Replacing Master Door Locks

There are a couple of possibilities. If I understand your problem correctly on your Front door you have a functioning, but tarnished grip handle lockset with a dead bolt above.

To replace there might be a handle that will cover the scar on your door with a larger body. To check remove the lock, and make a tracing of the lock on a piece of cardboard. Take this to your local locksmith. Make note of the hole sizes drilled in the door.

You also may get some brass plates to underlay a new lock and cover the scaring on the door.

You could also refinish the door.

The last option would be to take the lock to the locksmith, have him disassemble the brass finish pieces from the works inside, then have a metal finisher strip and refinish your hardware. If it is solid brass it will finish nicely and if the works are in good shape you should have many more years of service.

I replaced some Master deadbolt locks and keyed entry knob sets a few months ago with Schlages that I bought the same day. The only things I had to adjust were the mortising for the latch and strike plates.

Skip

Thanks, but the mortising is what I'm trying not to have to adjust, would like to leave that part alone, and have to believe that "some" company happens to have a lock that matches up, since the parts are so similar in general.

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I'm not impressed at all with how this lock has "held up". It HASN'T. It's in such bad shape, and I doubt solid brass, that I think the best option is replacement. Otherwise I can see myself having to do this again in a few years minimum.

It's not just tarnished, it's seriously corroded, light pitting etc. I"m not too worried about the door itself, as it is not scratched from the old lock beyond the paint and I'm willing to repaint it if needed. We've only got one locksmith in this area at all, but I guess I'll have to contact him and see if he is aware of a suitable lock for the door. Thanks again.

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If you are going to do this yourself, buy a Schlage lockset, install it and see how close the latch/strike plates are to what you had. If it doesn' t fit and you don't want to spend a couple of minutes with a chisel, take the lock back and try another one.

Skip

Again, as I said earlier, I called Schlage and they told me that they would not fit without a pretty serious amount of "adjusting", mortising, and more needed. I was specifically told that the plates and latches do not match up with the old Master. Thanks again though.

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Sorta hard to believe unless there is something Significantly Weird about the current installation. This really isn't rocket science, and the industry is fairly well standardized on basic dimensions (unless you've got something truly obscure or unusually old).

Suggestion: Take the current lock off the door. Take it to a locksmith and ask that s/he find something that will happily install back into the same space. Install that.

Trying to recommend a match remotely, without the lock in hand to examine/measure, to someone who is insisting it's harder than it should be, is sorta like trying to explain how to repair your car when all we know is "it doesn't work."

agree, all the Master door locks I seen are a 'handle design issue', and nothing more.. backset is the same as everyone elses.. Schlage AFAIK, bought them out for their 'long life finish', and the ONLY problem I think should be around is the particular design OF the handle..matching that particular pattern/design will be a not doable option. --Shiva--

Guys, I'm just passing on what little I know and was told from what is supposed to be a reputable company who bought some part of the old lock company. I get answers like - "oh yeah, you can do it no big deal". Thanks for the answers, and all the help.

I'll take care of it here myself, one way or another.

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