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

I want to buy a new lock for my RV front door and it has push buttons to open it but I have a universal key that goes to everything I was wondering if it can be deleted to fit my existing key https://www.rvlock.com/collections/frontpage/products/rvlo

Asked by Lauren almost 4 years ago

For some reason that link didn’t open up a product. And since I don’t know what your existing key is, I would need to know that before I can even answer your question. Feel free to text me pictures or links- (737) 757-0004

Tongue of front door latch doesn't retract when I try to open the door from the exterior. It will retract from the inside handle. Is this repairable or will the handle need to be replaced?

Asked by David Smythe over 4 years ago

You didn’t mention the brand, but it sounds like a common Kwikset problem. Usually just replacing the latch will fix it. Kwikset also has a common problem where the screws back out on the inside of the handleset. Take it apart very slowly. Buy a replacement latch, and put it all back together. Should be good to go.

What are some types of questions you wished people would stop asking

Asked by Question to all over 4 years ago

Model-specific automotive questions because I haven’t done automotive work in 12 years. My answer will usually be the same. Call a local locksmith or go to the dealer. There’s not much people can do on their own when it comes to car locks. It’s complicated and requires a lot of specialty tools and information.

Can you recommend a secure lock to install on a thin door? Are there any electronic locks or deadbolts that can be installed on a thin door?

Asked by water_mom almost 4 years ago

I think most deadbolts have a range of 1-3/8” to 1-3/4” thick doors. I would recommend going to schlage.com or kwikset.com & looking at their electronic deadbolts, look at the Specifications section on the product page. It should tell you the door thickness range. If it’s any thinner than 1-3/8”, it won’t work. You would need some kind of spacer to space out the lock on both sides of the door. I personally think Schlage makes a better lock than Kwikset.

When all locks are changed on a rental is the center of the main lock left out? A d why?

Asked by Nina almost 4 years ago

Not sure what you mean, but when a lock is rekeyed, the internal pins are removed and replaced with different pins to match the new set of keys. No other hardware or parts of the lock are usually replaced.

I just purchased a condo that has a Mortise lock. I am trying to convert to a smart lock but all Mortise ones use smaller Locksets. Any Suggestions? Face is 1-1/16x7-5/8 on mine

Asked by Massimo C over 3 years ago

It sounds like an older mortise lock. Most modern mortise locks are 8” x 1-1/4”. You’re not going to find something that easily retrofits into the door prep you have. You could have a locksmith fresh install a deadbolt above your mortise lock if your condo will allow it. Otherwise, there just aren’t very many options for the residential mortise lock platform. Look up Yale Nextouch. They make a smart locks with a mortise prep, but it won’t fit in your door as is. You’ll have to have it modified. Also check with your bldg Mgmt before you do anything, I have seen some of them have strict rules what they will let tenants do to maintain uniformity.

I use the same key for my apartment entry door and for the entry to the building. Doesn’t that mean that everyone with a building key can get in my apartment? My landlord says no because the building is “keyed.” Is that possible?

Asked by Annvb53 over 3 years ago

Your landlord Is correct. Every apartment’s locks are keyed different, but the building entry doors are master keyed to allow multiple keys to access them. It’s basic master keying.