Author: Bjørn Madsen

I got called out for a rekey the other day and came across an interesting specimen, unusual for North Seattle.  I don’t know what company manufactured it, just that the keyway was Challenger HO1 (so it was probably Challenger).  To rekey it, I had to remove the whole lock off the door, something one need…

When I rekey a house people often ask me about how to change the garage door opener so that the old residents can’t continue using their remotes to open the garage door.  To do this with a modern garage door opener you are doing more than simply changing the frequency like in the old days. …

Has your key been working great for years but slowly it has become harder to use?  You may have to jiggle your key, pull it out slightly while using turning pressure, or put downward or upward pressure on the key to get it to turn? If you answered yes to any of these questions, and…

It is funny that, without a $0.25 piece of brass, a $50,000 yacht is just a giant floating paperweight.  It’s also funny that an expensive yacht would use the same key as a cheap chinese file cabinet lock.  Took me some time to impression because the ignition wasn’t fixed so it would move around while…

There are a lot of cheap safes for sale at big box stores like Walmart that are not very well made.  They can be had for as little as $50.  Sometimes people put items of value in them and then forget the combination or lose the key.  Sometimes, people inherit these safes and want to…

Google has been instrumental in allowing scammers to move into the modern digital realm of advertising business and connecting with prospective clients through AdWords.  If you search for your city name and the word locksmith, 99/100 chance the top three ads at the top of  google search results are being paid for by locksmith scammers,…

If you have a Kaba Simplex 1000, it has a big vulnerability that must be fixed! They are a common pushbutton combination lock for businesses and government facilities.  If you do have one, you had better call me so that I can install the non-ferous upgrade kit to prevent any goofball with a rare earth…

In the last week, it has come to my attention that at least 10 buildings have had their entry keys compromised by a person or persons who are targeting the lockboxes outside a building’s front door which contains an entry key and/or a master key capable of opening any door in that building, for use…