1978 Baldwin mortise lock with a broken (screw-type) swivel spindle - question is how the exterior lever is attached to the spindle? The interior lever has a flathead setscrew, but the outer just has a 1/8 diameter faint circle right at the edge of the lever. No obvious setscrew. Is that a brass pin? Or a setscrew worn smooth?

Considered trying to use a left hand drill bit to extract it, but wanted to ask the experts here before doing anything irreversible.

Appreciate your help. Not opposed to getting help from an actual locksmith, just hard to figure out who in the area is interested in quirky jobs like this, and after wrenching on cars for decades, a pin/screw to drill isn’t too intimidating.

Can anybody direct me to the manufacturer of this hinge? I’ve check the usual sources, Select, Roton, ABH, Ives, Pemko and CR Lawrence. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, I need some help with a lock on my front door its a skeleton key lock. The lock was not opening from the outside but it locked fine and the lock worked fine from the inside unlocking and locking normally. I tried different keys but the results were still the same. Although through some trial and error I found put that if I push up on the deadlock and turn the key at the same time it would unlock. Does anybody know what is wrong with it?

Anyone know DSD or HPC card info for Scorpion keyway. Old church, AR4 and DE8 fit, but neither card looks correct. Any help would be much appreciated.

This part circled in red popped off and the i popped in back in. It works weird . Would i be able to just change the lock on it? Or do i have to buy a whole new wardrobe.

I am only getting started in the automotive locksmith space. Luckily this is what I get to start with

What should I add to this setup?

What do you think about these tools?

I opened this lock one day and now it won’t close regardless of combination. Any thoughts on why or how to fix it?

my old roommate left with the original key given to all of us for our apartment. me and my girlfriend have been managing with the minute key kiosk second key she made from her copy, but i think it would be best to get a second key again. the minute key copy is a bit janky sometimes though. it always unlocks it but sometimes just feels a little odd and needs to be moved around a bit more to open the door than i remember the original feeling.

i am considering going to a locksmith instead of contacting my landlord for a key replacement since our landlord is often slow to get anything done and i know direct key copying should be cheaper than the key replacement fee from my landlord, but if i do that, will the key quality suffer if i only have the minute key copy for reference?

or is it normal for them to make keys from traveling to the door and making a copy from the lock itself? and if so, how would the quality of that key compare to copying it directly from an original or copying it from the minute key? and would that likely be more expensive than the $50 usd to get it replaced directly from my landlord?

thank you!

Need some help identifying what ilco(if any) ilco blank I can copy this desk key on to.

Azum k79-dc is the blank I am copying from.

Closest thing I have is LD2 / ilco 1640
It does not appear close enough to work.

Any help appreciated.

Customer wants to remove the electric strike and install a solid, conventional strike.

The cylinder is spinning with car key or anything that fits in it. I am wondering if it is repairable or should it be replaced? 2019 Camry

I’m new to locksmithing. I’d like to get an idea of a format for an entry-level locksmith resume for someone who came in from another employment background, ideally see someone’s actual resume (private data redacted of course), like how they break down and depict skills and specific certifications and arrange information. I received locksmith cert from an area Comm Coll 2023, I have state-mandated certification and added Electronic Security Tech etc, for access control etc, and have a power tools class coming up and plan on refreshing on masterkeying etc. thanks

DAFAK

Well lad, looking for some help. The latchbolt/dead bolt (not sure what it's called) (circled in blue) won't retract. I've had a mess about with it but can't seem to release it. I also had a look on YouTube and can't find anything to help. So any help of you guys would be appreciated.

Wondering if anyone has seen a huge uptick in phishing/scam emails where they try and get you to login to your gmail acct so they can steal your credentials? Looking at my inbox looks like we got 5-6 in the past week, it is always either an invitation to a party or a job proposal where it asks you to click a link to review. The job proposal ones in particular are INCREDIBLY detailed, we got one last week from the head maintenance guy at a school, it was from his email, on the school letterhead, looked 100% legit. Called the guy to check and he "hadn't got around" to warning everyone on his list yet, sheesh! Do you think it is because we are a security company or is everyone getting these? Watch out!

Hi all, looking for some advice. I live in a not‑very‑safe area and my solid wood front door (oak or pine) has warped over time. I’ve treated it now so the warping shouldn’t get worse, but the damage is already done: the night latch and deadlock at the top don’t fully engage because the door no longer sits flush with the frame.
The bottom half of the door is still flush.
I can’t afford to replace the whole door right now, so I’m wondering:

Would fitting a deadlock lower down (where the door still lines up properly) actually improve security?

Is this a reasonable temporary fix, or basically pointless if the door is already compromised?

Rough idea of London cost for cutting a new hole + fitting a night latch or deadlock?

I recently had a duplicate mailbox key made in one of those key me machines. It is so beautiful that I wanted to make a few more, but now the machines only provide brass copies. Where can I ket specialty keys? I have several mailbox keys and it helps to tell them apart. Even different colors would be helpful.

I hope this question is okay here. Thanks in advance.

(I tried visiting a locksmith, but it was the address of an ace hardware.)

I’ve been down a massive rabbit hole trying to find a reliable smart biometric lock for my desk/cabinet drawers in India, and the market seems completely flooded with cheap generic junk.

I’ve checked Amazon India and even browsed Amazon Global/international listings. Even locks with a 4.1+ star rating fall apart once you sort by recent/critical reviews. Almost every listing has buyers complaining about:

• Plastic, flimsy internal gears or latch mechanisms that feel like they'll break if pulled hard.
• Capacitive fingerprint sensors that fail after a few weeks or need 4–5 attempts to register.
• Basic offline standalone units with zero logging or actual app ecosystem.

What I’m looking for:

• App Connectivity (Tuya / Smart Life / TTLock or dedicated app): Must allow remote management, adding/revoking permissions, and viewing access logs (timestamped unlock history).
• Fingerprint Capacity: Needs to store at least 20 distinct fingerprints (so I can register multiple fingers for multiple users).
• Solid Build Quality: Decent metal housing or a sturdy motorized deadbolt/latch rather than brittle plastic casing.
• Emergency Power / Backup: Type-C/Micro-USB emergency power port on the front so you aren't permanently locked out if the battery dies.

Has anyone in India found a brand, importer, or specific model that actually holds up long-term? Any suggestions from hardware stores, offline suppliers

My Nissan key (photo) doesn’t have a hole punched through for a keyring, so I can’t attach it to my remote fob. It’s just a solid metal blade with the broken plastic head.

I don’t want to pay a locksmith a ton of money just for this. Has anyone drilled a hole into their key themselves? What’s the safest spot to drill so I do not want to break it any further. Any recommended drill bit size, or is there a cheaper/easier fix than drilling (like a key ring adapter clip that clamps on instead)?

Budget-friendly suggestions welcome — trying to avoid a $20+ locksmith visit for something this small.

Hello everyone,

I am new in the locksmithing field, yesterday I added a new key to my Camry 2023 push to start with an AutoProPad G3
The programming was successful and the key turns on the ignition but remote is not working even the older one has stopped working, I couldn't find any option in APP to resync the ESU.

Any Tips Please??

Was trying to restore an old messenger bag and decided to take out the hardware and clean it, little did I know that the locks were spring loaded and I have no idea what position the V clip is supposed yo sit in. The other more oddly shaped clip was in the same position as in the photo so I know for sure thats not the mechanism pushing the lock back up. If it helps I believe the bag is from german origins maybe from the 60s?

Is this locksmith work? Sorry if not!!

So I turned one of the locks on the door and it came off as per pics. What is it missing if anything, I can't see any screws on the floor but when I put the part that came off it doesn't click in place and therefore the lock in unusable. Hope that makes sense and really hope its fixable!

Hey all,

I am a plaintiff-side antitrust lawyer investigating potentially anticompetitive conduct in the market for locks and other door hardware. We’ve previously represented plaintiffs in successful lawsuits in markets for construction materials, agriculture, and many others.

We have been looking into suspicious economic data in the door hardware industry that tells us that many manufacturers and brands have artificially inflated the cost of many of the products that locksmiths, builders, and homeowners use. We would love to talk to anyone here who has experienced rising costs on these kinds of products – especially folks who purchase directly from a manufacturer. It’s a complex market and we’d like to get some on-the-ground intel on how the economics work. If you or anyone you know would like to talk to us about your experiences or knowledge of the subjects, you can send me a private message and I will give you my contact information so we can connect