I have a china cabinet that I bought from an antique store several years ago. The store is in another state. There is a lower part with drawers and an upper part with two doors that should swing open from the center. Somehow the doors became locked. I never had a key. The doors have decorative hardware that looks like it would take one of those old-fashioned iron keys. I am going to be moving in less than 3 weeks, and there are fragile items in the cabinet.
Does anyone have an idea about how I could get the doors open?
I just looked at the hinges, and I don’t think it’s possible to remove them. They are very thin with no visible attachments. I am pretty sure that they are attached to the door and the frame in areas that are now inside. And I believe that the doors can be taken off the hinges only if they are wide open; it looks like they could be lifted up off the hinges in that position. As they are now, no upward motion is possible.
Each door has identical hardware with a classic keyhole-shaped opening. On one side, there is a flat plate behind the “keyhole” so I assume that it is non-functional. The other side has a mechanism. I don’t know how to pick it, but I just went on Amazon and found a key that is supposed to unlock old cabinet doors. If it fits my cabinet, I’ll be all set.
I thought about calling a locksmith, but I imagine most of them only know about modern keys/locks.
I would call a locksmith. They usually have a bunch of old keys for just such a situation. When we moved a hutch, we lost the key. We called a locksmith and he brought his bunch of keys and found one that worked. It wasn’t very expensive, but it was 30+ years ago.
I have an antique cabinet that would take an iron key like you describe. This sounds crazy but I use my car key, insert it just inside the lock, turn it a tiny bit and pull gently. It works every time.
I would call a locksmith. The one we use fixes antique locks and has many skeleton keys, as well as the more modern stuff. If you’re taking the cabinet with you, it’s handy to have a key!
One can buy skeleton keys at hardware stores in my area. Sometimes they are in a set of 5-8 w various “keys”. Might be worth a try, although finding them via the web might be easier. I know several of my antique cabinet locks use the same key, although the cabinets were purchased from different places.
If there is a thin space where the door and jamb meet, take a thin plastic card (a Barnes and Noble Membership card works well) and slide it into that space under the lock and then slowy slide the card up and see if you can push the lock mechanism up without a key. Many old cabinet locks can be “picked” in this way.
Thank you all for the suggestions! My car key is electronic and does not have a metal part sticking out, but I think that there is a regular key somewhere. And I will try a credit card.
Those kind of locks aren’t fancy, “hard to pick” type of locks. The mechanism is simple so pretty much any old key which fits in the space will often work. I think ordering off Amazon or calling around to a local antique store to see if they have old keys for sale would be best.
This is a pretty common thing that people who refinish/restore old furniture for resale deal with. They usually just buy replacement keys online. They shouldn’t be pricy. Much cheaper than having a locksmith come out who is going to charge by the hour and has to cover his driving time. If you need advice on what kind of key, an antiques dealer/furniture restorer might be good for advice.
I lost the key to an old slant top desk I have. I went to a hardware store…an OLD one that carries lots of old goodies. It was also locally owned. They gave me a fist full of keys to try, and one of them worked. I returned the others…and they actually didn’t charge me for the one that worked.
Some old hardware stores have those small “skeleton keys”. Maybe there is one near you??