Bringing Them Back To Life: Church Tabernacle Lock Restoration

Nov. 3, 2014
Electronic security systems may be the profitable wave of the future but being able to revive an antiquated locking system for future generations to use has a satisfaction which money can't buy.

A Chicago locksmith was asked to repair the lock on a church tabernacle.  This tabernacle was old, ornate and very valuable. The pin tumbler lock was made by Eagle Lock Company (Photo 1). Eagle Lock has been out of business since 1975. That was 39 year ago but from the condition of the keyway (Photo 2), the lock is probably at least twice that old.  The plug was so worn that the tumblers wobbled sideways and prevented the Eagle key from entering the plug.

This locksmith had unsuccessfully contacted every known Tabernacle manufacturer in hopes of obtaining a replacement lock cylinder before turning to Locksmith Ledger for a possible solution.  We searched through our collection of old peanut cylinders and found a Hurd cylinder which had a similar housing shape and also had exactly the same retainer nut thread size (Photo 3).  Someone had used pliers on the face to remove the old Hurd peanut cylinder but it was still operational.

Eagle made their tabernacle lock cylinder with an extended lock plug which contained a milled slot. The major job was to discard the normal mortise lock cam tailpiece and make a new plug extension. My work shop is stocked with a mini lathe and a milling machine which made the job an easy one.

Photo 4 shows the milling machine in action as a slot is milled into the new extension. The completed extension was fastened to the plug using the same screw holes which once held the tailpiece cam in place (Photo 5).  A comparison of the old Eagle and refreshed Hurd peanut cylinder is shown in Photo 6. Differences in housing length is not a critical issue.

The tabernacle door is shown in Photo 7.  The deadbolt unit (Photo 8) has an extension which fits into the new tailpiece extension. Note the sturdy locking bolts, more reminiscent of a safe lock door than an ornate tabernacle cabinet.