Change or rekey · Brampton
Vintage Mortise Lock Service
The brass knob on the front door of your century home turns, but nothing happens on the other side. The latch stays tucked in, the door swings free, and the only thing holding it shut is the deadbolt and a bit key that has worn down to a nub.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 901-4354In plain words
Keys are the part of the job people expect to be impossible, and they rarely are. A bit key, the skeleton key style used on older doors, is cut and filed on the bench to the wards and levers of your particular case, so a lost key can be replaced from the lock itself. A round cylinder on a later mortise lock is rekeyed like any modern cylinder, or exchanged for a new cylinder of matching thread and cam if it is worn out. Either way the service ends with keys in your hand that turn the original lock, and a spare made while the case is on the bench.
How the visit goesThe 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.
Vintage Mortise Lock Service · Brampton
How the visit goes
- 1
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.
- 2
Cutting a bit key to the lock
For a bit-key lock, keys are made to the case rather than copied from a pattern. A blank with the right bow, shank and bit size is chosen, then the bit is filed by hand to clear the wards inside the case and to lift each lever to the correct height. The key is tried, marked, filed again and tried again until it turns the bolt cleanly from both sides. A second key is made to match while the first is fresh. Where a working original exists, it is used as a guide and the new key is cut to it, and a worn original can itself be gently restored if the customer wants to keep using it.
- 3
Looking after the finish
The brass or bronze knobs and escutcheons on an old door have earned their patina, left alone unless you ask otherwise. Paint cleaned from a faceplate or strike leaves the bare metal as found, not polished bright. If you would rather see them shine, check the finish first: unlacquered brass takes a gentle polish well, kept off the keyhole and spindle; polishing a lacquered piece can scratch through it and start tarnish underneath. Lacquered reproduction parts resist tarnishing rather than darken to match; an unlacquered reproduction is built to age and blend in over a season or two. A light wipe when dusting is all the upkeep the trim needs; wet cleaners find their way into the case.
In the van
- Hub followers and lever packs
- Cylinder set screw
- Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
- Reproduction mortise case
- Mortise cylinder and cam
What affects the quote
- 1
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.
- 2
Making the inside key-free
Fitting a thumb-turn or interior release to a deadbolt that was keyed on both sides is its own small item, and one most owners of an entry door choose to include.
- 3
Condition of the wood
Stripped screw holes, a loosened pocket or a split at the door edge need dowelling, shimming or gluing before the case can be trusted. That woodwork is quoted once the locksmith has seen the pocket empty.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Vintage Mortise Lock Service: questions
The lock works with the door open but not when it is closed. Is the lock broken?
Almost certainly not. That pattern means the door has moved in its frame so the latch and bolt no longer meet the strike squarely. Solid wood doors in older houses swell in humid weather and settle on their hinges over the years. The service adjusts or shims the strike and tightens or packs the hinges so the bolt throws without lifting the door, and the lock itself is usually cleaned and lubricated at the same time.
Can the lock be made more secure while keeping it original?
Yes, within reason. A later mortise case can take a modern high-security cylinder of the right thread and cam, chosen for its pick resistance; stopping casual key copying is a separate question, answered by fitting a restricted or patented key system alongside it. Longer screws into the strike and a properly seated deadbolt add more than most people expect. For a bit-key lock, the practical gains are a full-throw deadbolt and a good strike; if more is wanted, a separate modern deadbolt above it leaves the original lock untouched.
Will the door look any different afterwards?
Usually not, when the original case is repaired: the same knobs, escutcheons, faceplate and strike go back on in the same positions, and the only visible change is paint or grime cleared from the edges that were catching. A replacement case is chosen to match the pocket so original trim is reused wherever spacing allows, though an occasional case needs a small pocket or fixing change, explained beforehand.
Vintage Mortise Lock Service near you
Peel, Ontario
Brampton information
- Town
- Brampton, Peel, Ontario
- In business
- 34 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 901-4354
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
23%
Newer homes. About 23% of homes in Brampton were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
In newer developments the hardware is often the same finish and style from house to house. A locksmith can offer upgrades that match what is already there, so a stronger cylinder or a new lever set fits in without looking like an afterthought.
53%
A mix of homes. Single-detached houses make up about 53% of homes in Brampton (2021 Census).
A mix of detached and attached housing means a mix of key habits: spare keys under pots at houses, fob-and-key combinations in buildings. A locksmith can improve both, with a proper key safe or keypad here and a tidy suite cylinder there.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
The brass knob on the front door of your century home turns, but nothing happens on the other side.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 901-4354- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 34 years in business