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.
Nothing special. Unlock the door and have the business or homeowner put in their code to deactivate the alarm. If it’s an eviction or something where the occupant isn’t there, wait for the police and have the customer/bank rep explain what is going on.
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Usually those door knobs are screwed onto the spindle. Once you take out the setscrew on the edge of the knob, you should just be able to unscrew the whole door knob. The square shaft that goes through the door is actually threaded like a giant screw.
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My uncle needed some help, a part time employee. I was ready for a career change so I tried it out. Eventually that turned into full time. I said I would do it until I found something better...still here!
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Hey Adam. Any automotive locksmith should be able to help you. They should be able to pick it open and make a key to it. Worst case, they get it unlocked and you order a new one from the dealer/manufacturer.
1 thing I would recommend trying first is it’s possible there is pressure on the lock itself, which can prevent the key from turning. Push in on the panel with 1 hand while you turn the key with the other hand. Letting that pressure off might do the trick. If that doesn’t work, it’s possible they either sent you the wrong keys or installed the wrong lock.
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You should have just purchased a new deadbolt, it’s much easier for a homeowner rather than trying to replace the cylinder. It sounds like you purchased a rim cylinder. The tailpieces on rim cylinders only turn when the key is turned. Tubular deadbolts, such as residential, use what’s called a “lazy tailpiece”. It turns 180 degrees, or so, independently of the key. Depending on which brand and model your deadbolt is, chances are more than likely you can’t just replace the cylinder like you’re thinking anyway. I would highly recommend returning or discarding the cylinder, and just purchasing a replacement deadbolt instead.
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I wonder the same thing all the time. I have moved into project management, and our company now covers a lot more than just locks. We do commercial doors & frames, glass, aluminum storefronts now too, so I help manage a lot of those big projects now. It’s almost like a career change.
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Depending on the cylinder, the pins/wafers should able to be removed from the cylinder and have it used the way you are asking. If it’s a cam lock like what you would see on a cabinet, they sell thumb turn style cam locks.
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