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Wasaga BeachLock Services · Oakview BeachOpen 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, Oakview Beach

Change or rekey · Oakview Beach

Vintage Mortise Lock Service in Oakview Beach

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

The trim on the door face is the other half of the lock. The knobs ride on a square spindle that passes through the hub of the case, held by small set screws, and the escutcheons cover the spindle and keyholes. Slack in a knob, a knob that pulls off in your hand, or a thumb-turn that spins without moving the bolt usually traces to a worn spindle, a stripped set screw or a hub whose square has rounded. The service replaces spindle and screws, matches a hub or lever from stock or makes one, and fits everything so there is no free play before the latch starts to move.

Sound familiar?

After a wet summer the entry door sits lower in its frame. The lock works perfectly when the door is open, but with it shut you have to lift the handle and shoulder the door to get the deadbolt to throw.

How the visit goes

Oakview Beach

How the visit goes

  1. The door before the lock

    Before blaming a lock that may be perfectly sound, the locksmith looks at the door. With it open, the lock is cycled; with it closed, the latch and deadbolt are tried again. A lock that works open and fights when shut is telling you the door has moved. The gap around the door is checked top to bottom, the hinges are watched for a sag when the door is lifted, and the strike plate is inspected for bright wear marks where the bolt has been scraping past. In an older home with a solid wood door this is a routine finding, and correcting it is often most of the repair.

  2. Cutting a bit key to the lock

    For a bit-key lock, keys are made to the case rather than copied from a pattern. A blank with the right bow, shank and bit size is chosen, then the bit is filed by hand to clear the wards inside the case and to lift each lever to the correct height. The key is tried, marked, filed again and tried again until it turns the bolt cleanly from both sides. A second key is made to match while the first is fresh. Where a working original exists, it is used as a guide and the new key is cut to it, and a worn original can itself be gently restored if the customer wants to keep using it.

  3. Watching the door through the seasons

    The lock is aligned to the door as it hangs today, and a solid wood door in an older home will move again. Through a humid summer it swells, through the heating season it shrinks, and each year the hinges settle a fraction. Twice a year, close the door and try the latch and bolt; if either has started to scrape or needs the door lifted, the strike wants a small adjustment or the hinge screws want snugging, which is a five-minute job. Doing that early keeps the rebuilt case from being strained, and it is the single habit that makes a vintage lock last another few decades without fuss.

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. 1Replacement 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.

  2. 2What is actually broken inside

    A clean and new springs is the lightest job. A worn hub, a cracked lever or a part that has to be fabricated to match the original adds bench time, and the assessment names which applies before any of it starts.

  3. 3Number of locks in the visit

    One entry lock is the simplest case. A whole floor of interior latches, or the front and back doors together, is a longer visit, and each case is quoted on its own so the total is easy to follow.

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, Oakview Beach
Lock RekeyingThe previous owners left a coffee tin of keys on the counter, some labelled, most not.

Vintage Mortise Lock Service near you

This is the working list of services for Oakview Beach: the jobs a locksmith gets asked to do week in and week out. Lockouts and broken keys. Rekeys and lock changes. Deadbolts, high-security cylinders and smart locks. Commercial hardware and master key systems. Safe opening. And key cutting, house and vehicle alike.

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