There are some factors to consider when choosing the right gripset for the door. You may really like the looks of a specific set but should you buy it? I am going to give you the best advice right here.
 How thick is the door? 1 3/4" is the standard. If the door is thicker, then you must know that what you are purchasing will fit the thickness. Know what backset the door is prepped for and are there 2 1/8 bores? More than likely the gripset you are purchasing will require two 2 1/8 bores and somewhere 8 to 10 inches below the bottom bore there will be a smaller hole to accomodate the bottom of the grip handle. Schlage gripsets have an adjustable mounting post to meet an existing hole.
​ Even with a 2 3/8" backset you must check if the deadbolt and any of it's trim will fit between the door edge and any window frame if the door has a window? Can the deadbolt be keyed to your existing key or keying requirements? Is the lock cylinder a brass pin tumbler? It should be! The good old brass pin tumbler is the most reliable and servicable. Sometimes things that seem smart are not really smart.
 Many finishes to choose from. Oil rub bronze. Pewter. Satin chrome. Brushed nickel. Polished brass. Matte black and so on. I don't think your decision here should be swayed by a "lifetime warranty". Good luck collecting on that one.
 Factors to consider also include the paint on the door. If you are replacing an existing worn out gripset there will be an outline or impression or paint flakes peeled off. Can the new grip cover the old imperfections? Maybe painting the door first and then installing the new hardware is the best choice.
​ When it comes to the install be prepared to deal with the door frame and how the strike plates align. Weather stripping and hinges also are involved with the whole door swing and latch alignment. Make sure you know before your next move. A locksmith or carpenter might be more helpful and worth considering for the installation.   

So it is inevitable that people loose their sd key sometimes and the services of a locksmith are required. That's me! I have worked on safe deposit boxes for 25 years and consider myself well knowledged in this field. Over my time I have seen and experienced some interesting moments when it comes to safe deposit boxes and now I share with you some of those.
 Once upon a time I was called to open a box and when I opened it and handed the tinslide over to the customer they screamed in horror. Their jewellery was missing and proceeded to call her husband to say the locksmith must of stolen the items with smoke and mirrors I suppose. Turned out the bank had me drill open the wrong box.
 I remember opening an estate sd box with a lawyer present and a lot of items were documented including hockey cards such as Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe etc.
 I have opened sd boxes only to find the spare key inside. Or a paper clip.
 Years ago I refurbished nests of sd boxes and one time in Windsor I was painting the vault after hours. I could hear sirens getting louder and louder so I stepped out of the vault to have a look. In the ATM foyer was the Windsor fire department ready to break in. This had all come about because someone using the ATM called 911 concerned about the paint fumes.
 As far as I know I have never heard of a theft from a safe deposit box. It would be extremely difficult given the branch protocol and physical barriers.
 Hollywood movies make it seem possible but in reality a safe deposit box is a sure thing for security.
 Be sure. Keep it secure. 

 Time delay is an interesting topic. Most retail stores, restaurants and merchants utilize time delay.
 By adding time delay to your safe, depository or compartment, you are protecting your cash and valuables ten fold. The number one source of theft is from anyone with access. Employees included here. 
Even if your employees know how to gain access to the safe, time delay can help to thwart them. Now add audit to your lock and sleep well knowing that if theft does occur you will know who and when it happened.
  The main use of time delay is theft prevention. In a hold up / robbery situation the thief will not wait 15 minutes. And forget about your local bank vault. It won't open until whenever they have set it to. These locks can be set for 144 hours. That's six days!
  Time delay locks come in various shapes, sizes and features. Deadbolts, levers, slam latch, including dual custody and audit trail. Almost any application of time delay can be added to what you need to secure. Mechanical is just as secure as digital. 
  The one problem to note with time delay is time. You will not be able to access contents quickly. The same goes for the locksmith. When I am on a call dealing with time delay I know I'm going to be a while regardless of how simple the problem is to fix.
 I've decided to not show pictures of any examples of time delay locks for obvious reasons but if you were considering time delay, give me a call. I will most certainly discuss your time delay requirements.

 The old brown door and frame was from 1956 and was quality built. It was still working but showing signs of rust and rot. Out with the old and in with the new. Here I have replaced the  door and frame.
 This particular job site had a few other door makeovers pictured here.

 Locksmiths cover a wide array of duties and we wear a few hats. One of them is door replacement. After all you can't have a lock on it without a door.
 So if you need a New Year's look on security, locks and doors. An upgrade may be in store. Please give me a call and I will help you get the right solution.
​ Be sure keep it secure! 

 Keys, keys and more keys please. We have had keys for centuries. So many types and so many kinds a keyless world would lose our finds.
 Lets face it. As much as some would think technology will eliminate things like keys, I would disagree and say we still need them for quite some time yet. Consider the fact that keys have been around for a few thousand years. Also consider that keys have been made of almost anything malleable from wood, steel, aluminum, brass, copper, tin, stone, cast iron, plastic, rope, gold, silver, the list goes on. It is endless when you think about it so it is very well possible to see keys in the future made from other sources such as electricity, gasses, force, quantum particles, cells, light. Who knows. Keys have been around us for so long we just take them for granted.
 Looking back at this month the theme for me has been all about keys. The first phone call of the month was a key enquiry. An odd double side mailbox key. Next I got approval to install a key lock on a safe. Then off to deal with a master key issue. This month also dealt with high security keys, picking up key blanks and extracting broken keys. 
 Other keys include donkeys, monkeys, turkeys, whiskey, hockey, jockey, turnkey, lackey, mickey, hickey, flunkey, bunkey, punkey, pokey, pinkey, doohickey, honkey, malarkey, cockey, hokey. There is also the Black Keys, Alicia Keyes, Florida Keys, typewriter keys, and musical keys.
 The locksmith trade alone has thier fair share. Spline keys, chuck keys, submaster keys, change keys, code keys, bump keys, allen keys, bit keys, tubular keys, high security keys, flat keys, master keys and so many more.
​ Need a key? Give a locksmith a call. Be sure keep it secure. 

 This door is Canadian made and is burglar and fire resistant built into a 10" concrete wall. The whole job went as planned and I know it will be there 100 years from now.

  Here is another example of fortification.
 I was called out to an institution that had a door problem. Someone had been ramming themselves and applying much force to a steel door at night. The frame was starting to show damage and the door was starting to bow. There was also a small window made of Lexan giving way to repeated blows. A few more attacks away from a breach and the cost of replacing the door and frame.
 I love these calls because the door was salvageable. Some custom fortification was in order. The frame and bottom of the door had an extra quarter inch of steel plate added and bolted to prevent further bending. The window frame was attached a little firmer by way of carriage bolts. I feel real good about this one. It will stand up to a good beating for quite some time.

 So if you have been thinking about having a secure area, wall safe, hidden entry, insurance rated, burglar fire resistant, safe or vault type product installed, please give us a call.

Meanwhile; not long ago I was called out to open a safe. I knew what the problem was and had to  drill it open. I had suspected that a lock mount screw was the issue and sure enough it was. I took a picture as it spoke more than words could. You can clearly see the screw had become undone and blocked the drop arm.
​ Rare for this to have happened but more common than finding a Bic pen dispenser at a garage sale. 

 Good Friday could have been a little more gooder than it was. What a perfect day to open a safe?  This big brown bad boy became a real test of my patience and determination. I have to believe not many people could have opened and repaired this one as well as I did. There was no known combination and the walls were a foot thick.
 It was a real challenge. 

So there you have it. A few pictures and descriptions of some of my recent six sided adventures.
 The other day someone asked me "how do I open a safe?".
I told them that I couldn't answer that question because there are too many different types of safes with too many scenarios of what the problem could be.
 Although the safes in Hollywood seem to be fairly routine, the safes I run into present their own challenges.
 I guess the real secret of how to open a safe would be through education, patience and experience.