Ornate 1905 Latches Restoration | Random Restoration

Welcome! Today I'm restoring two old antique cast bronze square bolt latches manufactured by P&F Corbin in the 1890s, and up to at least 1905. I bought these latches a number of months ago, and finally decided it was time to give them a proper restoration. P&F Corbin manufactured a bunch of fantastic ornate items and I'll definitely feature more pieces by them in future hardware restoration videos.
Like with most my restorations, I started by disassembling one of the bronze latches - The other latch had a very rusty screw holding the back cover on, and needed a bit more attention. After a failed attempt at loosening the screw with penetrating fluid, I decided to throw them both in the rust removal bucket of goodness. I always through bronze parts into the rust remover too, as it loosens any paint and grime on them. Fortunately this didn't loosen the stuck screw at all, so I had to drill it out in the end.
Next up in the restoration it was time to unbend the parts. One of the latches was pretty bent, but luckily I was able to repair it and get it like new! Now it was time for sanding - All of the main parts needed some pretty extensive sanding, as they clearly hadn't been very well cared for in the past. They were only sanded up to 600 grit, as I wanted some sanding marks in the final finish since that's how they were finished originally. Now I gave them a polish with a coarse polishing compound.
Next up in this antique restoration, the main parts were lacquered with a slightly golden colored transparent lacquer. I used to restore these types of items and simply apply a clear coat or clear lacquer to them, but after studying a number of original pieces in like new condition, they all left the factory with a lacquer with either a slightly golden tint, a darker almost brown tint, or any shade in between. Anyways, I moved onto painting the recessed areas on one of the latches
Finally it was time to wire wheel all the remaining parts. The springs were polished and the cover screws were sanded, cleaned and blued. Bluing steel is always enjoyable to watch unless I record it hahaha. Now all the parts were ready to be reassembled. One of these cast bronze latches had some pretty pad casting defects, so I decided to leave it with unpainted recessed areas. Since the other latch was painted, it was the perfect opportunity to show the benefits of having painted recessed areas. It always amazes me how many different companies had so many awesome ornate designs like these little latches have. From coat hooks to door hinges, the interior design of houses that had this hardware must have looked truly fantastic!
Time Stamps:
0:00 Welcome!
0:40 Disassembly
3:06 Locating a New Screw
4:06 Wire Wheeling/Unbending Main Parts
5:26 Sanding/Polishing Main Parts
6:27 Lacquering/Painting Main Parts
7:12 Wire Wheeling/Unbending Latches
7:57 Sanding/Polishing Latches
8:33 Lacquering/Painting Latches
9:11 Restoring Springs
9:31 Restoring Rear Covers
9:53 Restoring the Screws
10:42 Reassembly
12:22 Comparing Painted/Unpainted
12:46 Before and After
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Thanks for watching the video Ornate 1905 Cabinet Latches Restoration | Random Restoration

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hi all! I picked up these little latches a number of months ago and finally decided it was time to give them a restoration - They sure knew how to pack a lot of details into a small area! As always, thanks for watching!

[@tanathos0414]

I really like this series with the ornate latches, hinges, drawer pulls, mortise locks and knobs.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate the feedback! There are so many cool ornate hardware items from this time period, and I plan on continuing to feature them in my videos. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@Seahorse1414]

I am glad you taught that jammed in screw a lesson...take no nonsense !

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha yeah that screw was pretty stubborn, but no match for my cheap drill! Thanks for watching!

[@GT_Racer347]

I frikkin love watching these gorgeous restorations! Wow. 💯 👌 😍

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey man thanks for the support, and as always, thanks a lot for watching!

[@Tim-57]

They are both beautiful. Personally I agree, the black paint brings out the detail. Really like how you show the catalogues in the videos.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Tim! Right, the black really allows you to enjoy the details from afar. It's always good fun sifting through old catalogs trying to find the hardware I'm working on! Like usual, thanks for watching!

[@Tim-57]

@@randomrestoration6858 I enjoy your stuff🙂

[@lotsabirds]

They look Fantastic!

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Bill. They do have a lovely design indeed. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@shaunmullings4153]

Fantastic job. Simple but very elegant. 👌

[@randomrestoration6858]

Much appreciated, Shaun!

[@williamclark1633]

Once again, very impressive restoration.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks again, William - I appreciate it!

[@k.george8722]

I love the detail in these latches. Phenomenal. Nobody does that type of work anymore. I am happy that your able to locate them and show us how you bring them back to better than new. Another great job.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right, you sure don't see an ornate all purpose latch like this in any hardware store these days! It's always enjoyable bringing some life back into these items - Thanks a lot for the kind words!

[@lolcec81]

Комментарий в поддержку канала и ролика, а также труда мастера отреставрировавшего.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Еще раз спасибо, я ценю поддержку!

[@shedmanx3640]

Great restoration. I have enjoyed all of your bronze hardware restorations. I have a tip that may help for grinding fine, delicate scrollwork and etchings. Try and get an old set of dental grinding drills, dentists use to drill out decay. There are an amazingly large assortment of drill bits that get into the tightest of places and work on almost anything. I think I may have about 60 drill bits, all different shapes. I acquired a few sets of used drill bits from a dentist that was replacing his dull sets. They are still amazing on metals and have got me out of many a tight spot. They are replaced regularly as patients don’t want dull tools used on their teeth. They may even be available on EBay, I haven’t looked as the ones I acquired are 20+ years old and still going strong.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks a lot! I had someone recommend a dental drill a while back, and it definitely seems like a great idea, especially for (like you mentioned) fixing up any small details and defects in the designs of these sorts of pieces. I had a look on eBay and there happen to be tons of different listings with bits for dental drills - I'm not sure I'd want them to be used on my teeth, but I'm sure they'd work for what I'd be using them for hahaha. Thanks a lot for the suggestion, and thank you for watching!

[@mskayla7747]

Awesome as always. Showing the difference between painted vs unpainted at a distance was amazing... I never would have thought there would be that much of a difference. Looking forward to your next project.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it! Yeah painted really makes a huge difference when viewed from any normal distance a person would be viewing the hardware from. I've really wanted to show the difference for a while but never got around to it until now haha. Thank you very much for watching!

[@terryrogers1025]

My personal preference is the painted latch, but both are really nice sir. Like your work.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you for the feedback, Terry! I definitely prefer the black painted recessed areas since it really makes the design pop at distance. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@garyelrod8856]

Great work! I really enjoy your videos !

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Gary! Thank you very much for watching!

[@Tinatortoise]

Beautiful x

[@randomrestoration6858]

They certainly have a gorgeous design, thank you for watching, Tina!

[@myrestorations]

Brilliant work 👏 👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you very much!

[@Boomerinthewild62]

I like watching things go from dull to shiny 😎

[@randomrestoration6858]

Right, it's always very satisfying to see! Thank you for watching!

[@RestorationAustralia]

Super nice well done.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[@doriWyo]

Nice.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you very much, Dori!

[@oneshotme]

They look beautiful and you did an excellent job restoring it as well!!!! Enjoyed the video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@randomrestoration6858]

They certainly have a very cool design on them! I appreciate it, Oneshot!

[@oneshotme]

@@randomrestoration6858 You're welcome!!

[@hoperestoration5595]

really amazing dear

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey I appreciate it!

[@waterbitten]

They both look amazing, the black painted one is my favorite. I didn't know metal could be sanded until I watched your videos.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it! It's definitely a balance when sanding an ornate piece like this - You don't want to loose the design! Thanks a lot for watching!

[@garyjones2582]

RR that turned out very nice.. The black background sure gives it a nice touch.. I think someone already mentioned about using an impact driver.. And another suggestion is to make up a 50-50 batch of Acetone and Automatic Transmission fluid.. it is dirt cheap to make and makes WD-40 look like water... Wonderful restoration as always...God Bless...

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it, Gary! I have an impact screwdriver but unfortunately the bits are way too big for smaller screws and haha. I have had a couple recommendations of atf and acetone, I'll have to give it a try sometime - I was surprised that little screw was so stuck! Thank you for watching!

[@garyjones2582]

@@randomrestoration6858 you keep making those videos and we'll keep watching...lol..

[@larrykelly2838]

Beautiful restoration of those old latches.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you, I appreciate it, Larry!

[@drunkdunc8738]

The bag of mortise locks looked heavy but it turns out they're lightweights 🍻

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hahaha yeah they're a bit tipsy even without alcohol being involved 😆

[@drunkdunc8738]

Random Restoration 😝so true👌

[@gayle525]

I think these kinds of door hardware is the coolest stuff they ever invented. I remember at least one door in a grandparents house that had these. I think my siblings and I would have totally destroyed these. Hell we wrecked regular door knobs regularly. 8 is too many kids.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I totally agree with you, Gayle! There are so many awesome designs with this style of hardware from so many different companies. Hahaha yeah I can imagine these being pretty worse for wear having eight kids using and abusing them for years! Thanks a lot for watching!

[@samanthadean1083]

Amazing!!! These are beautiful!!!

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you very much, Samantha! They do have a lovely design - It's amazing how many completely unique designs were offered for hardware back then! Thanks for watching!

[@WorkshopDC]

I loved this finish, looks like made by pure gold. Amazing job Bro! ❤

[@randomrestoration6858]

Hey thanks a lot, man! That tinted lacquer sure makes bronze items like this really pop - Thanks for stopping by 😁

[@Austeration]

Amazing as always 👍 I can't believe how incredibly good that gold spray is.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it! It really makes the pieces pop for sure - Thanks a lot for watching!

[@petercolquhoun2086]

Funny coincidence, yesterday I repaired two mortice locks.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Sweet, mortise locks are always very fun to repair and restore in my opinion at lest haha. Thank you for watching!

[@abo_fhad]

انت جمعت بين العلم و الدقة و الفن . شهادتي فيك مجروحة , و مقطع اليوم زادني بهجة بصوت الغنم في الخلفية , شكرا لك اسمتعت كثيرا بالمشاهدة

[@randomrestoration6858]

أشكركم على الكلمات الرقيقة ، وشكراً جزيلاً لكم على المشاهدة!

[@thisisdvd8094]

Bronze, in its best form, will look almost like gold (most large bells are made of bronze, they're quite shiny when they're brand new)

[@randomrestoration6858]

It's definitely a great material to work with, and looks great too! Thanks again for watching!

[@debrabaum2020]

Bravo! Love them👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you, Debra! They are very cool for simple little latches!

[@glasjanus]

Prefer the black painted Art Deco style most.

[@randomrestoration6858]

It really does make the design pop, especially from a distance! Thank you very much for watching!

[@chandarussell]

This whole Corbin collection of yours is just so beautiful. Where do you find them. I’d love to install the latches, doorknobs, etc in my house. Although they’re pre Art Deco they always remind me of the period. I love the Art Deco period designs.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you very much! I usually find these on websites such as "Olde Good Things" which have large amounts of hardware for sale. You can also sometimes come across this type of hardware on eBay, but it's not uncommon to have to buy a full set one door knob at a time haha. Oh yeah Art Deco designs are very cool indeed! Thanks a lot for watching!

[@yeagerxp]

Beautiful restoration 👍👍👍. Thanks for sharing. As a technician it was drilled into my head to use the right screwdriver for the screws to be loosened and tightened. The screwdriver bit you used was not wide enough for those screws. Otherwise beautiful work

[@randomrestoration6858]

I appreciate it! Hahaha yeah, even worse I had the screwdriver bits right next to me on the table and could have changed it out to the right sized head in no time, but lessons learned. I was very surprised that screw was so stuck - I don't think it was the original screw and suspect that it may have been forcefully threaded into the bronze since it had a different thread size/count. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@mrkrasker9609]

I am a retired broadcast engineer, I would be very interested in seeing your studio set up and equipment.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Very cool! Well it's not much of a setup right now haha - I have the boom arm with an LED panel and two additional panels which can be swiveled around easily and are on tripods which are on either side of the camera while recording. Thank you very much for watching!

[@annw1395]

Amazing! I love when the metal gets all shiny! Just curious; you got the spare screw from the "junk" locks in the bag. How can you tell??? The ones you just restored looked pretty junky to me! Lol.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you, Ann! As long as I have my junk bag of locks (and many more that aren't in that bag) I'll have a near endless supply of questionable looking screws hahaha. As always, thanks again for watching!

[@annw1395]

No, i meant how can you tell which locks are junk, since the ones you restored look just as bad as the ones that you call "junk"? Are they missing too many parts?

[@hippiepeter]

the gold paint made it look nice and I would have not painted the inner areas so dark...

[@randomrestoration6858]

Haha fair enough. These latches were offered from the factory with both the plain (unpainted) variant I showed, and the black painted recessed areas which I did with the other. Thanks for watching!

[@chriscraft9681]

👍😉

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thanks for stopping by, Chris!

[@rogbriggs]

Nice! Have you tried glass beads in your blasting cabinet?

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you, Roger! I can't say I have, mainly because I don't have a blasting cabinet current , but I do plan on getting one as soon as I get some more space available! It'd definitely speed up many of my restorations if I had one. Thanks for watching!

[@jhenderson3087]

Use the tip of a solder gun to heat the screw.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Yeah I really need to invest in something other than brute force haha. Thank you for watching!

[@corinneone]

What year was this screen door lock made ? Fascinating

[@randomrestoration6858]

I found these exact latches in the 1905 P&F Corbin catalog. Previous years had a slightly different design, as did later years, so they were likely made from around 1900-1906. Thanks for watching!

[@markchristopher9515]

It's the detail. A simple broken line will draw the eye and images are formed when details coalesce. A door with painted latches is nice. One with latches, knobs and hinges detailed to their finest is grand. So quit teasing and get on with it man. Question if I may. Casting pits, unpainted bronze. Any fillers you had visual success with? Beautiful work. Loved the last shots showing the detail at distance

[@randomrestoration6858]

Very true, Mark! Hahaha the doors will still be a fair bit out yet, but once I do install this hardware I will definitely show it off on camera! I don't think it'd be easy to fill in pitting and have it blend well unless the bronze was painted with a solid color, for example if you painted it black. If it is a solid color, your best bet would be a glazing and spot putty - This filler isn't very strong which is preferable with softer metals since it'll sand evenly with the metal. In this project (and most my other previous hardware projects) the lacquer I use is transparent and just has a tint applied, so you still see the metal underneath and any marks or defects are still visible as a result. If you drew a line with a sharpie prior to lacquering, you'd still see the sharpie mark after lacquering. I appreciate it, thanks a lot for watching!

[@markchristopher9515]

Random Restoration We've had the same results with tinted fillers and the like. You end up with an off color spot instead of a character-mark. At my bench perhaps the largest tool is my Dremel. So I'm a classic detail guy at heart but certain rooms and their decor in my home are just 80's Elton John pizazz.. These have a few pieces with your tinted lacquer technique, I stole that one the day you posted it and have a few exotic mixes awaiting a new air brush. Coolest method of showing a surface with a pop I've seen. I'm hoping to use it as backfill highlight on some large wood pieces prior to final stain and seal. The test pieces are fantastic so I thank you for sharing it. Love your work.

[@randomrestoration6858]

@@markchristopher9515 Haha yeah the Dremel is my go to as well. It's especially great for smaller projects like this! That's the great thing about tinting an otherwise clear lacquer - You can really mix just about any color and have some truly fantastic and unique finishes. Thanks again!

[@MissLady-pq4hc]

👍🏼💙

[@randomrestoration6858]

Thank you very much!

[@nathalieartuso3098]

Bonjour, je trouve toutes cette série vraiment magnifique, et je me demandais d'où cela pouvait bien venir , j'imagine bien trouver çà dans un château médiéval ou 🤔 ? je sais pas ,mais j'aimerai bien savoir elle doivent être très très vieille j'imagine, moi elle me font rêver, voilà, merci en tout cas beau travail à bientôt 🖐🙂 Nathalie France Normandie 👍

[@randomrestoration6858]

Merci beaucoup! Haha on dirait qu'il aurait sa place dans un château ! Des articles comme celui-ci auraient été utilisés dans les maisons de tous les jours et étaient étonnamment abordables à l'époque. Dans de nombreux cas, un loquet orné comme celui-ci aurait été moins cher qu'un loquet non orné de taille similaire. Merci beaucoup d'avoir regardé Nathalie!

[@roninnovastar1321]

It would help if you use a screw driver that fit perfectly in the slot of the screw,, the screw driver tip you used was too small, which will cause slipping & and deformation screw slot.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Haha this is true, I did have the other bits next to me and simply didn’t swap them out - I was very surprised that screw was so stubborn haha. I suspect it was replaced at some point and likely had been forcefully threaded in, and mixed with the rust made for an extra uncooperative screw haha. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@loonygirl4047]

Where do you find these pieces? They all look so ornate.

[@randomrestoration6858]

I found these online on a website that deals in antique door hardware, but I can't remember which one because I bought them so long ago haha. Olde Good Things has a selection of antique hardware and many other architectural items for sale, and that may be where I got them. Thanks a lot for watching!

[@georgeshelton6281]

I'm quite surprised that this door latch; was made during the beginning of the 20th century, if the catalog says that it's a 1905 contraption.

[@randomrestoration6858]

Yeah these latches were made since at least 1895 (though they probably were being made prior to 1895) but the 1905 catalog illustrated the smaller versions of these latches better so I used it instead of the 1895 catalog haha. As per usual, thanks for watching!