Input welcome

NT



Its a mostly simple job to fit a new lock barrel. The lock itself is
not replaced, just the barrel, which is bought separately.


==Why==
Apart from the obvious:

A new lock barrel is under £2 for a basic one, or £4-5 for one with
hardened pins in 2011. So replacement is often cheaper than copying
keys. New bzrrels usually come with 3 keys, sometimes 2.

When moving into a house, you've no idea who has keys. Its prudent to
replace external lock barrels.

Some house insurance policies are invalid if a barrel with unhardened
pins is used on an external door.


==Gain access==
If you're locked out and can't get in any other way, drilling out the
lock barrel is usually the easiest way to gain entry. Expect to ruin a
few drill bits in the process. 4mm twist drills are good for the job,
though if not careful more drill bits will be needed.


==Remove lock==
There are 2 ways cylinder locks are commonly fixed to doors. Remove
the visible screwheads, and either the whole lock will come off in one
piece, or most of it will come off, leaving a backplate behind that
needs to be unscrewed to remove it.


==Remove old barrel==
As you'll see, the lock barrel is held with 2 screws. Remove these and
the barrel, the ring on the front, and the plate on the rear come
away. Reuse these screws if they're not wrecked, its easier than
cutting the new ones to length.


==The new lock barrel==
They're standardised, so the main choices are brass or chrome finish,
and hardened or unhardened pins.
* minimum cost barrels are unhardened, and can be drilled open
* house insurance often requires hardened pins
* hardened pin barrels can be drilled, but its more difficult, and can
take a while, and several drill bits.
* unhardened may be preferable for internal rooms & cupboards, a fair
bit easier to remove if keys are ever lost.

Its not best practice to have new locks, barrels or keys posted to
you, the seller usually has your address, either from the delivery
address or credit card details, and there are people that copy keys
and misuse them.


==Fit new barrel==
How it fits in is fairly obvious, ring at the front, plate at the
back. Get the new barrel in the right position, not twisted round out
of place. There's usually a slight ring indentation in the door, you
sit the front ring in that to avoid a minor decorating mishap. Often
the old front ring looks better than the new one, and on occasion the
old rear plate is the only one that will sit flat enough.

Reuse the old barrel fixing screws when possible, it avoids needing to
cut the new ones. If they can't be reused, the new ones can be chopped
or sawn at the indentations. Don't try to snap them by bending, a lot
of these screws aren't hardened and will bend, ruining them instantly.

The tongue of the new barrel needs to be cut to length. Mark on the
tongue where it projects about half the depth of the lock, and cut it
off there. Length needn't be precise. A hacksaw works, but is slow and
fiddly; bolt croppers or mini bolt croppers are very quick.


==Refit lock==
Just the reverse of removing it.


==Issues==
Issues sometimes encountered:

The new lock is too stiff to turn as far as is needed. If it turns in
one direction ok, and opens the lock, no problem. If not, slacken the
lock barrel fixing and slide it sideways a fraction so it lines up
better with the slot in the lock, and retighten.

The lock screws won't tighten because the thread in the wood is
stripped. Probably the simplest solution is to lightly hammer a
matchstick into the hole in the wood door, and snap it off level. Or
sometimes slightly fatter screws will fit and grip. Or if the screws
are short, fit long ones.

Lock won't quite sit flat against the door. This happens when the rear
plate that holds the lock barrel fouls the lock. Loosen this
backplate, reposition slightly and tighten, or remove it and put the
old one back on instead.

In some situations you might need the new lock to take the old key.
Rekeying a lock barrel is a locksmith's job.


==See also==
* [[Special:Allpages|Wiki Contents]]
* [[Special:Categories|Wiki Subject Categories]]
* [[Door security]]


[[Category:Basics]]
[[Categoryoors]]
[[Category:Repair]]
[[Category:Security]]

On Dec 13, 10:39*pm, NT wrote:
Input welcome

NT

Its a mostly simple job to fit a new lock barrel. The lock itself is
not replaced, just the barrel, which is bought separately.

==Why==
Apart from the obvious:

A new lock barrel is under £2 for a basic one, or £4-5 for one with
hardened pins in 2011. So replacement is often cheaper than copying
keys. New bzrrels usually come with 3 keys, sometimes 2.

When moving into a house, you've no idea who has keys. Its prudent to
replace external lock barrels.

Some house insurance policies are invalid if a barrel with unhardened
pins is used on an external door.

==Gain access==
If you're locked out and can't get in any other way, drilling out the
lock barrel is usually the easiest way to gain entry. Expect to ruin a
few drill bits in the process. 4mm twist drills are good for the job,
though if not careful more drill bits will be needed.

==Remove lock==
There are 2 ways cylinder locks are commonly fixed to doors. Remove
the visible screwheads, and either the whole lock will come off in one
piece, or most of it will come off, leaving a backplate behind that
needs to be unscrewed to remove it.

==Remove old barrel==
As you'll see, the lock barrel is held with 2 screws. Remove these and
the barrel, the ring on the front, and the plate on the rear come
away. Reuse these screws if they're not wrecked, its easier than
cutting the new ones to length.

==The new lock barrel==
They're standardised, so the main choices are brass or chrome finish,
and hardened or unhardened pins.
* minimum cost barrels are unhardened, and can be drilled open
* house insurance often requires hardened pins
* hardened pin barrels can be drilled, but its more difficult, and can
take a while, and several drill bits.
* unhardened may be preferable for internal rooms & cupboards, a fair
bit easier to remove if keys are ever lost.

Its not best practice to have new locks, barrels or keys posted to
you, the seller usually has your address, either from the delivery
address or credit card details, and there are people that copy keys
and misuse them.

==Fit new barrel==
How it fits in is fairly obvious, ring at the front, plate at the
back. Get the new barrel in the right position, not twisted round out
of place. There's usually a slight ring indentation in the door, you
sit the front ring in that to avoid a minor decorating mishap. Often
the old front ring looks better than the new one, and on occasion the
old rear plate is the only one that will sit flat enough.

Reuse the old barrel fixing screws when possible, it avoids needing to
cut the new ones. If they can't be reused, the new ones can be chopped
or sawn at the indentations. Don't try to snap them by bending, a lot
of these screws aren't hardened and will bend, ruining them instantly.

The tongue of the new barrel needs to be cut to length. Mark on the
tongue where it projects about half the depth of the lock, and cut it
off there. Length needn't be precise. A hacksaw works, but is slow and
fiddly; bolt croppers or mini bolt croppers are very quick.

==Refit lock==
Just the reverse of removing it.

==Issues==
Issues sometimes encountered:

The new lock is too stiff to turn as far as is needed. If it turns in
one direction ok, and opens the lock, no problem. If not, slacken the
lock barrel fixing and slide it sideways a fraction so it lines up
better with the slot in the lock, and retighten.

The lock screws won't tighten because the thread in the wood is
stripped. Probably the simplest solution is to lightly hammer a
matchstick into the hole in the wood door, and snap it off level. Or
sometimes slightly fatter screws will fit and grip. Or if the screws
are short, fit long ones.

Lock won't quite sit flat against the door. This happens when the rear
plate that holds the lock barrel fouls the lock. Loosen this
backplate, reposition slightly and tighten, or remove it and put the
old one back on instead.

In some situations you might need the new lock to take the old key.
Rekeying a lock barrel is a locksmith's job.

==See also==
* [[Special:Allpages|Wiki Contents]]
* [[Special:Categories|Wiki Subject Categories]]
* [[Door security]]

[[Category:Basics]]
[[Categoryoors]]
[[Category:Repair]]
[[Category:Security]]


You can buy "eurolocks" at any DIY store that does the same thing.
Usually takes two minutes to change the barrel.

On 14/12/2011 10:05, harry wrote:
On Dec 13, 10:39 pm, wrote:
Input welcome

NT

Its a mostly simple job to fit a new lock barrel. The lock itself is
not replaced, just the barrel, which is bought separately.

==Why==
Apart from the obvious:

A new lock barrel is under £2 for a basic one, or £4-5 for one with
hardened pins in 2011. So replacement is often cheaper than copying
keys. New bzrrels usually come with 3 keys, sometimes 2.

When moving into a house, you've no idea who has keys. Its prudent to
replace external lock barrels.

Some house insurance policies are invalid if a barrel with unhardened
pins is used on an external door.

==Gain access==
If you're locked out and can't get in any other way, drilling out the
lock barrel is usually the easiest way to gain entry. Expect to ruin a
few drill bits in the process. 4mm twist drills are good for the job,
though if not careful more drill bits will be needed.

==Remove lock==
There are 2 ways cylinder locks are commonly fixed to doors. Remove
the visible screwheads, and either the whole lock will come off in one
piece, or most of it will come off, leaving a backplate behind that
needs to be unscrewed to remove it.

==Remove old barrel==
As you'll see, the lock barrel is held with 2 screws. Remove these and
the barrel, the ring on the front, and the plate on the rear come
away. Reuse these screws if they're not wrecked, its easier than
cutting the new ones to length.

==The new lock barrel==
They're standardised, so the main choices are brass or chrome finish,
and hardened or unhardened pins.
* minimum cost barrels are unhardened, and can be drilled open
* house insurance often requires hardened pins
* hardened pin barrels can be drilled, but its more difficult, and can
take a while, and several drill bits.
* unhardened may be preferable for internal rooms& cupboards, a fair
bit easier to remove if keys are ever lost.

Its not best practice to have new locks, barrels or keys posted to
you, the seller usually has your address, either from the delivery
address or credit card details, and there are people that copy keys
and misuse them.

==Fit new barrel==
How it fits in is fairly obvious, ring at the front, plate at the
back. Get the new barrel in the right position, not twisted round out
of place. There's usually a slight ring indentation in the door, you
sit the front ring in that to avoid a minor decorating mishap. Often
the old front ring looks better than the new one, and on occasion the
old rear plate is the only one that will sit flat enough.

Reuse the old barrel fixing screws when possible, it avoids needing to
cut the new ones. If they can't be reused, the new ones can be chopped
or sawn at the indentations. Don't try to snap them by bending, a lot
of these screws aren't hardened and will bend, ruining them instantly.

The tongue of the new barrel needs to be cut to length. Mark on the
tongue where it projects about half the depth of the lock, and cut it
off there. Length needn't be precise. A hacksaw works, but is slow and
fiddly; bolt croppers or mini bolt croppers are very quick.

==Refit lock==
Just the reverse of removing it.

==Issues==
Issues sometimes encountered:

The new lock is too stiff to turn as far as is needed. If it turns in
one direction ok, and opens the lock, no problem. If not, slacken the
lock barrel fixing and slide it sideways a fraction so it lines up
better with the slot in the lock, and retighten.

The lock screws won't tighten because the thread in the wood is
stripped. Probably the simplest solution is to lightly hammer a
matchstick into the hole in the wood door, and snap it off level. Or
sometimes slightly fatter screws will fit and grip. Or if the screws
are short, fit long ones.

Lock won't quite sit flat against the door. This happens when the rear
plate that holds the lock barrel fouls the lock. Loosen this
backplate, reposition slightly and tighten, or remove it and put the
old one back on instead.

In some situations you might need the new lock to take the old key.
Rekeying a lock barrel is a locksmith's job.

==See also==
* [[Special:Allpages|Wiki Contents]]
* [[Special:Categories|Wiki Subject Categories]]
* [[Door security]]

[[Category:Basics]]
[[Categoryoors]]
[[Category:Repair]]
[[Category:Security]]


You can buy "eurolocks" at any DIY store that does the same thing.
Usually takes two minutes to change the barrel.



A Eurolock is *not* a direct replacement for a cylinder lock - if that's
what you're suggesting.

--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

On Dec 14, 5:29*pm, Roger Mills wrote:
On 14/12/2011 10:05, harry wrote:



On Dec 13, 10:39 pm, *wrote:
Input welcome

NT

Its a mostly simple job to fit a new lock barrel. The lock itself is
not replaced, just the barrel, which is bought separately.

==Why==
Apart from the obvious:

A new lock barrel is under £2 for a basic one, or £4-5 for one with
hardened pins in 2011. So replacement is often cheaper than copying
keys. New bzrrels usually come with 3 keys, sometimes 2.

When moving into a house, you've no idea who has keys. Its prudent to
replace external lock barrels.

Some house insurance policies are invalid if a barrel with unhardened
pins is used on an external door.

==Gain access==
If you're locked out and can't get in any other way, drilling out the
lock barrel is usually the easiest way to gain entry. Expect to ruin a
few drill bits in the process. 4mm twist drills are good for the job,
though if not careful more drill bits will be needed.

==Remove lock==
There are 2 ways cylinder locks are commonly fixed to doors. Remove
the visible screwheads, and either the whole lock will come off in one
piece, or most of it will come off, leaving a backplate behind that
needs to be unscrewed to remove it.

==Remove old barrel==
As you'll see, the lock barrel is held with 2 screws. Remove these and
the barrel, the ring on the front, and the plate on the rear come
away. Reuse these screws if they're not wrecked, its easier than
cutting the new ones to length.

==The new lock barrel==
They're standardised, so the main choices are brass or chrome finish,
and hardened or unhardened pins.
* minimum cost barrels are unhardened, and can be drilled open
* house insurance often requires hardened pins
* hardened pin barrels can be drilled, but its more difficult, and can
take a while, and several drill bits.
* unhardened may be preferable for internal rooms& *cupboards, a fair
bit easier to remove if keys are ever lost.

Its not best practice to have new locks, barrels or keys posted to
you, the seller usually has your address, either from the delivery
address or credit card details, and there are people that copy keys
and misuse them.

==Fit new barrel==
How it fits in is fairly obvious, ring at the front, plate at the
back. Get the new barrel in the right position, not twisted round out
of place. There's usually a slight ring indentation in the door, you
sit the front ring in that to avoid a minor decorating mishap. Often
the old front ring looks better than the new one, and on occasion the
old rear plate is the only one that will sit flat enough.

Reuse the old barrel fixing screws when possible, it avoids needing to
cut the new ones. If they can't be reused, the new ones can be chopped
or sawn at the indentations. Don't try to snap them by bending, a lot
of these screws aren't hardened and will bend, ruining them instantly.

The tongue of the new barrel needs to be cut to length. Mark on the
tongue where it projects about half the depth of the lock, and cut it
off there. Length needn't be precise. A hacksaw works, but is slow and
fiddly; bolt croppers or mini bolt croppers are very quick.

==Refit lock==
Just the reverse of removing it.

==Issues==
Issues sometimes encountered:

The new lock is too stiff to turn as far as is needed. If it turns in
one direction ok, and opens the lock, no problem. If not, slacken the
lock barrel fixing and slide it sideways a fraction so it lines up
better with the slot in the lock, and retighten.

The lock screws won't tighten because the thread in the wood is
stripped. Probably the simplest solution is to lightly hammer a
matchstick into the hole in the wood door, and snap it off level. Or
sometimes slightly fatter screws will fit and grip. Or if the screws
are short, fit long ones.

Lock won't quite sit flat against the door. This happens when the rear
plate that holds the lock barrel fouls the lock. Loosen this
backplate, reposition slightly and tighten, or remove it and put the
old one back on instead.

In some situations you might need the new lock to take the old key.
Rekeying a lock barrel is a locksmith's job.

==See also==
* [[Special:Allpages|Wiki Contents]]
* [[Special:Categories|Wiki Subject Categories]]
* [[Door security]]

[[Category:Basics]]
[[Categoryoors]]
[[Category:Repair]]
[[Category:Security]]

You can buy "eurolocks" at any DIY store that does the same thing.
Usually takes two minutes to change the barrel.

A Eurolock is *not* a direct replacement for a cylinder lock - if that's
what you're suggesting.

Indeed. I wonder if its worth addressing this, its very basic but most
people out there have never replaced a lock barrel, so some wont know.


NT

On Dec 13, 10:39*pm, NT wrote:
Input welcome

NT

Its a mostly simple job to fit a new lock barrel. The lock itself is
not replaced, just the barrel, which is bought separately.

==Why==
Apart from the obvious:

A new lock barrel is under £2 for a basic one, or £4-5 for one with
hardened pins in 2011. So replacement is often cheaper than copying
keys. New bzrrels usually come with 3 keys, sometimes 2.

When moving into a house, you've no idea who has keys. Its prudent to
replace external lock barrels.

Some house insurance policies are invalid if a barrel with unhardened
pins is used on an external door.

==Gain access==
If you're locked out and can't get in any other way, drilling out the
lock barrel is usually the easiest way to gain entry. Expect to ruin a
few drill bits in the process. 4mm twist drills are good for the job,
though if not careful more drill bits will be needed.

==Remove lock==
There are 2 ways cylinder locks are commonly fixed to doors. Remove
the visible screwheads, and either the whole lock will come off in one
piece, or most of it will come off, leaving a backplate behind that
needs to be unscrewed to remove it.

==Remove old barrel==
As you'll see, the lock barrel is held with 2 screws. Remove these and
the barrel, the ring on the front, and the plate on the rear come
away. Reuse these screws if they're not wrecked, its easier than
cutting the new ones to length.

==The new lock barrel==
They're standardised, so the main choices are brass or chrome finish,
and hardened or unhardened pins.
* minimum cost barrels are unhardened, and can be drilled open
* house insurance often requires hardened pins
* hardened pin barrels can be drilled, but its more difficult, and can
take a while, and several drill bits.
* unhardened may be preferable for internal rooms & cupboards, a fair
bit easier to remove if keys are ever lost.

Its not best practice to have new locks, barrels or keys posted to
you, the seller usually has your address, either from the delivery
address or credit card details, and there are people that copy keys
and misuse them.

==Fit new barrel==
How it fits in is fairly obvious, ring at the front, plate at the
back. Get the new barrel in the right position, not twisted round out
of place. There's usually a slight ring indentation in the door, you
sit the front ring in that to avoid a minor decorating mishap. Often
the old front ring looks better than the new one, and on occasion the
old rear plate is the only one that will sit flat enough.

Reuse the old barrel fixing screws when possible, it avoids needing to
cut the new ones. If they can't be reused, the new ones can be chopped
or sawn at the indentations. Don't try to snap them by bending, a lot
of these screws aren't hardened and will bend, ruining them instantly.

The tongue of the new barrel needs to be cut to length. Mark on the
tongue where it projects about half the depth of the lock, and cut it
off there. Length needn't be precise. A hacksaw works, but is slow and
fiddly; bolt croppers or mini bolt croppers are very quick.

==Refit lock==
Just the reverse of removing it.

==Issues==
Issues sometimes encountered:

The new lock is too stiff to turn as far as is needed. If it turns in
one direction ok, and opens the lock, no problem. If not, slacken the
lock barrel fixing and slide it sideways a fraction so it lines up
better with the slot in the lock, and retighten.

The lock screws won't tighten because the thread in the wood is
stripped. Probably the simplest solution is to lightly hammer a
matchstick into the hole in the wood door, and snap it off level. Or
sometimes slightly fatter screws will fit and grip. Or if the screws
are short, fit long ones.

Lock won't quite sit flat against the door. This happens when the rear
plate that holds the lock barrel fouls the lock. Loosen this
backplate, reposition slightly and tighten, or remove it and put the
old one back on instead.

In some situations you might need the new lock to take the old key.
Rekeying a lock barrel is a locksmith's job.

==See also==
* [[Special:Allpages|Wiki Contents]]
* [[Special:Categories|Wiki Subject Categories]]
* [[Door security]]

[[Category:Basics]]
[[Categoryoors]]
[[Category:Repair]]
[[Category:Security]]

I assume you're talking about what I know as a rim cylinder rather
than a profile cylinder (such as a europrofile cylinder). Since shops
and online stores tend to call them that rather than barrels it's
probably worth mentioning that.
Another point to watch out for is that although most rim cylinders use
the traditional 5 or 6 pin mechanism you can get other types, e.g.
Abloy , Kaba, Bramah, Ingersoll; some of these are not directly
compatible with latches using standard pin tumbler mechanism, although
some are. If you want to replace one of these
http://www.bramah.co.uk/C17%20Rim%20Cylinder.pdf.pdf
you'll need a rather bigger budget than £5!

On 15/12/11 12:27, docholliday wrote:


Another point to watch out for is that although most rim cylinders use
the traditional 5 or 6 pin mechanism you can get other types, e.g.
Abloy , Kaba, Bramah, Ingersoll; some of these are not directly
compatible with latches using standard pin tumbler mechanism, although
some are. If you want to replace one of these
http://www.bramah.co.uk/C17%20Rim%20Cylinder.pdf.pdf
you'll need a rather bigger budget than £5!

Yes, an interesting lock the Bramah. I used to have one on the front
door. On the positive side it was an effective way of maintaining
control over the number of keys in circulation. Negatives: expensive
when the lock did need changing, and the Bramah key is very sensitive to
getting gummed up with dirt and dust.



--
djc

On Dec 15, 1:46*pm, djc wrote:
On 15/12/11 12:27, docholliday wrote:

Another point to watch out for is that although most rim cylinders use
the traditional 5 or 6 pin mechanism you can get other types, e.g.
Abloy , Kaba, Bramah, Ingersoll; some of these are not directly
compatible with latches using standard pin tumbler mechanism, although
some are. If you want to replace one of these
http://www.bramah.co.uk/C17%20Rim%20Cylinder.pdf.pdf
you'll need a rather bigger budget than £5!

Yes, an interesting lock the Bramah. I used to have one on the front
door. On the positive side it was an effective way of maintaining
control over the number of keys in circulation. Negatives: expensive
when the lock did need changing, and the Bramah key is very sensitive to
getting gummed up with dirt and dust.

--
djc

As supplied the keys all come with little plastic covers to prevent
the slots getting filled up with dirt - but they're not exactly a user-
friendly thing to have on a key you're carring around on a keyring. I
suspect most of them get lost, broken or discarded relatively quickly!

On Dec 13 2011, 10:39*pm, NT wrote:
Input welcome

NT

Latest version...

NT


[[image:Lock_cylinder_2519-6.jpg|right|300px]]

The technology of cylinder locks dates back thousands of years to the
ancient Egyptians. Today's cylinder locks usually have a separate lock
cylinder that can be replaced on its own.

There are also other incompatible cylinder lock systems, such as
eurolock.

Its a mostly simple job to fit a new rim lock cylinder. The lock
itself is not usually replaced, just the key cylinder, which is bought
separately.


==Why replace==
Apart from the obvious...

A new rim lock cylinder is under £2 for a basic one, or £4-5 for one
with hardened pins in 2011. So replacement is often cheaper than
copying keys. New cylinders usually come with 3 keys, sometimes 2.

When moving into a house, you've no idea who has keys. Its prudent to
replace external cylinders.

Some house insurance policies are invalid if a cylinder with
unhardened pins is used on an external door.


==The new cylinder==
They're standardised, so the main choices are brass or chrome finish,
and hardened or unhardened pins, 5 or 6 pin.
* minimum cost cylinders are unhardened 5 pin, and can be drilled open
* house insurance often requires hardened pins
* hardened pin cylinders can be drilled, but its more difficult, and
can take a while, and several [[drill bit]]s.
* unhardened may be preferable for internal rooms & cupboards, a fair
bit easier to remove if keys are ever lost.
* You can also buy higher security cylinders from the likes of Abloy,
Bramah, Ingersoll & Kaba, at a price. Not all are compatible with
standard rim cylinder locks

New lock cylinders always come with 2 snapoff screws, a front ring and
a rear fixing plate in the pack.

Its not best practice to have new locks, cylinders or keys posted to
you, the seller usually has your address, either from the delivery
address or credit card details, and there are people that copy keys
and misuse them.


==How to replace==
Once the lock is unscrewed, its not hard to see how it all goes
together.

===Gain access===
If you're locked out and can't get in any other way, drilling out the
lock cylinder is usually the easiest way to gain entry. Expect to ruin
a few [[drill bit]]s in the process. 4mm twist drills are good for the
job, though if not careful more drill bits will be needed.

===Remove lock===
There are 2 ways cylinder locks are commonly fixed to doors. Remove
the visible screwheads, and either the whole lock will come off in one
piece, or most of it will come off, leaving a backplate behind that
needs to be unscrewed to remove it.

If the whole lock comes off in one, there is a separate smaller
backplate that holds the cylinder in place. When the lock leaves a
full size backplate in place, the baseplate holds both the cylinder
and the lock.

===Remove old cylinder===
As you'll see, the lock cylinder is held with 2 [[Screw#Snapoff_screws|
snapoff screws]]. Remove these, and the cylinder, the ring on the
front, and the plate on the rear all come away. Reuse these screws if
they're not wrecked, its easier than cutting the new ones to length.

===Fit new cylinder===
How it fits in is fairly obvious, ring at the front, plate at the
back. Get the new cylinder in the right position, not rotated round
out of place. There's usually a slight ring indentation in the door,
sit the front ring in that to avoid a minor decorating mishap. Often
the old front ring looks better than the new one, and on occasion the
old rear plate is the only one that will sit flat enough.

Reuse the old cylinder fixing [[Screw#Snapoff_screws|snapoff screws]]
when possible, it avoids needing to cut the new ones. If they can't be
reused, the new ones can be chopped or sawn at the indentations. Don't
try to snap them, a lot of these screws aren't hardened and will bend,
ruining them instantly. If cutting screws, look at the cut end
afterwards, and if any thread is distorted at the end, file the
damaged bit of thread down.

The projecting tongue of the new cylinder needs to be cut to length.
Mark on the tongue where it projects about halfway into the depth of
the lock, and cut it off there. Length needn't be precise. A
hack[[saw]] works, but is slow and fiddly; bolt croppers or mini bolt
croppers are very quick.

===Refit lock===
Just the reverse of removing it.


==Issues==
Issues sometimes encountered:

===Screw won't tighten===
The lock [[screws]] won't tighten because the thread in the wood is
stripped. Probably the simplest solution is to lightly [[hammer]] a
matchstick into the hole in the wood door, and snap it off level. Or
sometimes slightly fatter screws will fit and grip. Or if the screws
are short, fit much longer ones.

===Lock won't sit flat===
Lock won't quite sit flat against the door. This happens when the rear
plate that holds the lock cylinder fouls the lock. Loosen this
backplate, reposition slightly and tighten, or if necessary remove it
and put the old one back on instead.

===Lock needs to accept old key===
In some situations you might need a new lock that takes the old key.
Rekeying a lock cylinder is a locksmith job.

===Stiffness===
There are a few patterns of stiffness, with different causes.
[[Oil]]ing the cylinder is never the solution, and only causes
staining of hands & clothing with dirty oil.

====Stiffens up when turned====
The new lock is too stiff to turn as far as is needed. If it turns in
one direction ok, and opens the lock, no problem. If not, the cause is
usually poor alignment between cylinder and lock. This tends to give
huge variation in stiffness as the key is turned. Slacken the lock
cylinder fixing and slide it sideways a fraction so it lines up better
with the slot in the lock where the tongue goes, and retighten.

====Consistently stiff to turn====
If the amount of stiffness doesn't vary with key position, the fault
is with the lock, not the cylinder. Open, clean and grease the lock
mechanism. Lock parts tend to pop out of place when opened, so
probably some people are better leaving it alone.

===Key needs waggling===
If the key needs waggling to be able to turn, this is caused by a
poorly cut key copy. It also happens on old lock cylinders that have
had a lot of use, and the mechanism is well worn.

===Key doesn't insert smoothly===
[[image:Key projections 5284-3.jpg|right|185px]]

The key needs waggling to insert, or is stiff to insert. Some keys
have a series of raised points between the pin landing areas as a
result of the way they're cut. This can cause keys to not go in
smoothly. The solution is to file the raised points on the key down -
obviously the pin landing areas must not be filed down.

===Key doesn't turn===
If a key just doesn't turn at all, its not uncommon for a copied key
to fail to work, due to a slight error in cutting.


==See also==
* [[Special:Allpages|Wiki Contents]]
* [[Special:Categories|Wiki Subject Categories]]
* [[Door Security]]


[[Category:Basics]]
[[Categoryoors]]
[[Category:Repair]]
[[Category:Security]]