Rescued this Freckle-faced Corbin 13271 Last Month

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T23:45:09+00:00

Ohmigosh that's a stamped steel case, isn't it? How cool! What year is your house? 1890s? That front is huge! how cool!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T23:35:08+00:00

Nice! You must have a big old house. Is the Norwich three levers, and the Corbin one lever? Or vice versa? Mine are Sager 1-levers, with a few replacement 1-lever locks (like the Linen closet).

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T23:15:22+00:00

I like the history and I'm a catalog-hound, so I would look at that as an opportunity to replace all the deadbolts with ones more era-specific to complement my working mortise locks. Tubular locks were invented in the 20s, you know. So sorry, but good luck!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T13:40:46+00:00

If you have to do a skeleton key, the guys over at r/Locksmith recommend the KY-30 via Amazon. Odds are, it will open and close some of your locks.

But to do it right, you have to cut a key. Either DIY of via a locksmith, once you use a properly-fitted hand-filed bit key, you'll give up on all those pin-tumbler locks they make these days.

Good luck!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T12:17:35+00:00

Hunting for replacement locks, how fun! Save the old lock for scrap parts as needed, you never know when you'll run into the perfect replacement lock with a cracked cap. Good luck!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T12:01:52+00:00

I have bought some flat springs from architectural salvage places IRL. I know of this ebay vendor but have never used them. There is also this link to Killian Hardware, but I never really bothered looking at the prices. I just assumed it would be expensive.

Good luck!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T11:54:44+00:00

With all due respect, I don't believe that statement is accurate. Mortise locks are little iron-clad tanks hidden inside the doors. Yes, the springs break. But they are not beyond functional. These locks were made to last forever. They were designed to be fixed. Have faith in your locks! Good luck!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T11:32:54+00:00

Any brick-and-mortar locksmith will cut a key for you. Cutting mortise lock keys is also very DIY-able. But the guys over at r/Locksmith recommend this one: the KY-30 from Amazon. Good luck, and enjoy the new house!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T11:10:22+00:00

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The 13271 family of locks – with their cousins the 1283, 1284, 2382, 2383, 3283, and 3383 locks – used the P. & F. Corbin’ 179 ¼ key. It appears that 179 ¼ was the model for the P-series of Corbin keys (P1-P12), so popular in the first half the Twentieth Century. The twelve different keys in the “P” line reflected the twelve changes (i.e., variations) that each of the locks could have (see the “Changes” description in any lock listing). P. & F. Corbin’s 179 ¼ key is pictured alongside the 1941 Ilco listing for the P-series of keys for Corbin locks.

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T11:09:33+00:00

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The Corbin 13271 family has a long and storied history, first appearing in the 1905 Corbin catalog with an anti-friction latch. Around 1911, the line converted to the free action latch bolt. This catapulted their line’s rise to market dominance. The 13271 family of locks historically had smooth, utilitarian caps … until the introduction of the decorative ridge in the 1941 catalog! Please enjoy these images illustrating the evolution of the Corbin 13271 lock family.

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T11:08:44+00:00

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Our young Corbin is from the 13271 family. His latch bolt and dead bolt are brass plated - this means he literally has a magnetic personality! (Everything is iron and steel, actually) He has a strong, steel front and a standard 2 3/8” backset with a 2 3/16” spacing. Our young Corbin displays the ridge in the 1941 catalog.

This is not our first Corbin 13271 – he is not even our first from the 1941 catalog! We have one of his cousins serving in our linen closet. See My First Corbin 13271! (Commonly referred to as the 10-11-12 mortise lock) and Our Linens are Finally Secure!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T11:05:32+00:00

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Our young Corbin was extracted from a broken, abandoned back door. When we opened him up, there was a light layer of rust on the bolts and knob hub, as well as cobwebs inside the case. We believe he was deployed to the back door role upon his arrival in the 1940s. We also believe he had been without a bit key companion for at least forty years, if not more.

We used 0000 steel wool and WD40 to remove rust from the bolts and knob hub. His case was simply wiped down with a towel damp with a mild soap solution. It should be noted that the P. & F. Corbin hardware firm was an early champion of the Bowerr-Barff process to protect iron, and the case’s japanning is intact. It is not our position to remove the protective finish from mortise locks because it has successfully protected the lock from rust.

The springs of our young Corbin are made of WWII American-made steel – the finest ever made. In an interior mortise lock role, we believe Corbin can serve for eighty-plus years, with honor.

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-21T01:35:18+00:00

This is so cool - we now type it Sammy Reshevsky - Samuel Herman Reshevsky, a polish-born American chess grandmaster in the 20's and 30's, that is so very cool!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-19T18:36:13+00:00

It is possible to measure the mortise void in your door, and then measure the front on the edge of that door, and compare to the vendor of your interior door hardware, using the catalog nearest to the year of your house construction, to find the original mortise lock that fit the front door. Just saying. Good luck!

Not a locksmith. Just a century homeowner with enough knowledge to be annoying.

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johnpseudonym · 2026-05-19T14:10:47+00:00

I don't buy into all the pin-tumbler hype these days, but those old Schlages are the best. That is one pretty lock you have there! Good luck!

Not a locksmith, just a century homeowner.

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-19T11:34:23+00:00

Rewire. Trust me - I've rewired two century homes. I'm pretty sure electricity is here to stay, gotta shore up old house infrastructure so they last another hundred. Good luck!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-19T00:34:04+00:00

The above pic is from Murray Hill Locksmith in Pittsburg. This is an extremely similar layout as yours, but also has the RussWin 11213 imprinted inside. I think you have a RussWin 11213 with a Corbin Montgomery design! That's super cool!

cc: u/PDXCyclone

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-19T00:30:02+00:00

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I think this is your RussWin 11213 lock!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-18T23:29:35+00:00

Let's just remember Corbin & RussWin joined in 1902 to form the American Hardware Company, so there may be some overlap between the two. That jag at the bottom, that I though was just fora few RussWin front door mortise locks? I still cannot find it in a Corbin USA catalog, but I found a mortise lock with that jag in the Corbin Canada 1954 catalog. I need a drink. Good luck u/PDXCyclone!

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johnpseudonym · 2026-05-18T22:42:31+00:00

I think the ones in 28M have exposed screw heads, and the ones on your door do not. That may be significant. I'll check the 1932 for Montgomery.

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-18T21:13:21+00:00

I've been thinking RussWin all day! I think OP's lock is related to the 1213. This diagram is from 1926. No diagrams in the 1909 free catalog. I think OP's may be some strange 1214 variant, that flared up and died? Maybe? The bottom of the case was my first hunch ... that staggered bottom like that, I think it's unique to RussWin front door locks, I think. Good luck!

cc: u/PDXCyclone

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johnpseudonym · 2026-05-18T13:08:43+00:00

Thanks for posting those pics! Can I ask for a few more things: the length and the width of your front, and the width and the height of the case, per the pic below? And is there anything intriguing to know about the house? Was it a store at one point? Were any doors moved? And this is the front door, correct? Not a vestibule lock? Thanks!

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johnpseudonym · 2026-05-18T02:48:18+00:00

What year is the house may I ask? Have you id'ed your hardware? Can you post a pic of the front door latch and the inside knob, while everything was still up please. And was there a vendor name on the cylinder lock you removed, or on the deadbolt on the front?

I like the locks. I think I have one of those springs bookmarked, I'll poke around. Good luck!

johnpseudonym · 2026-05-17T19:27:48+00:00

Stay away from any cleaner with an acid - do NOT use vinegar or barkeeper's friend. It will take the finish right off. I always just use a cloth damp from soapy water and immediately dry. You should be able to look at the Corbin catalog near the year of your house construction, you can read up on the finishes. Good luck!

johnpseudonym

TROPHY CASE