Odd Door Hardware

[Jim Katen]

And while I've got Shorpy on the brain, I've seen an odd piece of door hardware in several old photos from the early 1900s. I have no idea what it is, but it seems to have been quite common then.

There's one on the schoolhouse door in this picture:

http://www.shorpy.com/node/6341?size=_original

I can't quite figure it out. Of course, I keep getting distracted by the third girl from the left in the second row from the top. . . It's a little sobering to think that she's old enough to be my grandmother.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Marc]

And while I've got Shorpy on the brain, I've seen an odd piece of door hardware in several old photos from the early 1900s. I have no idea what it is, but it seems to have been quite common then.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Were any of them on dwellings or were they all on school buildings?

Marc

[Jim Katen]

And while I've got Shorpy on the brain, I've seen an odd piece of door hardware in several old photos from the early 1900s. I have no idea what it is, but it seems to have been quite common then.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Were any of them on dwellings or were they all on school buildings?

Marc

Definitely not all on school buildings. But now that you mention it, I can't recall a picture of one on a dwelling. I'll try to find some others, but they seem to be on commercial buildings.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Marc]

I'll take a stab at it. Left mechanism hold the door in the open position, but this door set can be opened only from the inside. Mystery mechanism on the right side allows someone to lock this main bdlg entrance, again, only from the inside.

Marc

[AHI in AR]

I can't see it as any sort of door locking mechanism. After all, that's what door locks and head and foot bolts are for, right? The cylindrical housing mounted to the door itself has holes in it. I can only guess that that is either for ventilation or to let sound out, as from some sort of chime or similar device to notify someone when the door is opened. Admittedly it doesn't look like a horn. Other than that, I don't know.

[gtblum]

The one one the right might have been an alarm in case one of those boys tried to escape. Check out the mean looks on all but the blonde's face. (that little trollop) It's amazing any of us were ever born. The girls must have just left health class before that picture.

[hausdok]

Closing damper.

It has a piston fixed to the door casing. The cylinder is mounted on the door. When the door swings shut and engages the piston the air partially compressed inside is released by the holes and allows the door to shut without slamming. The damper in the mechanism to the left is either not strong enough to do the job or it's worn out.

That's my assessment and I'm sticking to it.

Those are some scary looking girls (shudder). I'm thinking that if it were a law that girls couldn't wear makeup until they were 18 and schools strictly prohibited it that the single mother roles would plummet pretty damned quickly.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Katen]

It took a while, but I found a second example. The girl in this picture isn't as captivating.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/8071?size=_original

The thing on the left is just a regular old hydraulic closer, probably not much different than modern ones.

I suppose the thing on the right could be some kind of solenoid lock. The idea being that you'd unlock the normal lock and still be able to control the door remotely.

Kevin's comment about the holes is interesting. What if it's a soft-closing device. As the door closes, a piston mounted on the doorframe fits into a cylinder mounted on the door. The piston produces pressure on the cylinder air, which escapes through the holes, causing the door to close quietly. ???

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Jim Katen]

Closing damper.

It has a piston fixed to the door casing. The cylinder is mounted on the door. When the door swings shut and engages the piston the air partially compressed inside is released by the holes and allows the door to shut without slamming. The damper in the mechanism to the left is either not strong enough to do the job or it's worn out.

That's my assessment and I'm sticking to it.

Great minds think alike. I was forming the same opinion at the same time.

Those are some scary looking girls (shudder). I'm thinking that if it were a law that girls couldn't wear makeup until they were 18 and schools strictly prohibited it that the single mother roles would plummet pretty damned quickly.

Oh, I don't know about that. Aside from my friend in the third row, there are several very attractive gals there. Of course, the bright sun doesn't help. It's hard to look attractive with the sun in your eyes.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

Oh, I don't know about that. Aside from my friend in the third row, there are several very attractive gals there. Of course, the bright sun doesn't help. It's hard to look attractive with the sun in your eyes.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Discount Coupons

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jerry Simon]

In Jim's pict, isn't the guy at the upper right Alfred E. Newman (what, me worry?)

[Jim Katen]

In Jim's pict, isn't the guy at the upper right Alfred E. Newman (what, me worry?)

Jeez, it does.

And in the middle of the back row, I see Paul Winchell & Jerry Mahoney.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[inspector57]

Notice the doors are partially open? I vote for a device that could be adjusted to hold the doors partially open for ventilation. Remember there was no air conditioning then.

[Bill Kibbel]

It's a soft-close damper. The door closer is the coil spring type.

It's a hard close, unlike the spring-with-hydraulic closers we're familiar with, that slows down the swing before closing completely.

[Jim Katen]

It's a soft-close damper. The door closer is the coil spring type.

It's a hard close, unlike the spring-with-hydraulic closers we're familiar with, that slows down the swing before closing completely.

Were they sold as a set?

[Terence McCann]

Hoo-Fah - I find that picture troublesome [:-yuck] What a collection of ugly chicks. Must have been hell to wear all the clothing on a 90 degree day.

[Tom Raymond]

Bill, are you sure it's not a coordinator? It's attached to the door with the astragal on it, the other door would have to close first for both to fully close.

[hausdok]

Hoo-Fah - I find that picture troublesome [:-yuck] What a collection a ugly chicks. Must have been hell to wear all the clothing on a 90 degree day.

Folks sometimes ask me why I don't smile much and the rejoinder is usually, "Hey, don't blame me; blame my parents they made this face." The truth is, it's my maternal great grandmother's fault. I once saw a picture of her taken in the 1880's on the wall of the ancestral cottage in Lordois up in Cape Breton. I remember thinking, "Jeez, in those days women looked more like men than men do today." I never thought then that when I was nearly 60 that every time I looked in the mirror I'd be seeing the same person in that old yellowed photograph staring back at me. It must be payback for those thoughts.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Katen]

Hoo-Fah - I find that picture troublesome [:-yuck] What a collection of ugly chicks. Must have been hell to wear all the clothing on a 90 degree day.

Aw, come on. All any of them needs is a smile. Having your photograph taken back then was still a bit of a chore. You were expected to be serious.

Every time I look at the picture, I see more. For instance, my girlfriend in the third row is married; she's carefully placed her left hand on her neighbor's shoulder so that her wedding ring will show up in the picture. She's probably wearing her husband's hat -- likely the guy behind her and to her right. I hope he enjoys having a good time as much as she does. Otherwise I see trouble in their future.

The other girl with a wedding ring is in the first row, third from the left. She's a practical one. Not a slave to fashion, her dress is the only one in the bunch with anything approaching a comfortable (perhaps even daring) neckline. She also hasn't done as good a job as the other girls at ironing her dress. She's already got her man and doesn't feel the need for perfection in her attire.

The girl to her left looks rather formidable. I suspect that any con man who came to town would want to stay clear of her.

Then there are the lesbians in the first row. . .

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Jim Katen]

Bill, are you sure it's not a coordinator? It's attached to the door with the astragal on it, the other door would have to close first for both to fully close.

Unlikely. At least Mrs. B's door wouldn't have needed a coordinator.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/8071?size=_original

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

Hoo-Fah - I find that picture troublesome [:-yuck] What a collection of ugly chicks. Must have been hell to wear all the clothing on a 90 degree day.

Aw, come on. All any of them needs is a smile. Having your photograph taken back then was still a bit of a chore. You were expected to be serious.

Every time I look at the picture, I see more. For instance, my girlfriend in the third row is married; she's carefully placed her left hand on her neighbor's shoulder so that her wedding ring will show up in the picture. She's probably wearing her husband's hat -- likely the guy behind her and to her right. I hope he enjoys having a good time as much as she does. Otherwise I see trouble in their future.

The other girl with a wedding ring is in the first row, third from the left. She's a practical one. Not a slave to fashion, her dress is the only one in the bunch with anything approaching a comfortable (perhaps even daring) neckline. She also hasn't done as good a job as the other girls at ironing her dress. She's already got her man and doesn't feel the need for perfection in her attire.

The girl to her left looks rather formidable. I suspect that any con man who came to town would want to stay clear of her.

Then there are the lesbians in the first row. . .

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Yeah, I'd seen the ring but I thought it was supposed to be a bunch of students at a high school or something like that, so I'd assumed, since she's wearing some kind of badge on her shirt, bodice, whatever that she was a teacher or staff.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[gtblum]

That whole site is loaded with cool pictures. Thanks for sharing it.

[Jim Katen]

Yeah, I'd seen the ring but I thought it was supposed to be a bunch of students at a high school or something like that, so I'd assumed, since she's wearing some kind of badge on her shirt, bodice, whatever that she was a teacher or staff.

The badge means that they're members of the High School Cadet Corps, Company F. (Company F had something of a checkered past, it seems.)

Several of the same girls are in this picture and wearing slightly more appealing expressions:

http://www.shorpy.com/node/6269?size=_original

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Jim Katen]

That whole site is loaded with cool pictures. Thanks for sharing it.

Yes, it's addictive. I've spent hours staring at a single picture.

The old cameras, while hopelessly crude compared to modern cameras, had enormous negatives that showed tremendous detail.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Terence McCann]

Hoo-Fah - I find that picture troublesome [:-yuck] What a collection of ugly chicks. Must have been hell to wear all the clothing on a 90 degree day.

Aw, come on. All any of them needs is a smile.

After reviewing the picture again I'm pretty sure it's going to take a lot more than a smile - woof. 2nd row up from the bottom - 2nd in from the right is the only one that holds any hope. Thank you God for not letting me be born back then.

It is a cool site however Jim. How did you happen upon it?