The key turns freely in the round cylinder on the door, all the way around and back, without the bolt shifting at all. The cylinder itself wobbles slightly when you press it, as if it has come loose inside the door.
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?Glenwood Beach
Vintage Mortise Lock Service · Glenwood Beach
Scene 1
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.
Scene 2
If the old case could not be saved, the replacement is fitted to the door rather than the door to the replacement. A reproduction or modern mortise case matching the measured height, depth, backset, faceplate and hub is chosen with the goal of it dropping into the existing pocket; where a small difference remains, the pocket is trimmed with a chisel by the least amount that works, never bored out. The original knobs, escutcheons and strike are refitted wherever their spacing allows, and a new cylinder is keyed to match the rest of the house if wanted. The result reads as the original lock from either side of the door, with the reliability of a fresh mechanism.
Scene 3
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.
What shapes the quoteBell Ewart Lock Services
FeesSame any hour
A single entry lock that needs cleaning, springs and a strike adjustment is generally done in one visit of an hour or two. Filing a bit key adds bench time, and a set of interior latches is longer simply because there are more of them. A case that needs a part fabricated, or a replacement case that has to be ordered to size, may mean a second visit; the locksmith says so at the assessment.
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.
Two causes cover most cases. Either paint has built up on the faceplate, the bolt or the strike so the bolt drags across it, or the door has dropped so the bolt is entering the strike pocket at an angle and rubbing its edge. Occasionally a bent deadbolt lever inside the case adds friction. Cleaning the paint back, adjusting the strike and checking the lever all happen as part of the service.
SimcoeOntario
Vintage Mortise Lock Service · Innisfil, Bell Ewart, Big Bay Point, Cedar Harbour, Cookstown, Innisfil Park, Killarney Beach, Leonards Beach, Nantyr Park, Stroud, Alcona, Alderslea, Bear Point, Belle Air Beach, Big Cedar Point, Cedar Mount, Churchill, Crescent Harbour, De Grassi Point, Lefroy, Mooselanka Beach, Peninsular Park, Sandy Cove, Tent City
Every square is one home in a hundred.
On-site assessment
The key turns freely in the round cylinder on the door, all the way around and back, without the bolt shifting at all.
(249) 315-0368, open 24/7.
On-site assessment preferred · (249) 315-0368, open 24/7
