Author: Bjørn Madsen
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How to secure a lift-up door?
Sometimes lift up doors need to be secured but there is no place to attach a lock. I get requests from time to time to install locks on lift up garage doors and if there is not a place to attach a padlock on the inside of the door or there is no secondary entrance…
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Manipulating Safes
I’m learning how to manipulate safes. It’s maddening work, it depends on methodical work with little room for mistakes over the course of an hour or more. It is a real thrill when you hear the click that signifies you dialed the safe open though!
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Pocket Door Lock Security Upgrade
For heightened privacy, ask for the addition of tubular locksets to your sliding pocket door.
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Paint is the enemy of locks
Painters are constantly ruining locks. They do this by Ruining the lock when trying to remove it from the door without knowing how Not reinstalling the lock correctly Painting the lock and getting paint inside the lock Shutting the door when the paint is still wet, thus effectively gluing the door shut Putting thick layers…
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This door is missing something…
This door on Capitol Hill in Seattle is bananas! Two exit devices on one door requires some coordination if you’re trying to get out. Hopefully you’re not in a hurry. Imagine if there was a fire and there was a lot of smoke. You’re coughing, you can’t see, and the door won’t open when you…
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That isn’t a strike plate!
The DIY crowd too busy to read the instructions sometimes does things that are just bananas, like installing this deadbolt faceplate in place of a strike plate. The hole in this faceplate is just barely larger than the bolt intended to sit inside it, so it would be nearly impossible to lock this door. Strangely…
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Bicycle Locks and Angle Grinders
A few years ago there was a spate of failed bicycle U locks after Kryptonite switched to a disc detainer style lock but had quality control problems. People were calling me every day to remove these busted locks from their bicycles. I could do so in a few minutes using a tool called a battery…
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TSA Locks aren’t very secure
I’ve never done it before but recently some people came to me with locked luggage with a TSA lock. Their combination wasn’t working, but nowadays most luggage has a key override for the TSA to unlock it. This lock takes a dimple key but it is insecure enough that I was able to unlock it…
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Kwikset strike plate screws aren’t flush
I’m not sure why Kwikset did this but the strike plate included with their 816 deadbolt doesn’t come with screws that are flush when installed. This becomes a problem in older buildings where the doors are installed with very little room between the door and frame. Since the screws aren’t flush, when the door is…