Change or rekey · Vallentyne
Vintage Mortise Lock Service in Vallentyne
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.
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.
How the visit goesAfter 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.
Vintage Mortise Lock Service
How the visit goes
Which keys exist and who has them
The locksmith asks to see every key that goes with the door: the one that works, the ones that used to, and the bag of loose bit keys that came with the house. A worn original is still the most useful pattern for a new key, and a bent one explains why the lock has become temperamental. For a cylinder lock, a lost or stolen key is a reason to rekey while the case is out, and a key that only a former occupant holds is worth retiring. The count of keys wanted afterwards is settled now too, so the spares are cut while the lock is on the bench rather than on a return visit.
Taking the lock out without marking the door
Removal is done in a set order so nothing is forced. The knob set screws are backed off and the knobs and spindle drawn out, then the escutcheons are lifted away, their screw positions photographed for reassembly. On a cylinder lock, the small set screw in the faceplate is released and the cylinder is unthreaded from the case. The faceplate screws come out, and the case is eased from its pocket with a gentle rock, never a pry bar, because the wood at the edge of an old door is thin. Everything that comes off is bagged and labelled, and the pocket is looked at while it is empty.
How to lubricate it, and how not to
A serviced mortise case wants very little. Once a year, a single drop of light lock oil into the latch and the bolt from the door edge, with the faceplate screws briefly backed off if needed, keeps the levers gliding. If the lock has a pin-tumbler cylinder, that cylinder gets dry graphite or a PTFE lubricant in the keyway instead, because oil in a cylinder gathers grit and stiffens the pins. General-purpose spray lubricants belong nowhere on this hardware; they flush out the little oil that should stay and leave a film that dust settles into. The locksmith will show you where the drop goes so you are not guessing.
Vintage Mortise Lock Service
In the van
Reproduction mortise case
Warding files
Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
Cylinder set screw
Hardwood dowel and wood glue
Vintage Mortise Lock Service
What affects the quote
Whether the door has to come off its hinges
Some mortise cases can be serviced with the door hanging in place, while a tight jamb or a stubborn case sometimes means lifting the door off its hinges onto a level bench. That step is identified once the case is open and the repair needs are clear.
Travel and access
Distance to the property and how easy it is to work at the door, on a busy entry or a third-floor walk-up, are part of any call-out and are stated when the visit is booked.
Parts 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
- Can you send a photo of the plate in the door edge and one of the keyhole?
- Is the trouble worse with the door closed than with it open?
- Does the deadbolt throw fully with the key or the thumb-turn?
Vintage Mortise Lock Service: questions
QuestionsMy home is a designated heritage property. Does that change anything?
It reinforces the choice to service rather than replace. Where a property carries a heritage designation, changes affecting listed features can need extra sign-off, and original door hardware is occasionally among those features. A rebuilt mortise case with its original trim is preservation rather than alteration, and the locksmith's written record of what was retained and what was replaced is useful for your file.
Can a modern cylinder be fitted to my old mortise lock?
Often, on cases that already take a threaded cylinder. Mortise cylinders are made in standard thread sizes and lengths with different cam shapes, and a new one is selected to match the case and the door thickness. That gives you keys cut on a machine and the option of keying the door alike with the rest of the house. A bit-key case has no cylinder to swap; its keys are made on the bench instead.
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.
Related services
- Deadbolt InstallationThe front door has a handsome lever and a keyed knob, and that is all.
- Lock Replacement & UpgradeThe lever on the side door droops toward the floor and rattles in your hand.
- Smart Lock InstallationThe kids get home before you do and the spare key has been lost twice this school year.