schlage dormitory style lock

by **hackersgoddess** » 28 Feb 2004 1:35

I live in a dormitory suite with three other girls, we have two bedrooms and each bedroom has a schlage key lock on the door. The locks were well designed i give them that. We often run into situations where the door malfunctions and locks behind us, leaving both the keys for the door in the room. the two seperate bedrooms have two seperate key sets. We get charged 20 dollars ever time this happens and as such you can imagine, we are looking for ways to pick the lock. We tried the old fashioned method of the credit card slide but as ive noted, well made doors, well made frames. The card isn't a possibility. We've found that the two keys are very very similar, all but the very inner section of the key length is the same. The keys in take an entire rotation to open, so we know picking it will be difficult, but anything would be better than the 20 dollar lock out fee, considering we're poor college students. The dorm manager doesn't believe us that the doors are malfunctioning, despite the fact that its impossible to lock the door from the outside without the key, and everytime it happens the keys are both in the room. Please, if theres anyone who can help me out i would appreciate it alot. the locks are bar handle locks, not knobs, and they lock by pressing a button in from the inside. Please, any help is appreciated greatly. Thank you.

-Poor College Student

by **CitySpider** » 28 Feb 2004 1:49

Thanks for the details. Good post. Much preferable to the "i can't pick this lock please help me" posts that we get a lot.

In all seriousness, you probably don't want to learn to pick the locks. You want to stop locking your keys in your room. Either bring them with you everywhere (my suggestion), get a couple of duplicates made, or find a way to prevent the door from shutting without putting some work into it -- doorstop, duct tape the bolt, whatever. Even take the lock off and just put it back on before the end of the semester. I obviously wouldn't recommend this for your real door, but a bedroom door, it should be fine. Also, if the "dorm manager" doesn't believe you, go to maintenance or building services or the head of residence life or whoever is over the dorm manager's head and talk to them. Really no need to think outside the box on this problem.

However, if you REALLY want to pick it -- keep in mind, I've never dealt with a Schlage that locked by pressing a button, but Schlages in general are moderately hard to pick. It'll probably take you a couple weeks at best before you can pick it regularly. Read the MIT guide to lockpicking, it'll tell you everything you need to know.

by **marso** » 28 Feb 2004 3:39

Cityspider has hit it on the head. Either take the lock out or replace it with one that does not automatically lock. I can buy deadbolts or door knobs for $7us. A kwikset would also be an easier way to learn picking.

You can get some spare keys cut and then leave them around the house?

If you are keen on learning to pick I would go to the buy/sell section asking to buy some home made picks, else click on the "shop" icon above (remember to mention lp101) and purchase the cheapest/smallest pick set. But this will all cost normally more than $20. Else you can make the picks, but unless you have an angle grinder handy...

The below link is the most frequently asked questions and should be a good place to start.
viewtopic.php?t=1744

by **Varjeal** » 28 Feb 2004 9:50

From taking only the information from your post, it definitely sounds like a malfunctioning lock. If it does this consistently, I would definitely be more inclined to go straight to maintenance and explain your situation.

I'm also thinking that the lever handle locks you have on your doors are NOT Schlage original. I personally cannot recall (could be wrong though) any Schlage product where the plug must be turned 360 degrees in order to lock AND have a locking button on the inside UNLESS it is a straight push in button (and not the kind you would turn) and you are accidentally depressing the button as you leave, thus locking yourself out unknowingly.

Your best and least expensive solution is to keep your key on you at all times either on a chain or wrist band, and get yourself in the habit of checking for it before leaving the room.

by **hackersgoddess** » 28 Feb 2004 23:31

always taking the keys with us isn't always an option because sometimes its not even when we're leaving the house...sometimes the door locks when we go to take a shower..and i dont think i know of ANYONE who takes there hey to the shower with them lol. to the comments about duplicate keys...impossible..unfortunatly our school is OVERLY anal about things and atached a "do not duplicate" engraving on each key...so no one in town will make copies for us...on top of it all....we have mandatory room inspections on a regular basis and are not alowed to remove any part of the lock or door at all....far hazard they say. lol. they are totally nuts about stuff and as far as getting it looked at by maintenace...it already has been...and suposedly was fixed...we also ordered a new screen for our window and a repair on a jack in our room in November..and neither have been attended to yet....despite constant please...as you can see....the school doesn't really pay much attention to us. I'm pretty sure that the whole door handles and locks are created by schlage. I'm assuming this because they are VERY intricate...we've attempted to take it apart before and unless schlage worked with another company to custom build these for us they had to be made completely by schlage. The electronic key card locks on the doors are also controlled by schlage if i'm not mistaken. I have noticed that the only difference in the key to the door we most often need to pick only differs from mine in one way, the last section is compeltely flat...where mine dips in....is there any material that i could attach to my key temporarially that would hold up in a lock to open the door with? i really do appreciate the help . you are all great.

-Goddess

by **marso** » 29 Feb 2004 2:40

I would suggest that you go to http://www.schlage.com/ and see if you can find the lock. Else perhaps take a picture of it.

If you really wish to learn to pick, buy a pickset (or make one), but a practice lock like a kwikset or a master padlock, and read as much as you can. I believe it is a great hobby and I have only been doing it for a few months. After you first pick a lock you will wonder why you did not try it earlier.

As varjeal suggested I would try to push the maintence people, as it does sound like the lock is engaging when it is not meant to. You could place something in the doorway when you exit to stop it from being able to close. Or tape the locking mechnism. But it should work how it is meant to. Else you could perhaps get a normal locksmith in, might cost a little but not as much as what you seem to be forking out on lockouts.

You could put key hooks up next to your front door so you are more incline to not leave them in the room. Else have a set place in the lounge to put the keys. You could say "but then my housemates can get in my room", but if you all learn how to pick you can do this anyways.

But as you said, picking would be more adventagous. I encourage you to learn and you can easily start learning to pick (see above). You will however have to put some money and time into this. http://www.lockpickshop.com/page/LPS/CTGY/BTLPSH Buy a hook, half diamond and a torque wrench or two and it will cost about 10$us plus shipping. (minus 10% for lp101 cupon)

Please let us know what you decide to do and if you get this resolved through maintence.

by **CitySpider** » 29 Feb 2004 2:48

hackersgoddess wrote: i dont think i know of ANYONE who takes there hey to the shower with them lol.
-Goddess

Now you do.

by **marso** » 29 Feb 2004 3:15

The keys in take an entire rotation to open, so we know picking it will be difficult

Btw the rotation of the lock does not add any difficult to the picking. I always thought a deadbolt would be harder than (say) a door knob but this is not the case. I kinda sit back and laugh at some of my previous asumptions.

Btw yes, it does appear Schlage (or a manufacturer they are friendly with) have electronic locks as well.

by **lockpickroy** » 29 Feb 2004 5:50

Please forgive me for asking a dumb question........ but if you had a lockpick set (two pieces of metal insted of one) wouldn't you still be in the same boat of leaving them in the room or taking them to the shower?

by **technik** » 1 Mar 2004 2:06

i agree with lockpickroy. Really, the only solution here is to keep a key on you at all times, in the shower or not.

by **hackersgoddess** » 3 Mar 2004 20:03

its taken care of. we were able to alter a key to fit the door thats always locking. i suppose its just hard for everyone that doesn't live here to understand the situation. when i say that i dont take my key to the shower i'm refuring to the shower that is two feet from my door....its just alittle weird to be dragging your keys with you when you dont even take your clothes lol. anyways. i cut out a peice of my old credit card to the shape of the missing peice in my key where the other key is flat and used a thin strong tape to attach it to my key and it works perfectly. we can keep the attachment peice in the living room and just attach it whenever neccesarry and all is well. sometimes the answer isn't always the most complicated one

-Goddess

by **Chucklz** » 3 Mar 2004 20:06

A very ingenious situation. Gotta love how big institutions "randomize" the placement of MK'ed locks.

by **Mad Mick** » 3 Mar 2004 20:33

Bloody wimmin!, always have an easy solution to the situations guys make up complicated answers to....

by **plot** » 3 Mar 2004 21:24

so.. you added a tooth to your roommates key that's made out of a credit card?

...heh, i was gonna suggest covering up the "do not duplicate" part of the key with a sticker or something that says "#510" or osmething, and telling the locksmith thats your dormroom #. then maybe they'd copy it if it was a standard key...

by **FunkyGuy** » 4 Mar 2004 23:13

take out a file and scratch over it, then scratch up the entire thing and say its really old... i was thinking in the tung of your shoe cut out a little but and sow in a pocket, i did this with my shoe xept the sewing caus i cant. this way you can leave a key in your shoe, so everytime your locked out and have your shoes on, your in luck.

how about getting a new lock? sure beats consistantly paying 20 dollers.

schlage dormitory style lock

schlage dormitory style lock

not so simple

Re: not so simple

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