The movers in Switzerland - they were more than a little reckless with some things. Especially the guy who packed up our bedroom. The door to the old pine armoire got scratched, and the key for it is still among the missing. It happens, but it's still frustrating. Particularly because this piece is front and center now in the dining room...a quick decision, when we realized it might not clear the ceilings upstairs. We didn't take the time to ever measure, because we have built in closets in all the bedrooms now (finally, after many, many years without them). And the armoire perfectly makes up for the lack of a proper front hall closet downstairs (we do have a makeshift one though in the kitchen - it shares a space with the back of the fridge - must have originally been a pantry and might be again, but that is hardly the first project here!)....
Anyway, Bill, who owns our favorite local antique shop (and also happens to be the mayor for the neighboring town, among other things) came to the rescue to get the armoire door back in working order. He recommended melting a crayola to repair the little scratches (haven't tried it yet, but might - he swears this does as good of a job as any fancy refinisher)...and he sent me home with a big rusty box of old keys to try out in the lock, with a few tips on finding one that will work. "Look to see if you need a hollow or a solid pin....and don't be afraid if one gets stuck in the lock" (it did). "Just jiggle it to the left a little, and it will come out again." (This worked, thankfully).
It's dirty, handling all these keys...worse than sorting old coins. But fascinating. So many keys...keys for doors, for cars...some for toys, or a fireplace maybe? A clock key? A few are still in some logical order, held together with a ring, an old rubber band or a bit of string. A couple of safety pins, in there, too. A few washers, a few bolts...a magnet (with lots of keys clinging to it, of course). Tons of rust. And dirt, lots of dirt. Some of the keys have been separated out into small plastic bags. And sometimes I can even make some sense as to why someone did this at some point. There is a small blue bag, for instance, full of tiny keys - for diaries or safes?
Many places are mentioned: Milwaukee, Stamford, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Fitchburg... lots of names of companies, mostly locksmiths (Corbin and Yale & Towne were busy!), but also some other businesses: Geary & Ducker Tailors at 170 B Way, New York. A few other addresses, too, and lots of numbers (I didn't try a key marked 13 - how unlucky would that be if it unlocked our amoire).
Some of the keys have decorative touches, lovely little cut outs or a small animal embossed into the metal. There are often flourishes that give away hints about when the key might have been made....my favorite has dainty and perfect art deco detailing. Words, like 'security' & 'master' are engraved on some of the keys that look like they were manufactured in the 1950's or so...A few specimens have more detailed notes and labels attached: 1932 Studebaker. Drafted Retired Veterans Headquarters. Please return to George & Sons, Philipsburg, NJ. Garage, front door, barn... there is a key in there for a 1977 Grey 4 door Lincoln, together with 2 round separate tags, each listing a long string of numbers. There are instructions: note the number and then detach and store this label, separate from the original key. Hmmm...
As someone who loses (or rather temporarily misplaces) her keys on a regular basis (my car key has a way of getting lodged into the hidden corners of my purse like you wouldn't believe), I love this project. Interesting to think how these keys all landed here, in Bill's rusty old box...Were they lost or just discarded, left in a drawer, maybe? When was the last time they were in use? Who used them? And how lucky are we to have found this box that will help solve our little armoire door predicament here...
So far, I've found 2 keys that unlock (and relock!) the old Swiss armoire. One looks a little small in the door, the other has kind of a funny color...so I'm still working through the pile to see if I might find an even better match before I bring the box back to Bill later this week.
Anyway, Bill, who owns our favorite local antique shop (and also happens to be the mayor for the neighboring town, among other things) came to the rescue to get the armoire door back in working order. He recommended melting a crayola to repair the little scratches (haven't tried it yet, but might - he swears this does as good of a job as any fancy refinisher)...and he sent me home with a big rusty box of old keys to try out in the lock, with a few tips on finding one that will work. "Look to see if you need a hollow or a solid pin....and don't be afraid if one gets stuck in the lock" (it did). "Just jiggle it to the left a little, and it will come out again." (This worked, thankfully).
It's dirty, handling all these keys...worse than sorting old coins. But fascinating. So many keys...keys for doors, for cars...some for toys, or a fireplace maybe? A clock key? A few are still in some logical order, held together with a ring, an old rubber band or a bit of string. A couple of safety pins, in there, too. A few washers, a few bolts...a magnet (with lots of keys clinging to it, of course). Tons of rust. And dirt, lots of dirt. Some of the keys have been separated out into small plastic bags. And sometimes I can even make some sense as to why someone did this at some point. There is a small blue bag, for instance, full of tiny keys - for diaries or safes?
Many places are mentioned: Milwaukee, Stamford, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Fitchburg... lots of names of companies, mostly locksmiths (Corbin and Yale & Towne were busy!), but also some other businesses: Geary & Ducker Tailors at 170 B Way, New York. A few other addresses, too, and lots of numbers (I didn't try a key marked 13 - how unlucky would that be if it unlocked our amoire).
Some of the keys have decorative touches, lovely little cut outs or a small animal embossed into the metal. There are often flourishes that give away hints about when the key might have been made....my favorite has dainty and perfect art deco detailing. Words, like 'security' & 'master' are engraved on some of the keys that look like they were manufactured in the 1950's or so...A few specimens have more detailed notes and labels attached: 1932 Studebaker. Drafted Retired Veterans Headquarters. Please return to George & Sons, Philipsburg, NJ. Garage, front door, barn... there is a key in there for a 1977 Grey 4 door Lincoln, together with 2 round separate tags, each listing a long string of numbers. There are instructions: note the number and then detach and store this label, separate from the original key. Hmmm...
As someone who loses (or rather temporarily misplaces) her keys on a regular basis (my car key has a way of getting lodged into the hidden corners of my purse like you wouldn't believe), I love this project. Interesting to think how these keys all landed here, in Bill's rusty old box...Were they lost or just discarded, left in a drawer, maybe? When was the last time they were in use? Who used them? And how lucky are we to have found this box that will help solve our little armoire door predicament here...
So far, I've found 2 keys that unlock (and relock!) the old Swiss armoire. One looks a little small in the door, the other has kind of a funny color...so I'm still working through the pile to see if I might find an even better match before I bring the box back to Bill later this week.
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