this will not only preserve the case but also acts as a good lubricant for the bolt work.
“ To attach the lock to the door, four brass fixing screws are located under the black strapping., the straps being held by eight brass panel pins on the top and bottom of the wooden case.
“ Longer keys are usually required. I find using rim keys or, in extreme cases, safe blanks, solves the problem.
“ The 114E loses its B. S. rating but, set in a substantial block of oak with a sizeable keep and strap, the 25mm bolt throw will withhold most attacks. But, as always, it is a compromise between the insurers, fire authority and conservationists.”
Time-honoured locksmith, Trevor Stroud, specialises in the servicing and reproduction of historical locks and keys. Although now semi-retired, he continues to work with ACME Locks and Keys of Canterbury, where he was first taught his trade by Michael Boty and John Frizelle. The three locksmiths worked as a team until John unfortunately passed away. John’ s son Frazer now runs ACME and continues to work with Trevor.
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL. CO. UK | JAN / FEB 2017 Sponsored by Burg-Wächter