Hello, Just a layman with no 'locksmithing' knowledge whatsoever. we moved into a new house that has a closet with a basic key lock. It's locked - no key. Is there any way to open this door besides having to call a locksmith? ie: remove hinges, etc?? If we do get it open, we want to remove the lock so the kids (3&5) don't play hide and seek. Thank you, Ron
hinges on the OUTSIDE? might see if the pin drives out..
--Shiva--
That's certainly the simplest solution at the home-handyman level.
I presume you've already convinced yourself that the door really is locked, not just stuck or painted-over.
If the outside knob has a small hole in the center of it rather than a normal keyhole, this may be a bathroom-style privacy lock, which can often be locked or unlocked from outside via the use of a thin screwdriver.
If it has a real key cylinder... that's getting into "defeating instructions", which is generally considered out of bounds for this newsgroup.
It pays to check a new house just prior to completion of the sale and hold the vendor responsible for the opening of any locked closets etc.
I had a call once from a new homeowner, got directions, and discovered EVERY room in the basement had a key knob on it, ALL locked, and ALL keyed different.. I happen to know the previous owner, and after seeing that, had to wonder...
--Shiva--
You can try to remove the hinge pins. The problem with this is that there may not be enough room to wiggle the door open. If that does not work attempt to contact the previous owner to get a key.
Good luck.
its usually the norm to check the FAQ
g'day
There's always the nine pound skeleton key. (or is that "defeating instructions?)
rm
(or is that "defeating instructions?)
no !
g'day
Um, and how is one supposed to guess before posting where the FAQ is stored?
David Ames
Did you look in the closet?
You can search this news group in Google, where you'll find a pointer tothe FAQ as well as previous instructions about opening closet and bathroom doors.
You can shim it, break off the knob, drill it, bend the door jamb, card it, pick it..... Some methods are more destructive than others.
All of these methods are discussed in the archive.
Daniel
My concern is not the closet door -- someone else started the thread on that subject. You can check that in Google.
I do in fact use Google to access newsgroups. But I do not see an explicit link from there to the locksmithing FAQ. In the circumstances, I thought it reasonable to ask about it. It might help me to locate a FAQ in any other newsgroup.
David Ames
---snip---
sure its there. searching google /
has a length of 72 characters and resulted in the following TinyURL which has a length of 24 characters:
If the door opens outwards, look at the latch through the gap between the door and jamb. If it's just a flat surface, you can use an object like a pocketknife to push it back into the door. Apply some outward pressure on the doorknob to keep it from springing back, you might have to take three or four passes depending on the width of the gap.
If there's a half-round bar in the middle of the latch, this trick isn't supposed to work, as the half-round bar is designed to rest against the outside of the latchbolt hole. However, these are often sloppily installed or don't work well. Try pushing the door in farenough so that the half-round part goes into the hole with the main bolt, or turn the knob fairly hard so that the bolt starts to retract, then do the pocketknife trick.
Once you get it open you can replace the whole assembly with a regular knob that doesn't lock. If you plan on replacing it anyway and it's a cheapie, a pipe wrench on the doorknob will work.
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