Change or rekey · Welland
Vintage Mortise Lock Service
Someone painted the door years ago without removing the hardware. The faceplate, the strike and the little thumb-turn are all under several coats, the deadbolt scrapes when it moves, and the knob is stiff enough to leave marks on your hand.
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.
How the visit goesThe knob flops loose on its spindle and never springs back to level. When you turn it the latch pulls in, but you have to push the knob back yourself, and lately the latch has started staying inside the door instead of catching.
Welland
How the visit goes
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.
Reassembly and setting the trim
The case slides home and is screwed off, then the cylinder or keyhole escutcheon goes on, followed by the spindle, knobs and rosettes. The spindle is trimmed to length so the knobs sit against the door without pinching, and the set screws are tightened so there is no free play before the latch moves. The thumb-turn is aligned with the deadbolt tail so it throws with a light touch. Paint is cleared from the faceplate and strike edges where it was catching. Then the door is closed and the whole lock is worked from both faces with the key, the knobs and the turn, several times, listening for the latch to seat.
A clear way out
If the entry door's deadbolt was keyed from both sides, the service leaves the inside operable without a key: a thumb-turn fitted to the bolt tail, or a knob function that releases the latch from inside. This is simply good sense for a door people use to leave the home, so nobody is stuck hunting for a key inside their own house. You are shown how the inside release works and asked to try it, and everyone in the household should know it too, especially anyone who grew up with the old habit of leaving the key in the door on the inside.
Vintage Mortise Lock Service
In the van
- Bit key blanks
- Latch and hub springs
- Warding files
- Deadbolt lever springs
- Reproduction mortise case
What affects the quote
Same fees day, night or weekend
1Number 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.
2Replacement case
A case that is cracked or worn through is replaced with a reproduction or modern mortise case sized to the pocket. The case itself, any trimming of the pocket and the refitting are itemised separately from a repair.
3Missing or mismatched trim
Sourcing a knob, escutcheon or thumb-turn to match the survivors, from salvage or reproduction stock, is quoted as parts plus the search. Reusing your own trim from another door avoids that line.
Vintage Mortise Lock Service: questions
Is it safe to keep a deadbolt that is keyed on both sides of the entry door?
It is better not to. A bolt that needs a key from inside can trap the household when a key is not to hand, and a door people leave the home through works better opening without keys or special knowledge. During service the locksmith fits a thumb-turn to the bolt tail or otherwise makes the inside release without a key, keeping the vintage lock and the clear way out.
Which parts usually need replacing?
Springs, first and foremost: the latch spring, the hub spring that returns the knob, and the small springs on the deadbolt levers. After that, the spindle and knob set screws, a hub whose square has worn round, a worn deadbolt lever or follower, and on later locks the cylinder set screw or the cylinder itself. Bolts, cases and trim are almost always kept, cleaned and refitted rather than replaced.
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.
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Vintage Mortise Lock Service near you
The lock services offered in Welland are grouped the way a door is used. Getting back in when you are locked out. Deciding who holds a working key. Upgrading the hardware so the door resists more than a casual try. Keeping commercial entrances working. Opening and maintaining safes. Each is described below.