Locksmith

Locksmith

Josh-the-Locksmith

25 Years Experience

Austin, TX

Male, 46

I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.

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329 Questions

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Last Answer on June 11, 2024

Best Rated

We have a retail store. On our front door is the deadbolt with lock access on front and back.
The inside should have a switch inside of a key. Is there an adapter that fits over the key so we can leave it in the lock?

Asked by Michele almost 5 years ago

I assume you have a glass and aluminum storefront door. You can replace that inside keyed cylinder with a thumb turn, they are very inexpensive, usually $10-15. Labor time is 2-5 min. You can have a locksmith come out and do it for you, or probably YouTube it if you’re trying to save yourself money. https://youtu.be/nJT0moSoNJM

Yes!! I paid$330 for the Arlo security system, and they were still coming in..the camera would become disabled once I left home..after YouTube the possible methods used to bypass the system I found that because it runs on wifi, was easy to disable pw

Asked by Dah almost 6 years ago

I’ve heard of intruders like this. Are they not stealing anything of real value, just moving around items of yours, hiding things?

Is there a way to convert a safe like in the link picture over to a dial lock or am I stuck? http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160415/70d2c4ba4130ca1c1565b5cc48bc899b.jpg

Asked by euphoric28 almost 7 years ago

Anything is possible. It may require some modifications though. The fact that the wire comes into the safe so high above the lock is what seems questionable to me. normally that's probably where the dial spindle would come though, and that's quite a distance above the lock. You may want to call your local locksmith and find someone who does a lot of safe work. Send them that photo, safe brand and model, maybe even a picture of the front as well, and see if they would be willing to tackle it. Some conversions are quick and simple, I wouldn't say that one will be.

Can you identify what type of lock this is on my front door. House was built in 1951 and I'm guessing door/lock are original. Looking to add an August smart lock but unsure if it's possible. Photos: http://imgur.com/a/98Fj1

Asked by Jonathan over 7 years ago

That is a Yale mortise lock. No, the August will not work on that lock. You would need to install a cylindrical deadbolt above it.

is it possible to customize an interconnected handleset so that the thumbturn on the inside is removed and replaced with a solid piece of metal/blank plate? deadbolt still lockable from outside with key, just not lockable from inside.?

Asked by mike over 6 years ago

Probably yes. There’s a clip that holds the thumb turn on, usually a compression ring, you should be able to break it off, then replace it with a screw of some sort. You’d have to get creative. It might deactivate the “interconnected” feature, which would prevent someone on the inside from being able to turn the lever and unlock the door, creating a major fire and safety hazard. I would not recommend tampering with it for that reason. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

i have a Best door knob. I've attempted to depress the knob release by putting a papercli[ in the hole on the latch side of the knob but cannot find the rea\lease to allow me to pull out the knob ....what now? how do I get the door knob out?

Asked by arttriglione@comcast.net over 7 years ago

Being that Best would only sell to the end user, I haven't worked with many Best locks. BUT my guess would be it's possibly not a poke hole. It won't come apart like a typical lever. That hole is possibly a grab hole for a spanner wrench. You insert the tip of the wrench in that hole and rotate it counter-clockwise. If you don't have a spanner wrench, just use a big pair of pliers. Grab the part of the knob where that small hole is and twist it counterclockwise. It should start to get looser and eventually unscrew.

I am installing a keyless mechanical double sided door lock on a glass door from our pool area into our home. Is a deadbolt more secure/burglar proof then a deadlatch? LOCKEY M230DC vs 210DC. Love auto lock of the latch for kids, but security wise?

Asked by Security Question over 6 years ago

There’s no question, deadbolt all the way! Deadbolts: 1 inch in length, when installed right, goes into the stud. They are also locked in place when fully extended. Can’t be “credit carded”. 

Latches: 1/2” in length, easier to credit card, easier to crow bar the door open, must be installed just right otherwise it’s very easy to credit card open. Also easier to lock yourself out of the house. Also they only lock into a 3/4” piece of wood. Can usually be kicked open with 1 kick.

None of my exterior doors have latches, all are deadbolted.