Ornate 1890s Double Key Lockset Restoration | Random Restoration

Welcome! In today's video I'll be restoring a rusty old double key entry mortise lock set from the 1890s which was manufactured by Hopkins & Dickinson Manufacturing Company of Brooklyn/New York, NY. The antique cast iron lock itself was very rusty and the rest of the hardware had the usual coating of house paint on it which would need to be stripped.
To start off this restoration I disassembled the mortise lock, made easier since the faceplate was attached to the lock case with screws rather than rivets. Once disassembled it was time for paint stripping. One heavy coat of an aerosol paint stripper was enough to remove most of the paint and japanning. Next up everything was degreased and was thrown into the rust removal bucket of doom. After an overnight soak the rust was gone and it was time for abrasive buffing and wire wheeling.
Then it was mortise lock repair time. The lock itself was in pretty good shape, though there were a few springs that were broken. I have an assortment of flat spring steel which I sifted through to find the perfect springs for the job. I also have an assortment of flat spring temper steel which I could have cut to the correct size if needed. With the lock repair completed I went ahead and made two keys. The deadbolt key was simple, the latch bolt key not so much. Cutting keys is usually simple but this time I had to file a new one from scratch due to its unique design. After some time of filing away I ended up with two perfect keys.
Then I moved on to painting the cast iron lock case so it wouldn't rust. I followed this up by polishing and lacquering the deadbolt and latch bolt. Lastly I moved on to bluing the small parts to help keep them rust free. I mostly did parts that had areas that stuck out of the lock case such as the hubs so they'd be a bit less likely to rust in the future. The remaining parts were sprayed with a dry lubricant made for locks which should help keep them rust free for quite some time.
Next up in the hardware restoration was sanding, polishing and lacquering the knobs, backplate, strike, keyhole cover, twist and rosette. I sanded from about 400 to 1,000 grit on all these parts, polished them with a coarse polish to recreate the original level of polish, then gave them a bit more of a golden tinted coat than anticipated. It's a long story but trying to match the level of tint between all the parts can be a bit harder than you'd think haha. Overall I think of all my restorations this one turned out pretty nice considering what I started with.
Time Stamps:
0:00 Welcome!
1:10 Disassembly
2:48 Paint Stripping
3:35 Abrasive Buffing
4:19 Making Springs
5:27 Making Keys
8:23 Restoring Faceplate
9:37 Painting Lock Case
10:16 Restoring Bolts
10:57 Bluing
11:24 Reassembling Lock
13:32 Restoring Knobs
15:22 Backplate, Strike, Keyhole
17:26 Restoring Twist, Rosette
18:42 Before & After
19:39 A Quick Test
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Ornate 1890s Double Key Lockset Restoration | Random Restoration

[@randomrestoration6858]

Howdy all, it's been a while! I hate to say it but videos from here on out will likely have as large of a delay as this one did, though I still will be releasing them :) Long story short, I've been very busy restoring a number of locksets (some of which I have recorded) and the matching hinges over the last six months, so my time has been very limited. I do have some very cool projects that I'll be starting shortly and have some that I've completed already and better get started editing asap haha. As always, thank you for watching!

[@milenapetkovic638]

Your work is amazing ❤👏🫶

[@k.george8722]

There you are! So glad to see you back again. It has been a long time. Sorry to read it will be a while before we see more of your work. Always enjoy your sense of humor.

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@k.george8722 Thanks a bunch! I’m hoping the next video will be out in a shorter time than it took to get this one out but we’ll see how it goes haha. It’s nice to have finally gotten another video out though!

[@k.george8722]

@@randomrestoration6858 Well, your fans didn't go anywhere. Looking forward to the next one.

[@waterbitten]

It's good to be busy, in this day extended silence could me the worst, so as long as you're healthy and working, I'm glad to hear that. I wait and enjoy whenever you share.

[@larrykelly2838]

Great restoration and work. Another set for your collection.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Larry! The collection is slowly growing but I hope to get a bunch (14 or so) of these sets done next year so we’ll see how it goes haha. Thank you as always for watching!

[@chrysanthepaxinos2839]

My that was a fine, powdery rust! I was coughing just looking at it. Another great job and glad to see ya back!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha yeah you should have seen those gloves when I took them off, they were just caked in rust dust. Thanks a bunch Chrysanthe!

[@garyjones2582]

R.R. it's good to see you in the lab again... It's been awhile.. This lockset turned out beautiful as all your stuff does.. you definitely have this down to an art.. hope all is well with you and your family and you take care my friend and God Bless...

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch, Gary! Hard to believe it’s been half a year since the last one, we’ll see how long it takes to get the next one edited down and uploaded. Much appreciated, same to you!

[@pfadiva]

I don't think they looked that good straight from the factory! Beautiful job. Hardware is so boring these days. Don't worry about your upload frequency; I'm just glad you share these with us.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch for the kind comment, Becky! Very boring indeed unfortunately, maybe ornate items like this set will make a comeback some day. I appreciate it, thanks as always for watching!

[@tomswindler64]

Another ornate lock assembly,you do pick some very beautiful pieces in your travels.great video,great job,great your back.just don’t be so long,I know life happens.found a place for this one in your house.or some fortunate person could get it for theirs.great video.😎😎😎👍👍👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch, Ray! Haha yeah hopefully the next video doesn’t take as long to get out. I’ll be restoring a bunch of these sets over the next year or two and will decide which ones will be used on doors once they’re all side by side. Not sure what I’ll do with the others so a giveaway is possible. Thanks as always for watching!

[@waterbitten]

Welcome back!! You were missed.

[@mskayla7747]

You're back! Nicely done. I've missed your artistry. 👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

Its been a while for sure! Thank you for the kind comment and hopefully the next video won’t have quite as long of a delay haha.

[@mskayla7747]

@@randomrestoration6858 6 months was a bit much. Some of us enjoy watching you work your magic, ya know. 🙂

[@craig7343]

Great to see you back. Looks amazing as always. Look forward to seeing what you do next. 👍 👌👌

[@randomrestoration6858]

It’s definitely been a while since the last one! Thanks a bunch, Craig! Hopefully the next video won’t take quite as long to get done haha.

[@TapscottJ]

Welcome back! Such a beautiful job, I love watching your work. Good for you for being inefficient and having fun!

[@randomrestoration6858]

It’s definitely been a while since the last video! Thanks a bunch for the support, Mathew!

[@drunkdunc8738]

They only had a flap over the bottom keyhole, I guess they wanted to keep it low key😬🍻

[@T_B]

....well played.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha I mean can’t argue with that

[@mauriciovaldebenitto8966]

Tus trabajos son realmente fantásticos!!!! Saludos desde Santiago de Chile

[@denizberlin9441]

Oh I really hoped for one of your videos a couple of times. The outcome is always great and I feel very relaxed while watching your videos

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot for the kind comment, Bela! I can’t believe six months passed as quickly as it did but hopefully the next video is out a bit quicker than this one was haha

[@terryrogers1025]

Excellent piece of work on the new key sir, somebody should be most pleased and grateful to get set back looking as sweet as it does now.

[@masterlcpl3736]

im watchin this a month late. after 7 months of no uploads i didnt think you were comin back. glad to know youre still alive lol. i hope you start uploadin like you used to

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey man sorry for the super late reply but yes indeed still alive hahaha. For now the videos will have quite a large delay but it's entirely possible I'll get back to a more frequent schedule in a couple years. Thanks as always for watching and be on the lookout for another video randomly uploaded eventually haha

[@MASI_forging]

Excellent work. Thank you for sharing 👏👏

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot, thank you for watching!

[@erictoddw]

Good to have a new post. Thx!

[@randomrestoration6858]

It’s been a while for sure, thanks for tuning in!

[@samanthadean1083]

Awesome job!!! I do hope you are wearing a mask when disassembling, I wouldn’t want to breathe in the amount of rust dust that puffed into the air!!! ❤️❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot, Samantha! Right, this one really had a much larger amount of rust dust than others I’ve worked on. Thanks as always for watching!

[@healinbeet]

Happy to see a video from you again :)

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, it’s nice to finally get another video out!

[@vinceianni4026]

Hello Random beautiful restoration well done

[@randomrestoration6858]

Howdy Vince, thank you very much!

[@Tim-57]

Hey RR Awesome outcome, was great watching your work once again. Thank you for sharing this one. Take care of Yourself 🙂

[@randomrestoration6858]

Bay Tim, thanks a bunch! It’s amazing how six months flew by so fast but it’s nice to have another video up after all this time, hopefully the next one will be done a bit quicker haha. Thanks, same to you!

[@Tim-57]

@@randomrestoration6858 Wow, yup time went by very fast. Have you started installing any of your projects in the house yet? Until next time 🙂

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@Tim-57 Not yet at least. I’m working on hardware right now for a different building, after which I’ll be restoring 14 or more sets this coming year and will decide after those are all completed which ones will go on the house and will then restore the matching hinges for them all

[@Tim-57]

@@randomrestoration6858 Sounds like a worthy task😎

[@r9eaper]

*Salutes* No 18 bolt!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right, that things an absolute champ even after all these years hahaha

[@GWN_Garage]

It's been a while! Glad to see you back. Hope all is well. Excellent job! 👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

It’s been too long I say haha. Thanks a bunch, all is well though I’m still very busy - We’ll see how long it takes to get the next video done but I suspect it’ll be a bit less than the six months this one took. Thanks as always for watching!

[@T_B]

Glad to see you are back!! Great video!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch, it’s been far too long since I had something up on the channel! Thanks as always for watching!

[@robkarnosh117]

Welcome back! Great to see your work as always and this restoration is no exception. I know I'm happy to wait to see the quality of work you do. Thanks for sharing. I CAN wait for the next ;)

[@samanthaojaniemi4518]

Where the heck have you been!! Missed seeing your videos and your sense of humor ❤

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch! I’ve been super busy with some restoration work which hasn’t allowed me to tend to the channel for quite some time now unfortunately. I do have a few projects I’ll be finishing up this weekend that I’ve been recording so with enough luck the next video won’t have such a large delay haha. Thanks again!

[@samanthaojaniemi4518]

@Random Restoration guess I'll just rewatch everything. Again. Glad to have you back. 😊

[@jasony9950]

Always love your lock restorations as it gives me the drive to work on mine, which I never do ha. I’m happy if I have a working lock in these old homes

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha fair enough, as long as they’re in working that’s all that really matters I’m the end! Thanks a lot for watching and good luck on the locks if you ever get around to it!

[@michaelmitchum1388]

The '80s called, they want their Hoopty back

[@andrewclarkehomeimprovement]

😆😆😆

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha man I’ve told those guys to stop calling

[@PerfectRestore]

Great! 👍 cool! 😎😎

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey thanks a lot!

[@aticuss]

Beautiful.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right, another gorgeous old design! Thank you for watching!

[@misterpatina]

Welcome back sir ❤

[@randomrestoration6858]

Gadzooks it’s definitely been a while! I have a sizable backlog of your videos to binge watch at first chance now haha. Thanks a bunch man!

[@grahampickering1560]

Great to see back! Awesome job as always 👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

Much appreciated, Graham! It’s definitely been longer than expected, maybe the next video won’t take six months to get done haha. Thanks as always for watching!

[@heathermacmillan962]

It's always amazing seeing the intricate mechanisms in these old locks... so much more cool than the "boring" ones you see nowadays 😊 turned out great. Your videos are ALWAYS worth the wait ❤

[@randomrestoration6858]

Haha yeah you’re totally right there, the modern day equivalent of these are very boring. I greatly appreciate it, thank you as always for watching!

[@thewatchworks1372]

Awesome, a new upload! Pretty timely too, since I’m getting back into antique door hardware. Been going on a cross country trip moving from California to Ohio, and have picked up a fair amount of mortise and rim locks along the way. Also, my first set of porcelain door knobs and some gorgeous Victorian era oval beaded ornate door knobs! (might need your help identifying some makers on some of them in, which, if you’re willing to help me.) Excellent restoration by the way!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Awesome, well very good timing then haha. Although I can identify most sets these days I’d strongly recommend looking at the Antique Door Knob Collectors of America website - They have pretty much any US and Canada made ornate knobs listed on their website, along with numerous catalogs from many manufacturers throughout the years. Thank you very much for watching!

[@thewatchworks1372]

@@randomrestoration6858 OOOH, thanks for the recommendation, I will definitely have to take a look! I know about clock and watch collectors association, didn’t think l there would be one for door knobs LOL but then again that doesn’t surprise me haha.

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@thewatchworks1372 Hahaha yeah it’s a very specific website but it’s an amazing source of information so I’m glad it exists!

[@brycecrousore1985]

YES! After a worthwhile wait, the master has returned! What a beautiful outcome; your craftsmanship is second-to-none. If you were to appear on Antiques Roadshow with a set like this, what would the value be? Thank you for a new video.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch - Quite the wait it was this time, hopefully the next video will be come out a bit sooner! It’s hard to say for sure since I’ve never seen a restored set go up for sale. That said, this exact set unrestored would sell for around $200-$300, restored it would likely be around $500 or more. I have had a number of in person offers on other sets I’ve restored and $500ish is usually around what’s offered. Thanks as always for watching!

[@brycecrousore1985]

@@randomrestoration6858 Thank you for another great video. Top of the top on YT!

[@phailynrowan7976]

I love these old door knobs and lock sets! I've collected some really cool knobs too. It's really great seeing them brought back to life! Amazing job!!!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right, so many great designs by so many different companies around this time! It’s always enjoyable being able to see them in their former glory. Thanks as always for watching!

[@normahutton1560]

Lovely lock, just imagine that master piece on the front door. Oops it could never be used on an outside door by itself, as it is totally unacceptable by the insurance companies. You would have to have a 2nd modern lock which is acceptable to them. I believe a 5 lever lock with at least 3 locking points on the door. When I had my doors and windows put in I said to the company I wanted doors and windows with locks to keep the insurance companies happy. My doors have 7 locking points, and I was still broken into. They broke a door panel. It did mean the toe rags couldn't nick anything of size, so my new TV was safe. 😊😊 but they got my laptop 🤬🤬

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right, it’d be the perfect set for an entry door but definitely isn’t up to modern day security standards. Oh no, I suppose if someone really wants on they’ll find a way, sucks that they got your laptop but glad to hear they didn’t completely clear the place out! Take care and thanks a lot for watching!

[@markchristopher9515]

Glad you're staying busy. Will miss the frequency of videos but will wait to see your skills. Question if I might. How do you clean between polish and finish? I seem to struggle mightily cleaning grooves and not causing damage. Perhaps short videos on your finishing which I've always admired? Stay healthy and happy my friend!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch, Mark! Very good question. After polishing is complete, the recessed areas usually are completely black with polish. I’ve seen a number of methods that are either completely convoluted or just don’t work well for the type of stuff I deal with. What I use is chlorinated CRC Brakleen (the red cans) which I gently spray a layer over the piece, then scrub it with a soft bristle toothbrush. Then gently spray down the piece with the brake cleaner. This removes the mass majority of the polish in one go. I then repeat the process with an ultra soft nano toothbrush. Once the polish is all gone I clean all the parts with the brake cleaner until the paper towel ends up clean after wiping down all areas. I then give the parts all a once over with acetone for final cleaning. I’ve been tempted to make short videos with commentary about the restoration process in the past and may still in the future. Thank you, same to you!

[@markchristopher9515]

@Random Restoration thanks for the advice. Will stock up on brake cleaner. Mull over the idea, you've got great skill. It's your detail that really makes your work the top. That knowledge has been very helpful to me and will undoubtedly be to others. Prosper and love well my teacher.

[@vapidaether]

I've been eagerly waiting your next upload. Gosh these lockset restorations are always so gorgeous.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch for the kind comment! Hopefully the next video won’t have such a large delay, we’ll see how it goes haha. Thank you for watching!

[@vapidaether]

@@randomrestoration6858 You're quite welcome! And even if there's a delay, I'll look forward to it--good quality content is far more important (at least, for me that is.)

[@doriWyo]

Where have you been?...oh! That answers that!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha yeah it’s been quite some time since the last one! Thank you for the support, Dori!

[@doriWyo]

I have thought, for some time, that the paint remover spray looks like a butter or margarine spray. I think you said that it has vegetable oil in it. If so, that explains that.

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@doriWyo Haha it looks borderline delicious, but probably best to avoid eating it!

[@shawnataylor7998]

Beautiful!

[@timsmith1589]

Dude i really dig your videos bro. Great job.

[@mauryfeskanich4523]

He’s alive! 😂 Seriously, I was getting a bit worried. Hopefully, you and yours are well. As always, another beautiful restoration! I have to say, I really like the tinted lacquer! And that quick change mechanism for the handedness is something I’ve not seen before. Pretty cool! By the way, how is the house coming? Hopefully, we’ll see a bit soon!

[@georgebrown8312]

Magnificent job you did restoring the mortise lock set, door knobs, and all. They all look much better and you showed great skill making new keys for it. You got it working like a charm as well. Excellent work.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate the comment, George! Making that one key from scratch was a lot more work than expected but I was pretty happy with how it came out in the end. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@jodylarson5317]

i am excited for the locksets when you release those - and i know the gold lacquer is likely the most accurate ... but any hope for another copper coloured one? 🤞

[@yeagerxp]

What do you use to remove the paint that doesn't remove the lacquer? Excellent restoration 👍👍👍Thank you for sharing. Be safe🇨🇦

[@randomrestoration6858]

Good question, I use paint thinner which has no effect on the lacquer but relatively quickly will remove the paint. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@richardporcari7206]

Beautiful work as always, but with the sanding you lose some spots in the relief features that did not go as deep as the others. The most noticeable examples being in the floral medallion of the faceplate that surrounds the access to the knob lock switch, and the contours in the left leaf of the lower flower on the faceplate. Would you consider trying to put them back in with metal carving tools prior to lacquer or is it too risky?

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a bunch! I usually start with a higher grit to remove as little material as possible - The faceplate on this had been sanded a bit more that normal from the factory so it did lose a bit of detail. Generally backplates and knobs are okay to sand since the casting is deeper but faceplates can be hit or miss. That said I have a couple more of these locks which are in pretty much perfect condition so I wasn’t as worried about how the sanding effected this one. Good question, if the design was a bit more simple or if I had a lot more experience engraving I’d consider it and it wouldn’t be too risky. Thanks a bunch for watching!

[@sopcopotoptop]

What do you use for bluing the steel parts of this lock? I have several pairs of clock hands I’d like to blue. Thank you! Excellent videos!

[@one4theteam]

Hey There! Love your vids. Do you do commissions? I am restoring a 1840s home in Salem, MA (yeah THAT Salem). There are beautiful original double doors on the front of the home that are next up for restoration. All of the original hardware is there - mortise lock, mail slots, key flaps, you name it. Any chance you'd be interested in taking on the project?

[@caractax.3110]

👏😮💕

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks for watching!

[@atkgrl]

Do you have a store where you sell them?

[@annanimus8848]

can you keep the text on screen longer than a millisecond?

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha it sounds odd but all the fast text is intentional for those that may want some off topic commentary. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@annanimus8848]

@Random Restoration that's fine and dandy, but I have to slow down the video to 0.25 to be able to catch what it says. I like commentaries, too. I just can't read it in 0.5 seconds. Love your work by the way.

[@adirmatheus8397]

How much cost one this ?

[@randomrestoration6858]

I think I picked this whole set up for around $200-$250. Thanks for watching!

[@sopcopotoptop]

What do you use for bluing the steel parts of this lock? I have several pairs of clock hands I’d like to blue. Thank you! Excellent videos!