repairing a 105 year lock

Hi Tim

Have you tried Blakes Security in Strood?

It doesn't look particularly unusual. Have you tried a real locksmith? Last time I bought one (for a lock of similar age) the "modern" spring had excess length and was easily cut down/reshaped. In desperation, I've also made them from blunt junior hacksaw blades and clocksprings from the "it'll come in useful one day if I keep it long enough" box.

Chris

If no off-the-peg option exists, it's worth tracking down a blacksmith.

IIRC I subbed a modern spiral spring for one once, fitting it in a different place in the lock.

Occasionally a paperclip can be used as a small bendable spring too, but I doubt it'd give enough spring force in your case.

NT

Reclaimed salvage yards would be a source?

Get an old clock spring or an all hard hacksaw blade.. heat it to red heat on the gas and let it cool slowly.. cut it and bend it to shape.. heat it to read heat and drop it into water.. now the "hard" bit.. clean it so you can see silver.. heat it until it turns blue, no hotter (steel changes colour as it gets hot and blue is the correct temp for annealing the steel hardened when you dropped it red hot into the water).. let it cool. You can buy strips of silver steel to do it if you want.

Hard hacksaw blades are HSS. You'll not anneal them at home.

If you want to try this (which is a lot of work for no real need) then use one of those useless "school" hacksaw blades that isn't HSS and doesn't hold its teeth.

Easiest way to fix it is to fit a new srping, bought from a shop. A real hardware shop or real locksmith will have them. It shold be the right width, trimming the length or re-bending slightly is acceptable.

Get some spring steel about the right size from a model shop. You need to find one that caters for real models not just plastic kits.

Alternatively ask at a steel stockholder.