Been there myself—old hardware loves to throw curveballs. Last summer, I was rehabbing some antique window latches from the 1920s, and thought I'd be safe just tossing all the screws into one little cup. Rookie mistake. Turns out, even screws that look identical can have subtle differences in length or threading, and of course I found this out only after I'd gotten halfway through reinstalling them. Took me a good 45 minutes of trial-and-error swapping screws around before everything fit right again. Lesson learned: never underestimate vintage hardware's ability to make things complicated.
One thing that's helped me since then is using those cheap plastic craft organizers (the ones with multiple little compartments). I label each compartment with masking tape and a sharpie—nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. Also snapped quick phone pics of everything before taking it apart for reference later. Might feel a bit overkill at first, but it's saved me hours and plenty of frustration on more than one occasion.
Also, side note—if you ever lose a super-specific screw or bolt, old-school hardware stores or salvage yards can be lifesavers. Had to hunt down matching brass screws once when restoring an antique cabinet hinge. Big box stores had nothing even close, but a local salvage spot had exactly what I needed buried in some dusty bin.
Glad your door drama turned out okay though... old Victorian doors are gorgeous but definitely like to test your patience!
Great suggestions on the compartment organizers—definitely a lifesaver. Another quick tip I've picked up is using painter's tape right on the hardware itself to jot down notes or mark orientation. Sounds silly, but when you're reinstalling a latch or hinge weeks later, having a little arrow or note saying "top left" can save a ton of head-scratching. Vintage doors are rewarding but man, they sure love to humble you...
Painter's tape trick is clever, but honestly, wouldn't a quick phone pic do the same thing without all the scribbling? I mean, vintage doors already test my patience enough... less writing, more snapping photos sounds like sanity to me.
"less writing, more snapping photos sounds like sanity to me."
Haha true, but knowing my luck, my phone would die right when I need that pic. Maybe painter's tape isn't so silly after all... anyone else paranoid about relying on battery life?
Painter's tape is actually pretty underrated for stuff like this. I've done a bunch of remodels, and trust me, batteries always pick the worst moments to bail on you. Learned that the hard way when my phone died mid-project and I lost all my measurements. Now I always jot down key info on tape or scrap wood—old-school backup never hurts. Plus, painter's tape peels off easy without leaving residue, so why not? Better safe than sorry...