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A mortise case that still belongs on that door
Restoration here means the existing mortise case, the ornate escutcheon, and the period lever stay the look of the door. The first step is a photograph of the set before anything is removed. Backset is matched so the latch still meets the strike. The original rose is saved. Lubrication is done without stripping the finish off the brass or the porcelain. A skeleton bit, if that is the key the house still uses, is part of the record, not a novelty.
Call when a historic entrance still locks but the knob spins, the latch sticks, or a previous repair filled the screw holes with putty. Do not call this service if you want a keypad deadbolt and the old lock discarded. That is a different job, and on some DC houses it is also a review question. Bring the loose screws, any bit or key that ever worked, and a picture of the edge of the door.
Finish, springs, and the modern cylinder that does not belong
Included is the inspection, a repair that keeps the case, and a note of what was worn. Not included is inventing a casting that no longer exists, or painting the door. Cracked porcelain, stretched springs, filled screw holes, and a latch buried in paint are the usual findings. BHMA finish codes are how we talk about a replacement rose if the original cannot be saved. DC historic review comes up when the street-facing hardware is part of a reviewed facade.
Adams Morgan and other older DC rows often have a mortise lock beside a newer deadbolt that was bored through the same stile. Those two locks do not get blended into one modern cylinder just to make one key. Maryland and Virginia farmhouse doors show the same split: keep the case that fits the mortise, and treat the bored deadbolt as its own decision.
Frequent questions
Can the porcelain knob be glued and called finished?
A cracked porcelain knob that is still in one piece can sometimes stay. A knob that is already in shards needs a period-correct replacement, not clear glue on the face of the door. The rose underneath is saved either way.
Why do you photograph the set before the screws come out?
The hand, the rose pattern, and which screw was already wrong are gone once the trim is in a box. The photo is how the set goes back on the same door instead of a neighbor's door in the van.
Will you drill the mortise for a standard cylinder if the bit is lost?
Only after you understand that the door will no longer look like the original lock. Many of these cases can be rekeyed or fitted with a bit that matches the existing plug. Drilling is the last option, not the first.
What if the screw holes are already filled and the lock sags?
Filled holes will not hold a new screw in the same soft wood. The repair is a proper plug or a longer purchase into sound material, then the case is set so the latch meets the strike without being pulled sideways.