ARCH NEMESIS - THE SCHLAGE AL SERIES LEVER HANDLE

[prmirage]

Hello everyone…Good to see the ol’ place is still going strong.

I’m sure we are all familiar with Schlage’s AL series Lever handled locks right? You know, the ones that need a key to remove the outside handle. Well, after 2 years picking I am proud enough to say that I can handle myself pretty well in just about any lockout situation. Yet, whenever I walk up to one of Schlages’ nasty AL’s I can almost feel the blood rushing from my extremities. For some reason, I almost always have a “you know what” of a time with these buggers and about 7 times out of ten I have to drill it (which I hate doing by the way). Although, I once arrived at a re-key job for 10 locks and they were all AL levers---AAAAAAARRRRRGH! I almost turned around and offered to call another locksmith LOL. Nevertheless I set to work and picked 9 of them in less than an hour and spent the next 2 hours on the last one. I admitted defeat and the customer got a hoot out of watching my frustration but gave me the green light to install a new one. Wish I had more like him!

Buuuut…I digress. So what I want to know is this: Is there a way to get the outside lever handle off without having to pick the lock to turn the cylinder? Assume that the customer wants it re-keyed and the door is open so you can pull the entire unit off if necessary. Key scribing is not an option – I’ve tried to learn it and ended up just spending a fortune on keys only to learn that I will never be a race care driver and never learn to scribe keys.

So, can anyone shed some light on maybe a secret method to get these troublesome handles off without picking? Thanks to any and all…

Prmirage

[linty]

are the other ones masterkeyed by any chance?

if you haven't rekeyed them yet then there's always the option of taking a couple apart and finding a master.

[prmirage]

are the other ones masterkeyed by any chance?

if you haven't rekeyed them yet then there's always the option of taking a couple apart and finding a master.

Linty - I may have confused you. The 10 locks I mentioned was just an anecdotal story about my experiences with the AL series levers. What I'm looking for is a way to remove the outside lever handle WITHOUT the use of a key and/or picking it. Whether it involve removing the entire unit or some other trick of trade. I hope that clarifies things.

prmirage

[Romstar]

I can't for the life of me remember if it was Lockmasters or HPC that sells it, but I know I saw a lever handle removal tool a while back.

I will see if I can track it down for you, or you can check those two companies and see if you can find it.

Romstar

[Romstar]

It was HPC, at this link:

http://www.hpcworld.com/Tools/t_lhr100.htm

You will of course have to purchase through your local HPC dealer. I believe this will do the job you are thinking of.

Take care,
Romstar

[prmirage]

Thank you much Romstar...I took a look at the suggested tool and was quite impressed. I called my distributor and got a quote of $213 for it. I thought about it for a bit and decided why not try to duplicate it's action.

I found a nail with almost the same diameter as the tool access hole on the sleeve of the handle. I cut it down to just over 1/8" away from the head. I then inserted it head side up into the access hole. Taking a pair of channel locks, I opened them to the desired width and placed a piece of foam weather strip on the bottom jaws. I clamped down onto the handle taking care not to knock out the nail and gave a squeeze while pulling the handle away from the handle body with a gentle rocking motion. The nail suddenly slid down into the little area in front of the handle retainer clip. At this point I turned the push button ont the inside handle as if to lock it and off came the outside lever. I tested everything for damage and all was well.

So there you have it. If you don't already have the HPC tool, and cant quite justify the expense, then give this little tip a try. Hope it helps some of you...

prmirage

[unbreakable]

Well done prmirage! No real need for a $213 tool when a nail and channel locks will do the job.

Ill remember that, thanks for the post.


Unbreakable

[Romstar]

You got all of that info from that one HPC picture I sent you?

Thats impressive.

Romstar

[linty]

i'm not sure i understand exactly how this works.

you're using a nail to force the little retaining pin while pulling the lever off?

[keysman]

You can take an AL or DL apart from the back and then depress the retaing pin on the cylinder, turn the cap a few turns and rotate the tailpiece so you can depress the retainer.. major PIA but it does work.. and it doesn't damage the lock.

You may want to try this "on the bench" before you atempt it in the field.

Having the Schlage book with a breakaway diagram makes it a lot easier to put all those pieces back in the correct spot.( most likley available from th IR web site in PDF)

[I Pik U]

You can take an AL or DL apart from the back

The newer models don't come apart the way an A series does, where you can do it the way keysman describes. They only come apart from the front, and that can be a pain for rekeying.

I imagine the lever removal tool or the nail and channel locks would do some damage.

I will drill it (If I can't pick or disassemble the back end) and put a new cylinder in.

[HeadHunterCEO]

a nail punch and a hammer works well also

but only if you must

[prmirage]

You got all of that info from that one HPC picture I sent you?

Thats impressive.

Romstar

Rom - No actually I shortened it for the post. It took a little bit to figure out turning of the pushbutton on the interior handle. That was mostly luck. I'm not sure how this would work on a different model such as the straight push button type. I'm guessing the trick is to get the tailpiece on the back of the cylinder to turn so that there isn't any pressure on it. But not seeing what's going on, on the inside, this is just an educated guess based on the internal workings of the handle. All I know is it worked for me and I'm sticking with it! LOL. Thanks for the kudos...

prmirage

[prmirage]

i'm not sure i understand exactly how this works.

you're using a nail to force the little retaining pin while pulling the lever off?

Linty - That about sums it up. Pushing that retainer pin works on revers pressure so to speak. When you push down on it, you are actually pushing a spring which PULLS in two tabs on the side of the shaft the handle slides onto. Those tabs, combined with the retainer pin, are what keep the handle on. The tailpiece of the cylinder goes through a "ring" if you will, that is actual the retainer pin. So when the tailpiece is in a certain position, you cannot depress the retainer pin, hence needing a key to release the handle. What the HPC tool is doing, as well as my new ghetto tool, is forcing the process without a key. It of course takes a little more work without the key. Hope that helps...

prmirage