schlage door knob lock dissassembly?

[unjust]

so i'm having some trouble taking apart to rekey a schlage doorknob lock. it appears to be commercial grade. (key in round knob on front, push/twist button on interior)

it's off the door, (easy enough, pop the interior shroud, pop the interior knob, unscrew mounting screws) but what appears to be the ~1/8" hole where i'd press to pop the exterior knob off the latch assembly and access the core does -not- want to depress, or twist. (with or w/o key)

is there something obvious that i'm missing? my pathetic search here turned up no breakdowns that were helpful.

[bcameron]

Is this an A series or F series knobset? Sounds like an A series if you removed the knob and then removed the mounting screws. You should be able to just turn the key 90 degrees (easier done on the door) and push the pin right in to remove the outside knob.
Do you know how to remove a cylinder from an A series knob without depressing the pin? It requires completely disassembling the chassis and gaining access to the cap and tailpiece on the backside of the cylinder. Once you get to the cylinder you use a straight pick to depress the pin in the back of the cylinder while spinning the cap a click at a time. A little time consuming...but it works. The first time or two it can be a pain to put back together but after some practice it is easily done.

[unjust]

a series orbit, a53pd-ord-630 i think to be exact.

so 90` to open or 90 the other way? i take it the pin will actually push in a bit when the cylinder is in the correct position.

as a side note, are there security top pins in this? i tried to pick it a bit while bored waiting for the water folks to show up the yesterday morning, and was getting nowhere.

[keysman]

a series orbit, a53pd-ord-630 i think to be exact.

so 90` to open or 90 the other way? i take it the pin will actually push in a bit when the cylinder is in the correct position.

Either way... 90 degrees from key removal position .. you actually have to push the pin in and pull the knob away from the lock body.... much easier done while the lock is mounted .

[unjust]

gotcha. will try this evening.

[jpb06080]

This can be really tough sometimes. Don't be afraid to yank on it pretty hard too. Also, a good trick is to put pressure on the retainer before turning the key, so that as you turn, it will jam up once in the correct position. Taking it apart from the back is a pretty daunting task for someone who hasn't done it before with someone who knows what they're doing watching over your shoulder.

[unjust]

good advice.

heh i can see that. it looked pretty daunting with all of the bits of bent fins to fiddle with and things to expect a hidden spring to launch across the room.

[ToolyMcgee]

I had this same problem with the first couple ones I got. Sometimes it's 90 degrees unlock, and sometimes 90 degrees lock. Although I only have the one that is lock... Anyway, yes it could have I guess you could call them mushroom pins for every top pin. Could even be one of those floating bible plate deals, even though I believe those are residential cylinders. You'll just have to get it apart and see!

[straightpick]

I like to use a 90 degree pointed pick, the kind to remove O rings, not to pick locks. With the lock on the door. put the tip of the pick in the hole that has the retainer and keep pressure on it. Insert the key and rotate it, you will feel the retainer move in. If it doesn't rotate it the other way. When you feel it depress, grasp the knob and pull backwards while quickly removing the pick and the knob will come off.

[globallockytoo]

Had an F series last night, that wouldnt pick for quids. Tried to impression but impressioned too deep. Got frustrated, so bashed retainer in and pulled knob. (had no key) Surprising how far the retainer will travel.

Went back together perfect with no visible damage. Sometimes those F series can be such a pain....especially at night and when you're hungry and tired after a long day.

[bcameron]

The pin should depress no matter which way you turn the key. You are just moving the tailpiece from horizontal to a vertical position so the retaining pin/clip no longer makes contact with it. If you get an old A series knob sometime, try taking it apart and putting it back together. It is useful information you will need to know one day.
Carolina picks are great for depressing those pins.

Because it wouldn't pick isn't necessarily because of a spool or mushroom driver. Very easily it could be the cuts of the key are shallow/deep/shallow/deep...etc. trying to pick a lock that has cuts of 72837 is going to be a hell of a lot tougher than 34443. Get it?

The floating bible is an F series cylinder, don't remove the tops of those or you have a good chance of a customer calling you back telling you it no longer works because the bible shot off inside the lock.

freakparade3 edit to remove DE info

[unjust]

well i didnt' get to it last night... it's on tonights list of things along with lighting the boiler and water heater's pilots.

the biting on it isnt' so out there (remember i do have the key) i just wasn't getting any sort of happy feel out of it. i could get the first pin (4 i think) to set and do so happily, but nothing else was budging. since i don't have any experience picking spools (a little on serrated) i was guessing that might be the problem.

[Chirael]

I realize I’m coming (very) late to the party here but I was struggling with this exact issue and eventually figured it out so I thought I’d post for posterity, in case anyone else has the same problem, etc.

Assuming it’s an A series, as mine is, I found the same thing: Pressing into the hole on the lock side knob wasn’t really doing anything, even when I turned the key one way or the other. I was pressing (through the little hole) onto the retaining tab but it wasn’t allowing the knob to slip off.

What finally made the difference for me was also pressing the latch in at the same time as pressing on the retaining tab (with a pokey thing through the little hole) and pulling lightly on the knob.

Before i did that, the lock was pushing back on the key when I tried to turn it, but by holding the latch in, it allowed the key to turn more freely and get into the right position to allow the retaining tab to finally get depressed and thus allow the knob to come off.

It’s also worth mentioning that I had to do the same thing (hold the latch in while pressing down on the retaining tab) to allow me to push the knob back on after rekeying it.