Mortise Lockout

Mortise type lock-sets has been in used for residential and commercial applications for many years. Most locksmith technicians should have experience working with these types locks as they are very popular form of security for most small businesses including some residential homes. What makes these types of locks popular is the complex mechanism Incorporated in them to prevent unwanted intruders from gaining access. Some of the time, even the average locksmith technician will have some issued unlocking these types of Mortise locks.

Years ago when I first started getting into the locksmith business, I remember getting a call from a store owner in the area that misplaced his keys to the store and had no other way to get in. I didn't have much experience back then working on commercial locks, but I figured a lockout shouldn't be that a big of a deal. I got the customer's store address and started heading its way.

Once I got to the store, I noticed it was part of a building which seemed to be secure without any other way to get in. The store itself was equipped with a thick glass front door that had a Mortise type lock. Luckily, I had with me a specific Mortise cylinder pick tool set that I've used before on a residential type Mortise locks with success.

After getting the tools from my van, I immediately started working on the lock by picking it which tool longer than I expected. After about 15 minutes I finally gave up and decided to call for help. Luckily, I knew another Seattle locksmith in the area which had much more experience than I did. When I got him on the phone and told him the story, he said that the the lock must had a block at the end of the key-way which may cause issues with picking. However, he did say there was another way which involved drilling through the cylinder without damaging it. According to him, I needed to drill a small hole to the right of the key-way which will get through the screw set that were holding the lock, but without damaging the threads.

I followed my technician friend using his exact instructions for the process and I was able to remove the cylinder which in turn unlocked the door. Since i didn't want to take any chances, I went ahead and replaced the cylinder with another one even though it was still usable.  

Automotive Ignition Switch Repair Services

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GM Key Origination

As a locksmith technician with many years of experience behind me, I find that on most older make and model vehicles, originating a key can be a hassle at times. Depending on the type of key that need to be made, ignition keys usually require the removal of the ignition which means taking apart the steering column in order to get a code stamped on the cylinder. On some models, getting that unique code in order to make an ignition key is sometimes possible by getting it from the door lock. However, this is only apply to several older models. There will be times that in order to find an easy solution to generate a working key, a locksmith technician would need to improvise or think outside the box.

I remember a while back getting called for a job to make a new key for a 95 Camaro. According to the customer, the vehicle was a summer drive for him and after the long winter when he finally came to take the car for a drive, he couldn't find the key.  I knew that it would not be easy generating a key from scratch for this type of vehicle since not only the door lock and ignition were using to different keys, the vehicle was equipped with a VATS system which meant the ignition key had a chip in it. I decided to accept the job and drove to the customer's home.

Once I got to the customer's place, I ran a quick check for the correct VATS using the vehicle's VIN number to make sure I have a matching key in my inventory and luckily I did. Next,  I grabbed my tools and started working on the steering column in order to remove the ignition cylinder. The first thing I needed to do was disabling and remove the sir bag from the steering wheel. After doing so, I reached for my steering wheel removal kit and noticed that I didn't have the correct matching bolts in order to remove the steering wheel using the puller. At that moment I knew I was stuck since there wasn't any other way I could get the ignition cylinder out without removing the steering wheel.

I decided to give a call to a Seattle locksmith friend of mine hoping he would be in the area and would be able to come and loan me his steering wheel removal kit. When I got him on the phone, he said he was on the other side of Seattle, but he also mentioned something else. He said that some GM 94-95 models may have the depths numbers stamped on the wafers. According to him, all I needed is a good otoscope that will help me read the numbers while looking through the ignition cylinder key-way. After taking his advice, I grabbed my otoscope from the van and I was happy to find that this particular model did have the depths stamped on the waffers which allowed me to generate a new key without removing the steering wheel.

Residential Lockout Service in Seattle

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Nissan 300ZX Key Make

As a locksmith technician that offer automotive services, I find it hard to keep track on various changes that were made over the years on different makes and model vehicles that are industry related. Sure there are many books that would help a locksmith to determine what would be required to do for a certain job such as making a key or find a specific way to open a vehicle. However, not all the time the information on these books are accurate. Sometimes, a solution could be found by non traditional ways or by trial and error.

I remember a job I did few years ago making a key for a 93 Nissan 300ZX. At that time, the customer called and claimed he had lost the only key he had for the vehicle and a new one needed to be originated from scratch. Even thou I didn't recall servicing these types of vehicles at that time, I knew from an older Nissan models I serviced that getting the code to make the key would not be a problem. I decided to accept the job, got the customer information and drove to his address.

Once I got to the customer's home, I got my machine ready and went to the vehicle to look for the code that will allow me to generate the key. The first place I knew where to look was in the glove compartment where I knew early Nissan models usually would have a sticker inside it with the code. However, for some reason I couldn't  find it. I asked the customer if he knew anything about the absence of the sticker and he said that he don't recall ever seeing one and that he was the 3rd owner of the vehicle. At this point I figured previous owners must have removed it.

Since I knew the key for this vehicle was acting as a Master-Key opening the doors, trunk and turning the ignition, I figured my next best option was to take apart the door panel and get to the door lock cylinder, so I could get the code from the the tailpiece. After removing the panel, I was able to access the lock, but for some reason, I did not see any code stamped on the tailpiece.

At that point, I did not know what to do, so I called another Seattle locksmith friend of mine for a little advice. He said that my best option that will save me some time on top of the time already wasted was to remove the trunk lock, disassemble it, and decode the wafer tumblers in order to make the key. I followed his exact instruction and after about 15 minutes I had a key ready to be used.

Mortise Lock

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Ford Ignition Removal Tip

As a professional locksmith technician with many years of experience in the field sometimes I find replacing vehicle's ignition can be a hard task. Depending on year, make and model of the vehicle, some ignitions require the disassemble of steering column trim components. However, even when this step is done, there is still the part of taking the ignition switch out which can be a hassle by itself especially if there is no key available. In such situation, most locksmith technicians know that the ignition switch would need to be drilled or pick. With picking, it may or may not work depending on the type of ignition and the number of cuts which leaves drilling. However, in a situation when you just need to make a new key and not replace the ignition, drilling may not be a suitable solution.

I got a call the other day from a customer who lost the key to his 96 Ford F-150. Since I just got recently a new pick tool set for ignitions and was eager to try it out, I decided to accept the job and was heading to the customer's location. For some of the vehicles manufactured in the late 90's there is a code that can be purchased by giving only the vehicle's VIN number. Not only it cost significant amount of money, but most likely there wasn't a code available in the database to pull for that particular Ford model I was about to service.

Once I got to the customer's location, I went ahead and took apart the steering column trim that needed to be removed in order to reach for the ignition cylinder. The next step was picking the cylinder open, so I could remove it in order to make a new key. After 10 minutes of many attempts picking the Ford 10 cut ignition I finally gave up and decided to call a fellow Seattle locksmith of mine for advice. He mentioned I should use a small thin metal wire with a hook on the end similar to a pick tool and try to remove the wafer springs one at a time. After the springs will be out, he said I should tap the housing gently around the cylinder until it will be unlocked and available to be removed.

I must say, I was a little skeptical at first about whether this method will work or not, but to my surprise the cylinder was in my hands after only a couple of minutes working on it. Once the ignition cylinder was out, I was able to decode the wafers and make a new key followed by reloading the springs I released. This method pretty much saved the job as I did not have to drill or damage the ignition in order to remove it.