Window Hardware - Locks

Window locks: a cam that pulls two sashes tight

This collection covers sash locks, cast in bronze by Rocky Mountain, and every version does the same core job: turning a small cam that draws two window sashes snugly against each other where they overlap. That single motion secures the window and shuts the narrow overlap gap at once, doing double duty as both a weather seal and a security piece.

A lock is not just a stop

A basic slide bolt only blocks motion, stopping a sash from being pushed open without pulling anything closer together. This hardware's cam does something more active than a plain bolt, drawing the two halves inward as it rotates, which is why a window that's suddenly drafty at the middle rail often points to a worn or loosened mechanism instead of a problem with the glass or frame itself.

Sizing follows the sash, not the opening

Six different footprints ship in this lineup, varying by cam throw and plate size to match different sash thicknesses rather than one size fitting every window. Bring the old lock, or a careful measurement of the gap where the sashes meet, when shopping for a replacement, since a cam built for a thin aluminum sash generally won't seat flush against a thicker wood one.

Where these mount

Most versions install with two screws through the upper edge of the lower sash and are most common on double-hung windows, though several also fit single-hung and certain sliding sash designs wherever two sashes share one horizontal meeting point that needs to be drawn shut and held there. A lock that turns freely without any resistance, rather than clicking into a firm closed position, is usually the clearest sign the internal cam has worn out and the whole unit needs replacing rather than adjusting.