Skillman Mortise Locks

Just wondering if anybody has some old Skillman mortise locks around. I have googled for a few hours this morning with no dice.

I could not find any numbers on this-only the Skillman name. The lock accepts a mortise cylinder,has a deadbolt operated by a thumbturn and the cylinder,and has the two brass buttons on the edge of the door to lock the thumb lever.

Not an emergency, as there is another locked door beyond this(top of stairway)and the door will be eventually replaced. I need the deadbolt arm-5/16(I am guessing)square drive for the thumbturn.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, goma.

Reply to
goma865
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ehh.. local book store.. (bear with me) there is a catalog, put out in magazine format, that lists 'stuff' for OLD houses..

maybe a little thumbing through it would get you some hardware suppliers outside the normal lock supply channels-IE, places that DO have OLD door hardware.. am thinking THIS OLD HOUSE, might be part of the name.. --Shiva--

Reply to
--Shiva--
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Would'nt happen to be WaldenBooks-perhaps?

We'll check it out. Thanks Shiva.

goma.

Reply to
goma865

as long as they got magazines.. its there.. but, can take a BIG store to have it.. funny thing-sometimes you can find a copy in the public library as well.. antique house restoration --Shiva--

Reply to
--Shiva--

What is wrong with your lock? Springs can be remade, the brass bits can be reworked to original function and even the case can be repaired in some cases.

Give some specifics and I can tell you how to fix it.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

I need the deadbolt arm.(correct me if wrong terminology) It has two ears that come in contact with the cam on the cylinder to retract or extend the bolt.It also has what looks like a 5/16" square drive for the thumbturn.It is broken in two pieces-welding did not work. I can measure the square drive if you want.Just give me a holler. Later, goma.

Reply to
goma865

This is called a hub. Rather than welding the part what I do is solder in sections of brass and then cut, file or otherwise reshape the piece to the original dimension.

I assume from your description that the hub is broken across the diagonal of the square hole. This can also be fixed by turning two rings to be the bearing surface on the hub. now if you have not screwed up the hub too bad attempting to weld it, you secure the hub in the 4 jaw and reduce the diameter of the bearing section of the hub and then solder on the rings.

This works well as the brass bar stock is a lot less prone to cracking than the cast brass.

One thing I will caution however is that the fact that the hub broke after

50 years in service is probably a symptom of the problem rather than the problem. Ordinarily these locks will fail due to gradual wear rather than sudden failure.

I suspect your lock was worn to the point that the deadbolt was not retracting all the way so rather than coaxing the bolt back someone decided to force it.

If this was the case, there is probably a lot of wear that should be renewed while you are fixing this problem and a new set of springs should also be fabricated also.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

Roger, the hub is broken on the arm piece-square drive is still intact. But I still agree that it more than likely was forced-kids-big kids-LOL.

I just wondered if someone had one laying around-you never know. I think 50 years would be close-Do you see locks these days that will last 50 years?? these were high quality locks when they were brand new.Also I can tell these were put in by an experienced carpenter or locksmith-hand chiseled right on the money all the way.

The latch bolt still operates and can be locked using the side buttons.

Dang-I have'nt ran a 4-jaw lathe since high school-that'd be a trip...And I am sure I still have the touch.

Anyway, there is another lock on the stairway-and the door will be replaced-maybe some more work for me-eh?

Thanks for the help. Later, goma.

Reply to
goma865

OK so your job is simple. File off the broken stub, leaving enough meat to give you a large surface to solder on a chunk of brass, when cool re-shape the new chunk to the original form.

Plan B. Remove the guts to prevent the bolt from throwing accidently and then use the latch part of the door to keep it shut and install a dead bolt above the mortise lock.

Plan C. Check out Marks. Often they will have a really close replacement that will fit without too much modification and you still get to use the noce old knobs.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

Last time I had this happen, I drilled the cylinder hole through the door, and put a TK cylinder on the inside. Not as pretty, but it worked.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

If you're still looking I may be your guy. My grandfather worked for Skillman in Trenton New Jersey for several years and I have inherited a consideral amount of skillman harware. I have several styles of locksets, handles and the like.

How can we see if I can help?

Reply to
jlapetz

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