Two nightlatches on a door

[caffn8me]

This is more a hypothetical question than one based on experience as I think it's likely to happen very rarely indeed. When using NDE on a fairly average front door, at least here in the UK, you might find a mortice deadbolt and a nightlatch with a rim cylinder.

The technique would obviously be to pick the deadbolt and then pick the spring loaded rim cylinder.

What happens if there are two rim cylinders with sprung nightlatches? You can't pick both at once and you need to maintain tension on the first one that has been picked so you can pick the second. This of course may leave you a tension tool down.

It's possible that with a letterbox tool you could drop or lift the snib to keep the first lock open or perhaps use mica.

If you can't use either of these methods, you're probably going to have to rely on someone else to hold the first lock open while you pick the second.

Has anyone ever encoutered a door with two nightlatches? Any thoughts on other (non destructive!) ways to get round the problem?

[mitch.capper]

I have no clue on pressure levels but rubberband with a tack or such may work:)

[lockout]

A picked cylinder in any kind of lock, will normally turn a fraction of an inch either direction CW or CCW and will remain there after you withdraw your tools.
Otherwise, you couldn't use a plug spinner, or a narrow bladed screwdriver to complete bolt retraction.
(You should never use your tension tool/wrench to throw the bolt or you'll burn them out. Metal fatigue will kick in, and your wrenches will start to bend more often, and eventually break)
So, if it what you imagine ever happens to actually happen, pick both locks in sequence, and turn simultaneously when you're ready to go.

[mhole]

I've attended one job where the customer had 4 nightlatches on their front door. They took about 6 tries to open the door, inserting one key at a time and then tweaking them in sequence.

They were (it almost goes without saying) not entirely right in the head, but that is an occupational habit of this job.

[Abus]

Assuming that you could not just leave the lock picked slightly, there are several steps up from a rubber band/tack if needed:

If it is a steel door, just put a magnetic dial indicator base against the tension tool to hold the cylinder firmly past the picked position.

If a non steel door, you can duct tape a block of wood or similar against the tension wrench handle.

[Afisch]

Add a weight to the end of your tension wrench. Magnets, etc. or maybe string the handle of the wrench to something.

[mhole]

Or, slip a mica card through as you withdraw the bolt on the first lock, to keep it from slipping back into the strikeplate.