Old Corbin Master Ring - Thoughts?

[Robotnik]

I picked up an old Corbin master ring lock today (one of the large, 1.625 inch "Monster Ring" cylinders) with the intention of adding it to my "pick the hell out of it" repertoire, but after doing a bit of research, I may be looking at a lock that's much older and possibly more collectable than I thought.

Basically, I'm someone that's interested in the mechanical operation and defeat of locks, not so much their standalone collectability, so if this is a lock that's better suited for a collector, I'd want to get it into their hands rather than abuse it like I would .

First, while reading a Corbin-Russwin manual on pinning them, I found out they were actually patented in 1889 - much earlier than I thought - which got me thinking about the logo…I've never seen this exact one before, but similar ones seem to date from the early 1900's. It's a 5-pin master ring, and all 5 chambers have ball bearings in them (dating it to pre-1950's, if I'm not mistaken). It's dirty, scuffed, etc, but is operable. No key.

I picked it open (hit the change key shear line, not the master) once, just to test for operability. Plug was already slightly deformed from use at the top of the keyway, so I didn't feel too bad about nesting a prybar up there. Before I gut it, clean it, re-pin it, etc, I just wanted to make sure I'm not destroying something that would be a nice piece in someone's collection. Photos below.

[deolslyfox]

Pretty cool old Corbin .... It has definitely "been around the track" a couple of laps ....

As I've noted in other posts, I'm not a collector, I'm a picker, but I don't think your particular lock is rare .... Someone may enjoy picking it though ....

Good on ya' for cleanin' it up and restoring it !! BZ !!

[dll932]

Where I used to be employed as a road 'smith, there are lots of older houses and buildings. I saw a few of those here and there, but it wasn't unusual to see 100 year old hardware still in use.

[jeffmoss26]

The Masonic Auditorium in downtown Cleveland is full of Corbin Master Ring cylinders.

[Robotnik]

Appreciate the replies. I decided to hold off on tearing into this Master Ring; picked up another one from the '60s or thereabouts to tear down and key up for the time being. Will weigh my options on the older MR in the interim.

[mastersmith]

Why not clean that cylinder up with original pins and bearings, but replace the springs? Jeff Moss, an FYI, the American Legion National Headquarters in Indianapolis is also Corbin MR.

[Robotnik]

That's actually what I ended up doing with this lock - keeping the original pins/bearings and replacing the springs. Purchased a couple later model Corbin keys that fit the keyway from Jeff, and later copied those keys onto some period-correct blanks I picked up.

I originally posted this wanting to make sure I wasn't tarnishing a collectible piece, but this in fact ended up being the lock that began my foray into collecting. In the intervening months, I've picked up numerous dual shearline and bicentric locks. I'll have to post some photos when I get a chance.