In the lock business, each manufacture would use its own design for a lock or cylinder. Although most types of residential locks would seem to be the same, the internal design would be different. For the average locksmith technician most types of residential locks are serviced in the same way regardless of the manufacturer, but it would mostly depend on the type of line. For a standard line of locks such as the type that could be found in an apartment complex property, the design would be very similar between a Schlage and a
Kwikset type of lock. However, for the average locksmith technician, the problem in servicing a particular type of
lock will begin when the lock is unique and uncommon which most likely will require a special care.
I got a call the other day from a customer who just came back to his home but was having trouble getting his key inside the lock in order to unlock the door. The customer seem pretty certain he was using the right key, so I figured that either the key was bad or the lock was badly contaminated. Either way, talking to the customer on the phone, it didn't seem it would be too difficult of an issue to resolve.
Once I got to the customer's home I wanted to see first what type of lock the customer had and looked like it was a Schlage Everest which was not very common and my first ever to work on. I then took a look at the key and it didn't seem to be worn out which made me believe the lock may be contaminated. After spraying some lock lubrication inside the lock, I made an attempt to insert the key inside the lock but still without any success.
I called a
Spokane locksmith co-worker of mine to see if he had any info regarding that particular lock and according to him, it was a common issue. The key-way on these locks get easily damaged from inserting the key in the wrong way repeatedly. The solution was very simple. All I needed to do was take a proper Everest blank and use it like a "bump key" until it will reform the distorted area allowing the key to be inserted smoothly again.
