Help! A drawer lock on my vintage sideboard will not unlock. :(
nhb22
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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arcy_gw
5 years agohounds_x_two
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Need help identifying antique dining set
Comments (14)The two 'master' chairs are indeed from a different set. (But I LOVE them. They are sooooo sturdy and comfortable - everyone wants to sit in them! and they have great character) I also think they're made of mahogany, not walnut like the other chairs. But the cane back chairs have carving on the legs that is identical to the feet of the sideboards. All upholstery has been replaced multiple times from looking at the underside of the chairs - I also suspect the caning is not original, but it is doubled and is very heavy grade caning. Sideboards have carved mouldings identical to the mouldings around the edge of the table. *shrugs* Even if the chairs are from a later time, they match well with it. Don't suppose anyone has any ideas on the actual age and origin of the larger pieces? I've looked all over the internet, and I've had one person from Europe suggest they're from the 1930's, 40's, or 50's and made in America, which I have to disagree with. American pieces made during the great depression era aren't large, they aren't heavy, and typically don't have the nice veneer work on them. People simply couldn't afford that sort of furniture at that time. I have several pieces from that era, they're pretty common in this part of the U.S. 1940's ushered in WWII; the ability to manufacture pretty furniture was eclipsed by building airplanes and war machines. 1950's pieces don't tend to have the thick cuts of wood for a carcass - the table top alone is just over an inch thick, same for the tops of the sideboards. They also didn't typically use mortise and tenon construction for things like mouldings around the edges of furniture. I have yet to see any American furniture from any of those decades that have wooden knobs. They usually have brass or brass plated pulls. European pieces tend to have brass hinges; the sideboards I have do have brass hinges, whereas American furniture has iron or steel. I guess I'm just going through process of elimination now. LOL The style is so eclectic, yet not as awkward and top-heavy as Victorian pieces, that I'm led to believe it might be late (very late) Edwardian - which would put it being made in the mid to late 1900's, possibly even early 20's. One other clue to its possible age: It has a servants bell underneath at the area that would be occupied by someone sitting immediately to the left of the head of the table. It was an electric buzzer type thing, with a shred of the original sheathing left around what remains of the cord and it is a woven fabric. Actual copper of the cord looks dangerously thin - as in not up to modern electric standards. The buzzer appeared to be made of Bakelite, but also appears to be added later as I removed it and the wood beneath is lighter, but not by much. It is held on with flat head screws. It came with three leaves, and it will expand just enough for the three of them. The wood has shrunk so they don't fit tightly against one another, you can see right through to the floor in some places, but the moulding still meets at the edges. It has dowels/pegs on the underside of the frame to 'stop' the table at the correct length. I haven't measured it with all three of the leaves yet, but I do know I'll have to have a table cloth that's 70x120, if not larger. Also! The leaves do not have a metal tab system to lock them into place! Or the dowel and tabs like you see on modern pieces! It has carved wooden, half circle 'tongues' which are about a quarter inch thick. They insert into companion slots carved into the next leaf. They must be inserted in order or they don't fit together at all. Each leaf is marked for order of insertion with a scratched roman numeral: I, II, and III. I believe the veneer to be of walnut, as does the antiques dealer/appraiser friend of ours that looked it over this last weekend. He has been in the business for 30 years, and he's never seen anything like them himself. All he could do is confirm they're quality pieces and were a good investment. :-) I have not inspected the underside of the stretcher as it is just too heavy to flip onto its side....See MoreMy finished 'glamour vintage' bathroom
Comments (84)Thanks so much everyone. Sorry I wasn't able to respond to this sooner - I didn't realize anyone had posted on this recently. Yes, its the same cap molding used to frame out the niche. The pocket door is fine since this is off my bedroom but its a pain to lock. I think thats because I have an extra thick vintage door rather than a standard one. If this were a bathroom that was more "public" like a guest bath or off a hallway, I'd definitely be looking for a better lock than the cheapo one we found at Home Depot. I did use the basketweave in the shower as well. No issues at all with it being too slippery (I was concerned about that but its a non issue) I love the lighting in here. In addition to the side lights, I have overhead recessed lights as well a skylight. Its great for makeup application, eyebrow plucking, etc. My old bathroom had a single overhead light and now Im totally spoiled! Hope that helps. Thanks so much for your kind words!...See Moreold bathroom lock + kids = trouble
Comments (21)If I may: The knobs come off for one of several reasons. #1-The set screws are simply loose, however this usually doesn't cause the knob to "fall" off, it will simply turn in your hand and not open the latch. If you kept turning in one direction it would come off all the way. If this is your symptom look around the "shoulder" of the knob/lever for some recessed flat head or allen head (baldwin)screws. Unscrew the knob just enough to see how the square bar is oriented. Those screws need to tighten down on the flat surface of that bar (preferably facing down, although that is not possible sometimes), so once you see that orientation and know where the screws need to be tightened down at (ie-Baldwin brand would be tightened down at the 4:30(ish) and 7:30(ish) position) you screw the knob up until its tight against the plate, then back it off about a turn. If it is too tight against the rosette/interior trim plate, the latch will not spring back out on its on, and you will have to physically turn the knob so the latch will come out. Sometimes there is not a happy medium between too tight and too loose. There are mylar and brass washers available to take out the slack. #2- Now if those screws are tight and it still doesn't stay on, your looking at spindle (that square bar that goes into the knob) wear or wear inside the knob itself. The screws threads inside the knob do wear out and no amount of set screw tightening will make it hold. At that point you can a new knob, from several places. The cheapest knob sets are only around $5-10 from many home stores/hardware stores/locksmith companies. They look like the old style glass knobs, but are obviously low quality. I have never been real thrilled with them, but it is the most affordable solution. I prefer the real glass antique stuff, and I am not alone. We get calls from all over the country (via our ebay store and website) looking for antique glass knobs. If you unscrew the knob and that square shaft is rounded where the screws tighten down at, then you have a couple of options. Replace that spindle (they are also available, but there are many different variations) or if it seems long enough you can loosen the screws on the other side and screw /unscrew it several threads and re-tighten, then the other side can be tightened down at a different spot on that bar. Washers may be needed as well. If the inside threads of the knob is worn out you are going to need a new knob. If its your front door lock and it has the thumb trim on the outside (antique) you can most likely use those same "cheap" knobs (again, I only suggest these as they are the easiest to find) and just use one of the knobs. The only trouble you would run into is if the shoulder of the replacement knob does not seat in the recess of the interior trim. The spindles on front door locks (with a thumbtrim on the outside) are different than the ones on bathrooms, interior rooms. It is a half spindle and works differently than the other doors with just knobs/levers on each side. They are hard to find/replace sometimes, and I suggest contacting the closest trusted locksmith company for service. Ask your family/friends/neighbors for locksmith reference, NEVER rely on phone book ads. There are too many "scammer" companies listing ads nowadays, and they are guilty of shoddy work and overcharging customers. Make sure and only deal with someone who has done satisfactory work for one of your colleagues. I am new here, so I don't know how the forum works as far as posting pics, but I can get some links up later of the positions of those screws, etc. We do plenty of photography work in relation to our industry. Gotta run to a christmas party now though! I will post them tommorrow assuming its calm enough ;-)...See MoreLocks for cabinet drawers??
Comments (10)Tot-Loks were the only ones that worked for us. They may be exactly the same as the ones that can't be installed on your cabinets, but you might have a look and see if their footprint is different (assuming you're using them to keep little kids out). DH installed all of ours, and he had to do some creative finagling on a few drawers. Cast iron wasn't a problem with our kids; we did mostly the utensil drawers (sharp things in all of them) and the cabinet with the cleaning supplies and a couple of others whose contents we just didn't want wandering all over the house. Good luck!...See MoreOlychick
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