broken mortise lock

shiznit76 · 25 Aug 2008

Hi,
the mortice lock on my font door has broken in the locked position, the key wont unlock it, is there anyway i can remove it without having to call in a lock smith? I can access it from the indoor side, is there a method of removal?

breezer · 25 Aug 2008

are you sure its the right key?

mattylad · 25 Aug 2008

Do you have insurance cover?

JohnD · 26 Aug 2008

Presumably you are getting in and out of the house through a window, or the back door?

if it is a mortice lock, removal will be destructive. If you have an angle-grinder, or a great deal of time, you can cut through the bolt from inside. this will be less difficult if it is not a BS lock. the bolts of BS locks have rolling steel pins to make it difficult to saw through them. cheap locks don't

If you still have the key, try it from both inside and outside. the mechanism is operated slightly differently.

Or you could cut the hinges and punch out their pins to open the door from the hinge side.

OOI, what make of lock is it?

It will be less trouble to call a local locksmith.

shiznit76 · 26 Aug 2008

luckily, insurance covered me for lost keys to get a lock smith and new lock fitted, so i ahem, lost my keys and job done!

imamartian · 1 Sep 2008

next time try WD40 ... over time tiny bits of metal wear off your keys and can jam locks so a squirt or two of water displacement 40 and a few minutes for it to soak in and BYU!

PS

BYU = Bob's your uncle, and no, i don't work for the WD40 company !

xerxes · 1 Sep 2008

Powdered graphite is a better lubricant for locks, unless you're faced with one that's gone rusty.

imamartian · 2 Sep 2008

that's good to know... but i wouldn't know where to get powdered graphite from..... is it true that pencils don't work on zips these days?
But we all have a can of wd40... and it's fixed three of my locks... and made my curtains run smoothly (get a bit of kitchen towel, spray with wd40, and rub the curtain rail - et voila)

pps - i still don't work for the wd40 company - or own shares !

JohnD · 2 Sep 2008

imamartian said:
that's good to know... but i wouldn't know where to get powdered graphite from...

lock merchant or fleabay. 5g will last about 100 years.

anything that leaves an oily film will attract dirt and grit, which causes wear and causes some locks (especially cylinder ones) to stick

it is amazing how much dirt gets into a lock when a draught sucks it in through the keyhole, 24 hours a day, year after year.

better locks have brass internal parts (and some use stainless for the internal steel parts) and last quite well. I took out a 105yr-old locking latch from the family house after some keys were stolen and it was still in good working order.

if I had a lock that jammed I would take it off and see why, might be a broken spring. If a cheap one it would go in the bin. If it was a good one and I had a lot of matching keys I would probably re-use at least the levers.

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broken mortise lock

shiznit76

breezer

mattylad

JohnD

shiznit76

imamartian

xerxes

imamartian

JohnD

DIYnot Local

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