The Problem With French Handles

We have hit a huge obstacle with our French brass handles from France. We were super excited when we found these beautiful Louis XV brass handles on French eBay. They are cast-brass, maker-stamped and made in France. You could not get anymore authentic than that.

However, along with their beautful patina and graceful curves came the measurement of a 70mm centre. There is not a single mortise lock available in Australia that would fit that measurement. After searching everywhere, including visits to master locksmiths and emails to different hardware suppliers in Australia, we finally tracked down a specialist locksmith in Tasmania who would manufacture a lock to suit these measurements. However, this was going to come at a cost of about $300 each. I almost had a heart attack when I found that out. At 5 french doors, this would come to a total of $1200. We definitely did not budget for this.

The only possible option left was to try and find locks from overseas. This has proved to be an incredbly frustrating task. Initially, I tried the UK. It was the most logical first choice since communication would be easiest. Only problem was most locks these days take the euro din. Apparently locks with skeleton keys are not popular these days.

There was only one option left, try to get the locks from France and this has been very difficult. I spent an entire day trying to work out all the technical terms in French. I've managed to find a few French componies online, and I've sent them emails today. Now we're keeping our fingers firmly crossed. If we can't get our locks this way, I may have to try and contact the guy we bought these handles from to see if he can get the locks for us. Either way, it's stressful times ahead. We are determined to install these handles. We just have to find the locks to fit it.

#doorhandles #Louisxv #mortiselocks #frenchdoors