day in the life of a locksmith

[cledry]

Oh today is going to be a long day.

Started out this morning at 3:30 AM, a NSP calls and has a Nike store that can't lock up. Pretty odd I think that they are trying to lock up at this hour but perhaps they were doing inventory or something. So bleary eyed I drive over and am shown the back door which is locked up tight as can be. So I ask some what incredulously. "OK it is locked, why did you call?" Oh, not that, this lock over here, pointing to a Detex EAX500, which isn't a lock but a local pilfer alarm. So I check it out and tell them the circuit board is bad and they need a new one but I don't have one on my truck. I explain that it is only a local alarm for when the store is occupied and doesn't affect their security as there doors are secured and their monitored alarm is fine. They insist I fix it; so I drive to my shop, get another Detex, drive back and install it. Get home about 6 AM, the time I normally get out of bed, so can't sleep.

Later that day I get a call from the NSP, the Detex I just installed isn't working. Drive over, it is working fine. So I ask the guy what he did, he said he armed it and opened the door and it didn't go off. I asked if he waited 15 seconds for the unit to arm, at which point he says doh and slaps his forehead. I install a strain relief on the magnet wires while there and leave.

The rest of the 8:30 - 5 is easy stuff. Replace a bottom flush bolt on a Kawneer door; masterkeyed 30 SFIC cylinders at shop; went to let a woman out of a ladies room only to discover that a do-gooder kicked the door in before I got there; then over to the mall to remove a broken key from a Von Duprin panic bar.

The day isn't over though. I am on call this week and at 10PM I have to go to a Gap store to replace 3 dust strikes. I'll finish about midnight! If I am lucky.

[billdeserthills]

I just had a decent job, clients just bought a home and wanted it all keyed to one key. Unfortunately it had old baldwin (sc-1) new baldwin (kw-1) defiant (kw-1) and kwikset locks. They liked the hard ware, which was a couple of baldwin leversets, so I told them i would put everything on a kwikset key, which I did using an ilco sc-1 to kw-1 cylinder, which I placed into my drill and cut the face small enough with a file, to fit into their older baldwin deadbolt body (solid brass). I took two ilco kwikset replacement cylinders and cut their faces small enough to fit into the baldwin lever handles and then set about re-drilling the retainer holes, so the old tailpieces would be in the correct place. I spent 2 hours messing around but I did get everything put on a kwikset key, plus I got a check for just under $400, which I was very happy with. I actually much prefer spending my time on labor rather than just throwing away the baldwin leversets and baldwin deadbolt and replacing them with a lesser brand.

[shutterstuff]

I actually much prefer spending my time on labor rather than just throwing away the baldwin leversets and baldwin deadbolt and replacing them with a lesser brand.

In addition to not throwing away working hardware, I like labor only jobs as they are more profitable.

[cledry]

I actually much prefer spending my time on labor rather than just throwing away the baldwin leversets and baldwin deadbolt and replacing them with a lesser brand.

In addition to not throwing away working hardware, I like labor only jobs as they are more profitable.

I used to think that way but not any more.

If I sell $5000 in parts I am making probably $2000 to $2500 & I am still making the labor to install those parts. Yes the labor may be less than modifying parts to work or fixing old locks but if I spend time modifying things it takes a heck of a lot of hours to make the bill up to $2000 plus. Another reason I don't modify locks unless some rare or antique that cannot be replaced is that I have to warranty someone's old hardware. Easier to rely on the manufacturer's warranty to cover any possible product failure.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Easier to rely on the manufacturer's warranty to cover any possible product failure.

And in the case of commercial products, you don't want to void any listing or label.

[shutterstuff]

Easier to rely on the manufacturer's warranty to cover any possible product failure.

And in the case of commercial products, you don't want to void any listing or label.

In my case with an 8 year old door, would using a non Schlage tail piece (taken from a GMS rim cyl and filed to fit) be a potential liability? It is a part only used for ingress, the egress push bar is factory.

[cledry]

Easier to rely on the manufacturer's warranty to cover any possible product failure.

And in the case of commercial products, you don't want to void any listing or label.

We are especially careful with fire rated doors etc. Even swapping a strike plate on a panic bar can be a liability issue if you don't swap a fire rated strike.

[billdeserthills]

Easier to rely on the manufacturer's warranty to cover any possible product failure.

And in the case of commercial products, you don't want to void any listing or label.

In my case with an 8 year old door, would using a non Schlage tail piece (taken from a GMS rim cyl and filed to fit) be a potential liability? It is a part only used for ingress, the egress push bar is factory.

Only if it breaks and there is a situation and people croak and they can trace it back to you

Thing is Anything you touch, you own. If/when that thing breaks it can come back to haunt you

I have walked away from a couple of jobs, in the past, when realizing that those clients either were lacking
the funds or the willingness to make things right on commercial doors

Only you know if your work is up to par, but if a lock is in good working order, why should a non-schlage part cause a problem?

[shutterstuff]

Only you know if your work is up to par, but if a lock is in good working order, why should a non-schlage part cause a problem?

I am comfortable with my work on that door. I only had to file the slot in the tail piece to fit a larger locking pin. Everything was working fit and smooth when I left. The office manager was very happy that I not only got it working, but arrived quickly to do the job.

[dll932]

I just had a decent job, clients just bought a home and wanted it all keyed to one key. Unfortunately it had old baldwin (sc-1) new baldwin (kw-1) defiant (kw-1) and kwikset locks. They liked the hard ware, which was a couple of baldwin leversets, so I told them i would put everything on a kwikset key, which I did using an ilco sc-1 to kw-1 cylinder, which I placed into my drill and cut the face small enough with a file, to fit into their older baldwin deadbolt body (solid brass). I took two ilco kwikset replacement cylinders and cut their faces small enough to fit into the baldwin lever handles and then set about re-drilling the retainer holes, so the old tailpieces would be in the correct place. I spent 2 hours messing around but I did get everything put on a kwikset key, plus I got a check for just under $400, which I was very happy with. I actually much prefer spending my time on labor rather than just throwing away the baldwin leversets and baldwin deadbolt and replacing them with a lesser brand.

While in principle I like Baldwin hardware, I had an experience with one of their key in knobs I'd rather not repeat: Rekeyed locks for a wealthy homeowner after they had some remodeling done (which included the locks). A week later, the owner complains her garage exit lock won't open. I get there and find the cast latch retractor snapped in half! She's blaming ME for the problem even though I told her I never touched the latch, just removed the knob from the outside. I told her it was a warranty issue with the hardware installer but she still wasn't happy, insisting I was taking advantage of a wealthy person (!). Baldwin must have been new to key in knob design at the time (maybe 12 years ago) or they might have made the latch retracting part a stamping rather than casting it out of pot metal (zamac).

[billdeserthills]

I'm not saying I think Baldwin makes good hardware, not since they sourced All their manufacturing to china, anyways. At one time they were the last hand-forged lock hardware maker in the US and back then I thought they made a fine product, one with a 50 year warranty. The factory helped me out many times, by repairing the mortise sets I sent them and sending me lots of parts for repairing and upgrading their lock hardware. However on that particular job, rather than replace Baldwin hardware with kwikset junk, I explained to the home owner that the baldwin hardware they already had likely cost many hundreds of $$$ and this helped them to see that the $51 I was charging, per lock, to adapt them to a kwikset key, was not over the top, which I think it did. All I know is I made about $400 in a couple of hours, which I could not have done selling them crummy kwikset hardware.

I do know what you mean, about baldwin and their lesser quality. Simply take a look at any new baldwin product, you will see right off that it is not the same as the all-brass working parts inside an old Baldwin mortise set. Their economy handlesets are made as cheaply as Black & Decker can make them, in fact the new baldwin offerings come with a crappy smart-key lock! Unfortunately Black & Decker have now added Baldwin & Weiser to their list of once fine corporations, who have been downgraded and minimalized.

DII932, you do know the unsoken rule, by now, I'm sure--Last one to touch it, or work on it, in any way--Owns it for life
You were the last one to touch it--And that is how it works
Which is why in that situation, I would simply replace the broken latch and not charge for it, if it was within my warranty period--Because sometimes if you don't give out some free stuff you no longer have that client

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Well today was a first.

Dynalock 3000 stopped working yesterday. Took it apart and it was getting ~23 volts - which is sufficient. A lot of corrosion on the control board so I figured it was just a bad control board. Called a few vendors and no one had any in stock; all were factory ordered. Did find a company in Boston that could overnight a control board but I decided not to risk it if I were wrong. Found a comparable maglock that I had never installed or worked on before and overnighted it.

Here's where the fun began. The new lock was handed for a RH/LHR door; the bad maglock was on a LH/RHR door. That meant I had to remove both, change the handing on the good one, install it, and then practically perform fresh install of the new maglock. Peckerhead(s) that installed them originally used solid wire splices too and, of course, they were all sorts of nicked and damaged to the point that I had to redo their mess. Joy.

Note to anyone that may be learning or interested in trying access control: there are very few instances of when you should use solid wires - at the door is not one them. Not even for splices.

I got it all back together and the doors are secured. On the hottest day of the year (so far), no less, and right in the sun.

[cledry]

Well today was a first.

Dynalock 3000 stopped working yesterday. Took it apart and it was getting ~23 volts - which is sufficient. A lot of corrosion on the control board so I figured it was just a bad control board. Called a few vendors and no one had any in stock; all were factory ordered. Did find a company in Boston that could overnight a control board but I decided not to risk it if I were wrong. Found a comparable maglock that I had never installed or worked on before and overnighted it.

Here's where the fun began. The new lock was handed for a RH/LHR door; the bad maglock was on a LH/RHR door. That meant I had to remove both, change the handing on the good one, install it, and then practically perform fresh install of the new maglock. Peckerhead(s) that installed them originally used solid wire splices too and, of course, they were all sorts of nicked and damaged to the point that I had to redo their mess. Joy.

Note to anyone that may be learning or interested in trying access control: there are very few instances of when you should use solid wires - at the door is not one them. Not even for splices.

I got it all back together and the doors are secured. On the hottest day of the year (so far), no less, and right in the sun.

Security in Boston has them in stock generally.

[cledry]

Today my first job was an interesting one. A few months ago we installed a Falcon 8200 series door operator, mag lock and push to exit with PIR on a door at Sea World. This is one of those jobs where we were a subcontractor for an access control company. Anyway the access control company calls up and says the operator isn't working and when it closes it is slamming very quickly.

I get on site and go to remove the cover, it is missing two screws (tells me someone has been poking around). Sea World claims they haven't touched it. I pull the cover and noticed the 120 VAC is disconnected and the Molex plug carrying 120 VAC to the board is unplugged. Well, someone has been in the unit. Quickly I spot the problem, a gear is stripped out, but why? The 4 screws holding the arm bearing are very loose so this caused the gear to tilt and strip.





Call the local supplier where we purchased this unit and they have one in stock, so I send a helper out to pick it up and set about removing the circuit board assy. and the motor/gearbox assy. I plan to leave the existing chassis in place and transfer the two components.

Tech arrives with the replacement unit and as we unbox it we notice the cover and chassis are badly dented on one corner, and the area where the circuit board attaches is also bent. This in turn bent the circuit board assy.







The box that contained the unit has no impact damage outside or inside! I suspect it was a return that we got stuck with, so I call the supplier and vent on him for a bit. He says he will stand by this unit and as far as he knows it came from the factory like this.

So I straighten the circuit board assy. and mount it and the motor/gearbox assy. in the old chassis. Jumper a couple of terminals to make the operator open fully so that I can orient the arm properly. Attach the arm with red Loctite on the screw. Adjust the arm length and install the lock screw with blue Loctite, then to be safe I remove the 4 screws that loosened up on the last unit and apply a liberal drop of red Loctite to each. Remove my jumper and cycle the unit to self-adjust and there is a loud popping noise! Determine that the factory set belt tension is not even close. Adjust belt tension by feel until it operates normally. I then call Allegion tech support to ask for proper belt tension specs and they have no clue. So I turn a couple more turns and test, all is good so I leave it. I also mark the bolt with an index mark to see if it moves out of adjustment, the whole belt tensioner feels suspect.



Here you can see the new motor/gearbox with a good gear. Compare to the first photo.



All done, took a couple of hours but customer is happy.

This last shot shows some of the adjustment son the circuit board and a few jumpers. Zoom in on this one to read.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Cledry, do you have any experience with the ADAEZ Pro? I was given some literature on them last year, I think, but I was waiting for feedback from end users before I tried to put one on a door.