Odd mortice lock problem

[David Lang]

Got a call today from a customer which is a semi secure unit for the rehabilitation of ex offenders.

They couldn't unlock the managers office door, mortice lock activated by a euro cylinder. Very odd, I could feel & hear the bolt retracting but the door wouldn't open. Hinges were on the inside so I couldn't attack them.

Didn't really want to drill out or snap the euro cylinder because it was operated by their master key and it was probably one of those anti snap anti drill types anyway.

Jemmied off the slam strip and I could see the bolt retracting, but the piggin door still wouldn't open.

Very bright torch revealed the problem. The bolt was brass with two of those cylindrical steel pins that prevent the bolt being sawn through with a hacksaw. One of the pins had worked its way out of the bolt & was jamming in the keep. Eventually managed to fettle it back into the bolt with a penknife and hey presto!

Never come across that before.

[stuart noble]

What's to stop it working its way out again?

[Nick]

Loctite perhaps?

[David Lang]

Removing it completely :-)

[robgraham]

Ironically I had a panic call in from the workshop from the house executive a couple of days ago saying that the bathroom door had locked itself - unf ortunately no one on the inside.

It is one of the old style black painted surface mount mechanisms and yes t he snib had got itself lodged into the keeper. A springy pallete knife fli cked it back in at the umteenth attempt. In this case the flat spring bear ing down on the slide snib had got itself into a shape that it was actually pushing the snib forward, so the vibration of shutting the door created th e energy for the lock to operate.

[Bill]

In message , Nick writes

May rather defeat the reason behind them being there in the first place though :-)