Door Lock Boxes

It has come to my attention through cleaning up and repairing old door lock boxes and speaking with customers that there are far too few images of the inside of door lock boxes out there. I aim to change that. Many people who haven’t opened up a lock box assume that they are all the same inside. It is just a latch and a deadbolt right? Sadly, that is not the reality. The reality is that almost every lock box I open up is different inside. Every year, each company developed new and better mechanisms. Some are very simple and straightforward. Others are extremely complex. On top of this, each catalogue usually has about 20 pages of different types of lock boxes. Rim locks, mortise locks, dead latches, exterior door locks, hotel locks, office locks, different sizes and orientations. Multiply all those types times the number of companies times the number of years each business was operational and you have a mind-boggling number of possibilities.

So, how do you know where that loose leaf spring came from that is rattling around in your lock, or what that broken piece looked like before it was broken? The only way to know is to have an image of the inside of the same make and model of lock box. A certain amount of fiddling can sometimes provide results- especially when you know the basic physics behind the operation. Usually the latch had two tension points, a push and a pull which allows the spring action of the latch. This was usually achieved through a leaf spring or tow, or possibly a coil spring. The deadbolt usually only required one point of tension, often a leaf spring running somewhere along the top. This of course only works for the standard simple latch/deadbolt locks. Complexity abounds when you get into more complicated locking options such as exterior door locks with push button one sided locking features.

Anyway, the point of all this is that having photos of the inside of lock boxes is a quite useful thing. A few original catalogues provide a glimpse of their newest and greatest mechanism, but most locks are pictured from the outside only. In 1930, Russwin was kind enough to even provide a breakdown of all the parts that went into their locks (see image below).

Lock Box Parts- Russwin 1930

To aid further in this endeavor I will attempt to add a photo of the inside of each lock box we list on the website. Many lock boxes are also stamped with their catalogue number on the inside, which helps to identify what type of lock box you have. This makes it worth opening your box up to see what model it is. Also, a lot of gunk can build up inside those puppies so take it as an opportunity to clean that sucker up a bit! Most lock boxes can be opened with a single screw on one side of the box. Some have two screws. Be careful when opening them up and working on them. They are usually under tension, and once that is released sometimes things can go flying. I always recommend taking a picture of yours as soon as you open it up, just in case something shifts.

Here are a few interior photos to get you started. More to come!Russwin Rim Lock 1288Jacobus & Nimick Rim Lock insideRim Lock 150E

Yale & Towne 1880

Barrows 1920

Salvage Job – Apartments Downtown Florence – Phase 1

The Job: Apartments above Florence Lanes.

Decades of neglect left the building with a compromised roof and water damage. The new owners, the Duncan family, contacted us to salvage the building since they were getting ready to gut everything and move forward with the planned remodel.In this salvage job we removed most doors, interior windows, all hardware and some sinks. We plan to go back for some more bathroom fixtures.

The Building: W.P. Wilbar Block 108-110 W. Main

The building was erected in two sections in 1895(east) and 1896 (west). The brick of the eastern part is a slightly lighter shade than the west part.

Phase 1 PhotosIn 1895 the eastern portion of the building housed the grocery of William Pawton Wilbar who was described as “a pioneer of the community who had taken an active part in its business and community life.” In 1917, he sold his business in Florence and took a management position with the Portland Mercantile Company. 

Wilbar was known as “the father of Newlan Creek” because he was the principal of getting the creek’s mountain water for the city’s water supply. He died in Florence in 1945.

Fremont Lanes bowling alley has been at this location since 1960. The bowling alley was associated with Fremont Lanes café. At that time, the bowling alley offered eight lanes, a pro shop, and a lounge and snack bar. With a modern rehab before it opened, it was their liquor license that moved the City into a new era, as the 1st liquor license sold in Florence, for use on the established “safe side” for women and children to pass on North side of Main Street. Up to this time, all liquor sales were on the south side of Main Street.

The Future: Lofts

In 2019, Roger and Kathryn Duncan purchased the Florence Lanes Bowling Alley. The original bowling Alley was built in 1960 and will be 60 years old this year. 

The Duncan’s plan on modernizing it while at same time preserving its history by putting back in the original 1958 Brunswick Bowling masking units which have been stored in the basement since the mid 1970’s. They also have plenty of bowling memorabilia that was stored in the basement that will be used to create a timeline of the bowling alley.

Upstairs above the Bowling Alley they plan on building 5 residential lofts that will be for sale and that also keep some of the buildings history while also making them updated and convenient for today’s resident. It will provide downtown living and walkability to Florence’s many restaurants, Shops etc.

Salvage Job – Florence Pioneer Museum Kitchen

The Job: Florence Pioneer Museum Basement Kitchen

The Pioneer Museum in Florence Colorado contacted us to remove the unused old kitchen cabinets and sink in the basement. We were able to remove the cabinets in a couple hours but we were only able to save half of the cabinets in one piece. The rest had to be taken apart as boards.

Salvage Job – Old Garage in Canon City

The Job : Old Garage in Canon City

We were contacted about this salvage job where the owner of the property was working on a full remodel of the property but knew about us and wanted to make sure everything usable was saved. We salvaged several items that were in the garage including some cool cabinets with white paint and all the roofing, siding, windows and doors. The siding was well preserved under the stucco. Later the home owner also offers us the doors and windows that were removed from the house.

Salvage Job – Old Garage in Florence

The Job: An Old Garage

Our client asked us to remove his garage since it was not usable and they needed the space. Our team of 3 completely removed the entire structure in a day an a half without a nail being left behind. We got great structural beams, barn wood, a door, a couple barn doors and log cabin siding from this project.

Salvage Job – Garage with Workshop in Canon City

The Job: Old Garage with Workshop

Client contacted us because he wanted this building removed form his property. The metal sided and roofed garage also had nice barn wood under some of the metal, structural beams and a few other cool finds. We had to take multiple trips to complete this job. We got a couple types of corrugated metal, roofing metal, barn wood and large structural beams from this project. We had to battle snow, ice and lots of nails.

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