Fifteen+ years ago when I was answering technical support and customer service calls for the local Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies office, some of the most common complaints/questions were about concealed vertical rod exit devices.  Installers HATED them because they were difficult to install and adjust.  End users had a lot of problems maintaining them and keeping them properly adjusted, especially if they were installed by an inexperienced installer.  So my early experience with the company, and prior to that with a hardware distributor, taught me that concealed vertical rods = problems.  I developed a strong preference for removable mullions with rim panic hardware.

Way back in hardware school we were taught that rim panic hardware with a removable mullion is the most secure and maintenance-free application for a pair of doors.  Most facilities prefer mullions instead of vertical rod panic hardware, which can be difficult to install and to keep properly adjusted.  On the other hand, most architects request concealed vertical rod panic hardware, to avoid seeing the mullion or rods.  I think the benefits of the mullion far outweigh any aesthetic issues.

Within one week I received two requests for help regarding old Von Duprin panic devices.  I know that somebody out there has a dusty old file cabinet with information on these products.  Ideally, we'd like to find exploded parts diagrams, installation instructions, or any other relevant information.  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?

I was just thinking to myself how nice it would be to have a night off...actually, since it's already 8:30 p.m. it's more like a half-night.  Then I remembered that last week I received an article from a "guest blogger."  Woohoo!  Thanks TJ!

Last week I posted photos of some very old Von Duprin exit devices which were originally installed on the entrance doors to the Shatford Centre in Penticton, British Columbia.  I later communicated with the millworker, Plexus Woodworks, who built the new doors, and several people from the Shatford Centre, as well as other blog readers who chimed in with questions and comments.  If you know someone who is knowledgeable about antique hardware, please forward this post to them to see what else we can learn about this hardware.

Since we seem to be on an antique doors and hardware run, I thought you'd like to see these oldies but goodies.  They were spotted at the Shatford Centre in Penticton, British Columbia.  The building was recently renovated and the main entrance doors and hardware were replaced, and the process was chronicled in detail on www.shatfordcentre.com (just search for "doors").  I got in touch with the project manager for the renovation to make sure they didn't throw the hardware away, and she said, "we consider these archival pieces of the building’s history and would never throw them out."  She also said that some of the existing panic devices that were not replaced during the renovation are still functioning!