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Wasaga BeachLock Services · CreemoreOpen 24/7(249) 492-2389Request a visit
Closed mortise lock case with spindle opening, keyhole, latch and deadbolt on a wooden workbench. — Vintage Mortise Lock Service, Creemore

Change or rekey · Creemore

Vintage Mortise Lock Service in Creemore

The old skeleton key still fits the keyhole, but it now needs a jiggle, a lean on the door and a little luck before the bolt moves. Last week it took three tries.

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Vintage Mortise Lock Service

In plain words

Occasionally a case really is finished, with a cracked body, a bolt worn to a sliver or a hub broken in two, and the answer is a replacement that respects the door. Reproduction mortise cases are made in common vintage sizes and backsets, and a modern case with a pin-tumbler cylinder can fit many old pockets with little woodwork once its faceplate and hub also line up. The locksmith measures the case, backset, faceplate and trim spacing before ordering, aiming for the new case to drop in with your original knobs and escutcheons going back on. From the hallway, the door looks untouched; it just works.

Sound familiar?

The interior bedroom doors on the second floor have the original mortise latches, and none of them close any more. The doors drift open, the small brass turn buttons do nothing, and the keyholes have been empty for as long as anyone can remember.

How the visit goes

Creemore

How the visit goes

  1. How the knob and key actually behave

    A short conversation with the hardware comes next. The knob is turned and released: does it return smartly, sag back, or not return at all? Is there free play before the latch moves? The key is tried in the deadbolt with the door open: does the bolt throw fully, catch part way, or ignore the key while the key turns? The thumb-turn gets the same test. Each answer points somewhere different inside the case, a latch spring, a hub spring, a worn hub square, a deadbolt lever, a cylinder cam, and the locksmith is building a short list of likely parts before the cover ever comes off.

  2. Putting the door edge right

    Before the case goes back, the pocket and screw holes get whatever attention the check turned up. Stripped holes are drilled out, plugged with glued hardwood dowel and re-drilled so the faceplate screws bite. A pocket that has loosened is packed with a thin hardwood shim glued to one wall so the case sits tight. A split at the edge is glued and clamped. None of this changes the door's appearance; it simply gives the rebuilt lock something solid to sit in, which matters because a case that shifts in its pocket will bind the spindle and undo the bench work in a few months.

  3. Keys that fit the lock, and a spare

    You are handed keys made to the restored lock, counted into your hand, and each one is tried in the door before the locksmith drives away. For a bit-key lock that means keys filed to your case; copying one needs the right blanks and equipment, which most hardware counters do not stock, so the locksmith keeps the record needed to make more. For a cylinder lock it means keys cut to the new combination, with any old keys now useless. Keep one spare somewhere other than the door, ideally with a neighbour or in a lockbox, and treat bit keys gently: they bend in a pocket and a bent key is how most of these locks become stiff again.

Vintage Mortise Lock Service

In the van

  • Latch and hub springs
  • Cylinder set screw
  • Mortise cylinder and cam
  • Deadbolt lever springs
  • Spindle and knob set screws

What affects the quote

Same fees day, night or weekend

  1. 1Extras you choose on the day

    A high-security cylinder, a lockbox for a spare bit key or a separate modern deadbolt above the original are optional additions. None is required to make the old lock work, and each is priced as its own line.

  2. 2Replacement cylinder

    When a pin-tumbler cylinder is past rekeying, a new mortise cylinder of the right thread and cam is fitted. A standard cylinder and a high-security one are different hardware and are quoted as such.

  3. 3Parts that must be ordered

    A reproduction case or an unusual cylinder size may have to be ordered to measurement, which means a second visit to fit it. The quote separates the first visit from the return.

What to have ready

0 of 3 ready

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Vintage Mortise Lock Service: questions

What do I get at the end of the visit?

A lock you have tested yourself from both sides, keys counted into your hand with a spare, any parts that were removed if you want them, and a short written note of what was done: case type, parts replaced, keys made, strike adjusted. For a bit-key lock the locksmith keeps the details needed to cut further keys later. You also get shown where the yearly drop of oil goes.

Is it worth repairing an old mortise lock instead of replacing it?

Usually, yes. The mechanisms are simple and robust, and what fails is nearly always a spring, dried grease or wear on one part, all of which are repairable on a bench. Replacing the lock with a modern cylindrical set means boring a large hole through the door stile and filling the old pocket, which is more work and changes the door for good. A rebuilt case keeps the original trim and keeps the door intact.

Do I need to prove I own the house before you work on the lock?

Yes, and it is a normal part of any lock or key work. Photo identification together with something that ties you to the address is enough. If you rent, the locksmith will ask who should receive the keys, because landlords and tenants in this province are expected to agree on lock changes and share keys. This check takes a moment and it protects every household the locksmith is asked to work for.

Change or Rekey Locks

Two detached brass lock cylinders and four house keys on a wooden counter. — Lock Rekeying, Creemore
Lock RekeyingThe previous owners left a coffee tin of keys on the counter, some labelled, most not.

Vintage Mortise Lock Service near you

Every service listed here has been done many times on doors in Creemore, which is why each page can be specific about what gets checked, how the work is carried out, and what you are left with afterwards. Read the one that matches your situation, then reach out with any question the page did not answer.

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