SCREWED UP

An old cabinet long-ago locked, the key gone missing.

The built-in cabinets in the living room of our circa 1900 house have brass cabinet locks, but there is no key. One cabinet swings open, but the other is firmly locked—and it’s full of the previous owner’s oddball junk. We thought about drilling out the center, but realized that won’t free it because it’s a bolt lock (the bolt slides from one side to the other as the locking mechanism is worked).

THE FIX

Most keyed cabinet locks were made by either Yale & Towne or by Eagle Lock, writes Lauren Slaughter of Village Salvage, a family-owned specialist in antique hardware and house locks in Waynesville, Ohio. (villagesalvage.com) To open or close the door with such a lock, the key must first release the deadbolt. The key itself often serves as the handle you use to pull the door open —a reason never to remove the key!

Some door locks are both makermarked and carry a model number, Slaughter tells us. (Others carry only a number, or the brand name.) In such cases, an antique hardware specialist or salvage dealer can help you find the exact lock you need. (A quick search on Google for the number found on this lock turned up a close match in a new lock: a keyed drawer deadbolt for a 1 ¼ "thick door, #1XRY3 by Southco.)

If the lock isn’t marked, searching for a match online may be disappointing. The easiest route is to take it to a good salvage store with a large hardware inventory and ask them to check it against items on hand. While you’re waiting, check the locks in old cabinet doors and drawers they may have for sale to see if any match the one you need.

Still no luck? Since you have access to the lock on the open door, remove the screws from the back and it should come off easily. Take the lock to a good locksmith, who may be able to make a new key by working a blank in the existing lock, cutting it as necessary to move each mechanism inside. Have two keys made. Try the key on the other lock. If it doesn’t work, you can ask the locksmith to make a house call and rejigger the extra key. (Last resort: saw through the bolt with a Sawzall —but you’ll still need new hardware to open and close the door.)