Bargman L-54/L-55 Lockset with H20-2 Handle

 

Bargman H20-2 Handle

Details matter sometimes. When I saw the exterior handle for the trailer I thought it was like a piece of artwork. I didn't know much about it but I thought it was pretty cool.

Turns out it belongs to a Bargman L-54/L-55 lock and this lockset is quite desirable. In fact a reproduction handle itself goes for about $100. A reclaimed lockset sans handle can fetch $175! While learning this I got sucked into a internet vortex of vintage trailer parts that was sort of like watching a dystopian scifi about the sale of human body parts. Imagine windows cut out of trailers rather than simply unscrewed! The inhumanity!

In any case, I got a little fixated on the lockset simply because the inside handle was broken off long ago. If someone closed the door while I was inside, I'd effectively be locked in. None of the windows are large enough to crawl through. So I needed to get a replacement handle and that meant figuring out what kind of lockset I had in the first place. Some online sleuthing and vintage parts sites later I found a replacement interior handle.

I put it on this evening. It should have been a simple slotted screw removal and replacement, but I should have known better. This trailer passed through the hands of the generation that used pliers as a TV channel changer (i.e. my generation). This generation wouldn't have let a simple broken handle daunt them. No, they'd use a pair of pliers to grab hold of that last remaining bit of knob for 10+ years, squeezing it into an oblong mess.

It took a little longer but I got the old handle nub off the lockset and the new interior handle back on and screwed into place.

Now if the wind comes up or the girls want to be alone for a while they'll have to try harder than just closing the door while I'm inside the trailer.

I still need to rebuild the lockset to get it functioning smoothly. There's a couple springs that likely need replacing, but that can wait for later...