One of the first things that we did when we moved into the Humphrey House was to install some new door knobs and deadbolts. We live in a safe town. I feel comfortable letting my children walk to the corner store and talk to the shop owner that they know. Neighbors that keep an eye your house, not to be nosy, because it is the neighborly thing to do. As safe as the small town that we live in, it is responsible to make sure your property is secure.
The locks used long ago were surfaced base locks. Modern bored locks feature added strength against a forced entry attempt. Replacing a surface mounted lock with a bored lock is not as easy as swapping out one for the other. Fortunately, Irwin drill company makes a door boring kit that is inexpensive and easy to use.
This kit has a guide to line up the holes for the tumbler and throw bolt. It is plastic, so it would probably really only last for a a couple of doors, but for our purposes, it worked just fine. An added bonus? It has a template and a small router bit to recess the latch.
The original knobs are beautiful and classic crystal knobs. Anyone who has lived in an old house can tell you that as charming as they are, they can become rather annoying. Over time the set screw gets stripped and the knobs fall off or slide out, fall on the floor, or just spin in place. Not to worry – those classic crystal knobs will find a second life as a fixture of some sort. I’m thinking of coat hooks by the back door.
