Locksmith in Markland WoodsOne key
for every door

Sometimes, though a deadlatch that will not catch at closing and a bolt that refuses to withdraw at opening are different mechanisms, not automatically the same fault. A door dropped on its pivots or a cam slipped behind the cylinder can affect either one; a closer stopping short of the strike explains a latch that will not catch but not a bolt that will not retract. The locksmith checks each symptom on its own during the visit and tests the door closing under its own weight before leaving.

Often fatigue, though not the only cause. A brass blade is weakest where the deepest cut leaves the least metal, and thousands of turns can slowly work a crack into that spot. Then one morning something asks more of it: a frozen cylinder, a bolt binding in a swollen door, grit in the keyway, or turning before the key was fully in. A bent, worn or poorly cut key can also fail on its own, with no such trigger. The lock is inspected afterwards to find which applied.

It usually points to the mortise case rather than the cylinder, and it is a common complaint on commercial doors. Inside the case a return spring, a worn hub, or another part of the latch's drive path can have failed, so the lever moves without driving the latch. The locksmith gets the door open, draws the case out of the door edge, replaces the worn part, cleans and greases the contact points and refits everything, then tests lever, key and thumb-turn together.

Usually, yes. A penetrating lubricant or a lock de-icer given a little time to work, combined with gentle movement of the key or a light pick, frees most iced-up compartment locks without forcing anything. Hot water is avoided, since it can refreeze inside the mechanism. Once it turns freely, the lock is inspected and, if it shows wear or damage, replaced with a fresh one lubricated as its own maker specifies, since a lock that has frozen once can repeat the pattern.