Flip Kwikset left-hand lock knob to right-hand keyhole reversal

Which lock manufacturer do you suggest we consider for ease of flipping from a left hand configuration to a right hand configuration?

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer
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I picked up the locks at Home Depot and the five-inch latch at OSH because Home Depot doesn't carry them. I buy all my Craftsman tools at Sears.

That's about it for my general hardware needs. If I can't find it at one of those three hardware stores, I call someone to do the work.

I did believe the package instructions which said "easy to install", and "installs in minutes". My bad.

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

Thank you Nate.

I can't stand locks lazily put in upside down.

The "teeth" should most definately point UP!

Anyone who does anything else, is paid too much!

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

THANK YOU SMS!

That was EXACTLY what I was looking for! Without the tool, I was able to get to step 5 of your first web URL but no farther with just a screwdriver.

The only problem I see with your otherwise fantastic instructions is the size of the pictures. Size does matter when your eyes are old like mine! :)

I need to print out your instrucdtions, which are perhaps the absoloute BEST ON THE WEB bar none so far!

Thank you very much for helping us!

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Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

DING DING DING DING !! We have a winner, folks! Finally, someone posts the correct answer.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Kwikset.

Read Gary Heston's post -- he's the only one so far who has given the correct answer to your question.

Reply to
Doug Miller

I looked up the tool reference you provided.

Yep, that'l work.

There is a better tool but it is more costly and probably not available at HD.

Make sure you pad the palm of your hand before trying to punch out the cylinder.

Reply to
Ralph

Not having done it, that was the hard part about the job that I failed at last night.

I removed the stud easily by pressing on the "hidden" tab but when I pressed on that hidden tab to push out the lock cylinder, nothing budged. Of course, my one hand was pressing on the tab with the screwdriver, my other hand was pushing with a pen stuck down the center hole, and my third and fourth hands were trying to keep the whole thing from falling to the floor for yet another umpteenth time. :)

I think the inexpensive tool is worth it. I just hope Sears has it or Home Deport or Orchard Supply ...

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

Thank you for the advice. Gary Heston gave a good writeup and SMS provided a fantastic set of photographs & documentation direct from Kwikset.

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" These are wonderful and they won't only help me but they will help many others install their locks correctly.

I still wonder about the ethics of Kwikset but I do not have any more than a single data point so I do not know if the other lock companies are as unethical as Kwikset in their "fits all doors" "installs in minutes" "complete instructions" claims, all of which are not true for a very average homeowner such as me.

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

Now I'm REALLY confused.

If we don't need to pull the Kwikset lock cylinder, then why are all the OTHER posts showing pictures of a cylinder removal tool in order to rotate the configuration from a left hand to a right hand lock?

Please clarify if you can! Thanks!

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

Since you're going back anyway, see if the guy in the lock department knows how to do it. Maybe he will do it for you. If he can't, get your refund.

You have nothing to lose.

Don

Reply to
Don K

I've never seen a deadbolt lock where installing it on either a right-hung or a left-hung door depended on removing the lock cylinder.

A deadbolt lock has three main sections: the outdoor part (which contains the lock cylinder), the indoor part (which has a knob for throwing the bolt), and the deadbolt mechanism.

Remove the screws that hold the indoor part and the outdoor part together. Now slide the indoor part and the outdoor part away from the deadbolt mechanism. Put the indoor part where the outdoor part was, and the outdoor part where the indoor part was. Put the screws back in.

Done.

Reply to
Doug Miller

You're spending far too much time on this. Are you anywhere near Seal Beach, CA?

Reply to
Ralph

Thank you DanG for the analysis of why it's best to have the bitting (teeth) up on the key.

I never knew why, but I never saw any professional install a lock any other way. It's sort of like installing a three-pronged USA electrical outlet upside down. The lock will still work but from a professional and esthetic and functional standpoint, it's subpar to install a left-hand lock knob on a right hand door.

Thank you for explaining why!

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

My problem isn't with the deadbolt, it's with the entry lock knob.

Are you saying one can switch a Kwikset entry knob from a left-hand configuration to a right-hand lock setup WITHOUT removing the lock cylinder?

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

Nope. I'm in the "colder" California. We actually had ice in the standing water outside this morning. The kids went crazy over it, even as they were outside with shorts on.

Reply to
MsMonarchdancer

Here's the way I do it. No pickle fork No puller

No shit

Press on the little hidden thingy and wiggle the knob thingy till you can get the shaft to drop. Take the shaft and turn it upside down and put it down inside so it is right on the end of the cylinder thingy. Make sure there is room for the pop-out thingy to come out-hold the key-knob thingy by the stem. Now hit the other end of the shaft with a small ball-pien hammer- Or invert the whole thingy, holding the shaft lightly and gently slam it on a good hard surface. POP. Now you can reverse the cylinder thingy and put it back in so the keyway will be right side up-or pins up.

All you have to do when you put it back together is nake sure the little metal springy thingies are bent back to their original shape so that they lock in good..

Reply to
goma865

Thought if you were closer I could show you how to do this.

Anyway. First time I tried to turn a kwikset keyway right-side up was quite a learning experience. Can practically do it in my sleep now but don't usually do much with Kwikset. Anyway, not a big thing to install the lock with pins down for a while, anyway. Go ahead and do it. Gotta think, though, that there is a good samaritan up your way that will guide you through the process of changing the keyway. Go back to where you bought it and ask. You might get lucky.

Reply to
Ralph

Those five inch latches are not a common part. I've used maybe one of them in the 21 years I've been a locksmith. I still have one or two around some where, probably out in the service van.

Yes, replace the latch and put the old lock back is a valid thing to do. Someday perhaps you can get the cylinders inverted.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

You can't pop the cylinder out with a screw driver. Takes a special tool.

I have no way to know what parts your local store stocks.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

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