Replacing Interior Door Knobs in Old House (odd size!)

[katwalck]

Could someone help? We live in a house built in 1902 and have Rim Locks on all of our doors. We want to replace them, since many of them don't latch anymore. When we removed one to replace it with a standard interior door knob, we realized that our doors are too thin! They are about an inch wide, whereas modern doors are 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 wide. Does anyone know of a place that I can find knobs that would fit? Or what I'd use as a keyword to search online?

[Nate Nagel]

If they're the kind with the square shaft that goes through the lockset, any similar knobs will fit. If the shaft is too long you can just cut it down.

nate

[mm]

I would start with doorknobs thin shipping . Shipping to find mostly sites that sell things and don't just discuss them.

This gives 20,000 hits so it might be a good set of terms.

Then when you find non-useful meanings of thin repeating, like thin layer, add -layer . This excluses anything that includes layer. Of course it might exclude thin doors too.

Then look at the list again and find other words to exclude. I'm not sure if excluding current brands like Shlage will also exclude the sites you want.

Maybe add historic or antique. I haven't tried them.

Also keep your eyes open for houses of your period that are being torn down.

Just over the border from NYC, first exit in Connecticut, was a scrap yard for old house parts. You could see it from the highway. I'm sure there are plenty more but I don't know exactly how they are listed.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 3/21/2009 5:13 PM [e-mail] spake thus:

Depending on where you live, there may be a used/vintage building-supply place that sells salvaged stuff, and maybe even some new reproduction stuff for old houses. (There's a lot of repro stuff being made these days.) I'm lucky to have several such places here, in the San Francisco East Bay area. That would be the best place to look.

[Roger Shoaf]

Rather than replacement, consider repair.

If you have "rim" locks (A cast iron box surface mounted on the door) or "mortise" locks (A cast iron box set into a pocket in the edge of the door.) these locks can be overhauled by a locksmith to be good as new.

About the only thing that kills these locks is force sufficient to break the case iron body of the lock. Usually the problem is minor like worn spindles or broken springs.

[Nate Nagel]

I realize now that I answered the question asked but didn't read the whole post... I had one mortise lock in a house I lived in where the little cam inside had broken. Fortunately I was able to find a replacement at one of those salvage places. Hopefully the OP has a little mechanical aptitude and someplace like this nearby

nate

[Stormin Mormon]

Did you try taking apart the locks, and see what's wrong? Might be a wire brush and some grease would put them back into action.

As for thin doors, not sure what to say. Modern locks go down to 1 3/8 inch thickness. Thinner than that, you might need to shim the door with some luan or other flat wood to bring it to the modern thickness. Looks un-original, though.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 3/22/2009 7:09 AM Stormin Mormon spake thus:

LAUAN.

It's not "luan".

LAUAN. LAUAN. LAUAN.

Got it?

OK.

[Stormin Mormon]

Huh? What did you say?