Door Frame Repair - After Break In, Using Strikemaster II

We just completed another repair project on behalf of a property management company, where the tenant had been the victim of a burglary attempt where the door was kicked in and the frame failed.

We are not painters and advise our clients of such during the estimate phase. We are happy to perform the required repairs quickly and at the residents convenience.

Below you can see the "before" images and understand what we were about to encounter.

 This view is from the Garage side of the door we were to repair.

We advised the property manager that future painters would also be required to repair the walls and gaps around the exterior side of the frame.

Whomever had rehabbed this place, obviously decided to cut corners to save money (a common action of house flippers)

 You can see the damage to the interior trim, the location where the strike for the entrance set and deadbolt has completely been broken out. Also the paint on the inside wall was torn away in the attack.

Here is a better angle of the damaged door frame.


This project type is one of our common project requests. Customers requiring to fix a broken door frame after suffering from door frame failure resulting from a kick-in attack.

When considering to repair or replace the entire door and frame, understanding that the average cost in the local market to supply and install a new door and frame can be ~$1100 - $1500 for a quality professional to install a standard door and frame, it becomes worthwhile to seek alternative solutions that reduce cost while upgrading the security of the location.

Enter the Strikemaster II. This phenomenal security and repair product is expertly designed and manufactured in the USA. A Safe Homes is a company based in the Carolinas that is on the forefront of product development, especially when it comes to safety, security and protection of the doors we all use daily.

This next image shows our completed repair using new trim and the Strikemaster II expertly installed,

Comparing this to the before pictures shows the entire gaping hole left by the door kick-in (where the entrance set latch and deadbolt go), is now completely hidden.

You can still see the area that requires painting, another project for another tradesperson for another time.

 This image shows a different angle of the new trim and the still damaged paintwork.

Professional painter and decorators will first use caulk to seal the gaps between connecting pieces, Some painters will also remove the trim and paint the wall, then re-install the trim, creating more professional looking lines, that can then be caulked after the paint dries

This final image of the completed project shows a better view of the Strikemaster II. the unique patented product uses a 2 part process to create a "laminating" effect. Also the outer steel uses a lip designed to hook around the edge of the door frame. This lip is an integral part of the product design, because it increases the strength of the product when being attacked.

Strikemaster II also uses stainless steel screws about 3" long, that tie the product, through the flimsy thin frame, to the stud behind, effectively anchoring the new product and providing almost impenetrable strength.

Being 5' long and using 8-10 stainless steel screws, combined with the lip and the laminating effect, the product is very strong because a new attempt to kick-in the door will spread the weight applied by the kicking action across a wider surface.


It is unfortunately, all too common that a great many homeowners, property managers, residents and tenants just are not proactive enough to anticipate future events like door frame failure, by installing products like this in advance of an event. Perhaps purchasing new designer shoes is of greater importance than providing security protection for your family and colleagues.

Speaking to your local locksmith can provide you with some great knowledge and experience to effectively mitigate issues and events down the road.

This entire repair project cost about $300.00 and they could maintain their existing door and frame. Compare that to the average door and frame replacement cost, that does not apply similar door frame strengthening to prevent another kick-in attempt and you effectively spent almost a thousand dollars more without increasing security and protecting your family and possessions satisfactorily.

Repairing Building Entry Door Using Plast-Aid

Often we find ourselves receiving calls from customers who request repairs to their entry doors on commercial premises.

There are many and varying types, styles and functions of entry doors, used across the world. In the United States, many commercial entrances use aluminum shopfront entrances, often installed by professional shopfitters.

Last week a client called us to repair a shopfront aluminum entrance door on their church entry.
This door was probably about 40 years old, judging from the style, the lock, the fading etc.

The initial repair was simply a readjustment of the door closer to enable correct closing distance.
We explained to the client that the use of double cylinder locks on primary entrances is a violation of building codes/life safety codes. We recommended they contact their local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) to get in writing, permission to use an inside cylinder on their entry door, while explaining that potentially, their insurance could be void if someone was locked inside and unable to easily escape. Life safety codes trump security, especially on commercial dwellings.

Here is an image of the outside of the front entry door. You can see where someone previous to me, decided to attempt to upgrade the security of the door, by installing a long metal plate along the door edge, to attempt to prevent a would be intruder from gaining access without damage.

While this is a great suggestion to increase the security of an entrance, in this particular case, the installer actually reduced the security of this entrance by removing the strike plate from the door jamb making the gap between the edge of the door and the door jamb too wide - preventing the deadlatching activator from operating correctly and making the latch mechanism easily able to be loided (latch pushed in using a screwdriver or plastic card)

This image shows the strike removed from the door jamb.

We thought of multiple ways to effect a simple repair to this issue, to reduce the gap between door and jamb, when closed.

We settled on a repair using the fabulous Plast-Aid moulding repair product.

We combined the Plast-Aid powder and ointment to a sufficient amount for the project, letting it cure to the point of a useable putty.

We applied the putty to the door jamb, where the strike plate would normally fit and let it harden sufficiently to recreate the function that the strike plate would provide.

The Plast-Aid product hardened in about 10 minutes and made the region of the door that the deadlatching pin was to hit, wider ensuring that the pin would then activate the security of the latch mechanism.

You can see in the next image, the door almost closed and the Plast-Aid repair product, jutting out sufficiently to encounter the deadlatching activator,

The local AHJ had already been and required them to change the double cylinder into an inside turnbutton, while allowing them to continue using the paddle on the inside and not having to replace the whole fitting with a panic exit device.

this image shows the latch mechanism fully seated in the strike hole (where the strike would normally have been fitted), contacting the deadlatching activator and securing the latch mechanism from loiding.

This whole project enabled us to maintain using the custom made blocker plate installed by the previous technician but repair the deadlatching feature and provide  stronger security, as intended by a dealatching lock system.

Pocket Door Repairs

Being a professional contractor who specializes in locksmith services and door repair services and products, allows me to offer unique and specialized products and services to a varied range of clients.

We have been continued members of the Home Advisor network, coming on 12 years, ever since it's early inception as Service Magic. The parent company of Home Advisor, ANGI Repair Services, recently completed their acquisition of Angie's List and have melded the Angie's List network into the Home Advisor network to create the largest lead generation service online.

We receive a great many leads from the network and over the years have been lucky to receive 370+ reviews from satisfied clients.   (View Our Home Advisor Page Here And Read Our Reviews)

One of the not so common requests we receive is "Repair Pocket Doors".

It has become an interesting and increasing number of inquiries from customers who suffer from pocket doors that drop wheels or tracks not holding sufficiently longer and doors not straight.

There are obviously far too few tradespeople in my region, capable enough to repair pocket doors.

Below, find some images we took on a recent pocket door repair. The customer could not find anyone to perform the repair (before me) with almost all contractors they contacted, refusing to repair stuff preferring to only tear out and replace. Doing such, would add significant cost to projects and take much longer than just a repair.

before image

 This shows the unbalanced door

before image - opposite side

preparing for removal

 Removing the trim means cutting along caulk and existing paint line, to minimize damage

Cutting away caulk and paint on edges

cutting caulk and paint on interior edges

Cutting caulk and paint from closed edge

carefully removing existing trim

trim almost removed

remove overhead trim and rail

dont forget to remove all the little nails

In the images above, we display the methods we use to create as little mess as possible and performing the dismantle without the need to cut into the wall, we always survey and estimate all repair jobs in advance and inform the customers that we are not painters and do not paint and caulk.
We always tell the customer that they may need to caulk and paint afterward.

Being careful to cut the edges of the trim and frame will allow you to pull the trim without affecting too much of the existing paintwork,

Remove the trim from top and sides of one side of the door only. Dont forget to remove all the little nails you find, to avoid having difficulty taking the door out and difficulty reattaching the trim after completing your repair.


We deliberately do not show the inside workings in this example repair because we dont want to give the whole farm away.

The next images are the after images with the repair completed and the trim reattached. You can see, that using this method can save you a lot of money and heartache. We reattached the trim using our nail-gun and the end result is a repaired and suitably operating pocket door.

 Here you can see the reattached trim and the slight damage to the paintwork, that the customer will fix themselves.

 This is the completed door from inside the bathroom

 Another look from inside, post repair

And this is the look after cleanup from the vanity side of the bathroom.


The entire project took about 3 hours to complete and did not involve any new parts, apart from some nail-gun nails.

Sliding Doors Are One Of the Weakest Links In Your Home - What Can You Do?

We originally posted the following article in June 2010. Consulting your local trained professional locksmith can help you to understand the many and varied products we can supply and services we can perform to improve the security of these sliding patio doors




The above video is actually an explanation of how to replace a sliding door installation with french style doors but it does highlight the ease in pulling the common sliding door from it's tracks.

I am called upon often to repair sliding doors, that have become increasingly harder to operate. There are multiple reasons that doors can become inoperative, but we will leave that for a later article.

The reason I decided to include the above video here is to highlight the extreme weakness that almost all sliding patio doors suffer from.

You can see how easy it is to lift the door from it's track. When the door is closed, it is usually held locked by just a metal hook. Often that hook is all that is preventing the door from being opened. I have seen many instances where the sliding door is the principle method of surreptitious entry. Often intruders simply use a large screwdriver or prybar/crowbar (found in most automobiles) and lever under the bottom of the door, raising the whole door frame enough to remove the door completely from the track. Even while still locked.

There is a very simple and cost effective measure that can be applied to prevent most sliding doors from being removed in this fashion.

Simply, install a self-tapping screw into the top track, so that the head is protruding enough to allow the door to still slide but reduce the lift, or amount the door can be raised.

Some lock manufacturers include anti-lift pins in their locks to help with this problem, but often the parts are made from die-cast aluminum, which is weak and brittle.

For about 50 cents you can prevent the door from being lifted off it's track.

Many people insert a piece of dowel or length of wood into the track behind the door. While this is probably one of the cheapest and best methods for preventing the door from sliding open, it does nothing to stop the door from lifting up.

Solar Powered Power Option For Controlling Electronic Security Products

In June 2010 we posted an article (below) about solar powered power options designed to be used to enable electronic security products.

We have seen a great number of pageviews for this particular post and thought we'd follow up that article with an opinion about the multitude of electronic wireless, battery powered products that continue to enter this (getting) crowded market segment.

In a number of other articles we have written here, we have continued to question the benefits and quality of many battery powered security products.

We believe that the battery powered security devices, specifically deadbolts, entrance sets and the like can offer only 2 primary benefits that can make them appealing.

These benefits are:
1. The ability to remotely lock or unlock the product and the ability to inquire as to the lock status (is the door locked or not)

2. The ability to set automatic locking on the product, to ensure your product locks independent of human involvement.




Understanding that many consumers today are increasingly interested in the many and varied battery powered options, aimed at simplifying their lives, unfortunately the convincing sales pitches will rarely tell you about the genre's shortcomings. Specifically, the need to be constantly replacing batteries to maintain continued operations and the other primary issue, being that as all doors and frames move with weathering, settling, ground movements etc. your beaut $200+ deadbolt or entrance set WILL become useless before long and suffer electronic operability issues.

We believe that the best security offered by deadbolts and entrance sets, is still the mechanical options that can be physically operated by hand. When a condition occurs that inhibits your ease of use, mechanically you can still play with it to get it to operate. Electronically, this is not possible.

Master Pro Series Padlocks - Post Revisited

Way back in 2007, we posted article here about the Master Pro Series Padlock.
The post has generated a great many page views over the years. We still believe this product to be one of the best in it's class.



June 29, 2007



The Master Pro Series 6621 padlock is one of the finest and most versatile padlocks available for todays market. It is an all-weather resistant padlock.

Locks210.com is pleased to present this product keyed to Bilock with your choice of key head colors and 3 keys. (price on application)


The Master Pro Series Padlocks are among the finest padlock products in their genre.

You can choose from key retaining (meaning you can only withdraw the key when locked) or standard (key withdrawal either locked or unlocked)

The source below display the many and varied options of this widely respected padlock range.

(source...)

Daring Indiana Burglar Uses Bird Scooter To Make Getaway

A daring burglar in Indiana entered a homeowners residence though an unlocked door, ransacked the place and made his daring getaway on a for-hire scooter, according to an article appearing on ABC News.

According to the article the resident was at home during the raid and even heard some noises downstairs but when he went to investigate, he saw his wallet, laptop and car keys were missing.

According to police, there was no sign of forced entry indicating that the back door was left unlocked.

The Bird Scooter rental company has distanced themselves from the incident.

The article (in the source below) is yet another instance where crimes of opportunity appear to be on the rise. Leaving your doors unlocked used to be okay, in previous years but today, you're just asking for trouble.

Locksmiths across the country and around the world can provide quality locking products that will automatically lock the door when closed, but even the ages old nighlatch is designed to lock every time (unless you snib it open).

There is an apt saying, "Keep It Yours - Lock Your Doors"!

(source...)



In another article appearing on 10TV News in Hamilton Ohio, an elderly resident has been robbed by a man, whom she knew and even hired.

Apparently she paid him $150 to cut down a tree (which he never completed) and then this man entered her unlocked home and stole a further $250+.

This is yet another reason to "Keep It Yours - Lock Your Doors"!

(source...)

Tesla Model 3 Key Fob - New Accessory Introduced Because Of Sufficient Demand

Tesla - the modern day electric car manufacturer, have been producing some exciting new vehicles in recent years and the release of their newest model - The Tesla Model 3 - the engineers have capitulated to customers demands for using a key fob rather than just your cell phone with Bluetooth or the included proximity card. (see video below)




The new accessory images were recently leaked and we show them below...

According to Electrek, users of the new model complained about the lack of a key fob option to which Tesla decided to produce a fob similar to the types used in the Model S and Model X.

Tesla, reknowned for pushing the envelope in modern engineering, decided early to adapt their offerings to eventually remove the mechanical keyswitch from their vehicles, saving costs and manufacturing conveniences.

The source below offers some additional images of the fob. Note: Thos fob is only for the Tesla Model S.

(source...)

Burglaries At Gun Stores Increasing In Missouri And USA - But Locksmiths And Safe Specialists Have The Answers

Pictured above is a Google Maps embed of the location of the Denny Dennis Sporting Goods Store in Fenton, Missouri where thieves rammed the garage door to gain destructive entry and steal a number of firearms that are said to already have made their way to the streets of Missouri.

An article distributed widely has informed us about the daring burglary of the gun store and the theft of a number of firearms.

Another article in The St Louis Post Dispatch, dated September 6, 2018 also discusses this troubling trend of increasing burglaries of gun stores across America (see source below).

The article goes on to quote the store owner and his company's attempts to better secure his establishment. He explains that their use of gun safes actually mitigated further troubling loss.

Using security cameras, alarm systems, bollards at the front etc, they show that the store owners and management are pro-active in their security concerns, but it is still disappointing and troubling that there are still so many nefarious attempts to burglarize gun shops.

Making Car Keys - Post Revisited (November 2008)

A number of locksmiths across the world choose to offer automobile key manufacturing services.

WE DO NOT!

Not because we dont know how. We choose to offer our expertise in other ways.

For many of our first 20  years in the locksmith profession, we offered automobile locksmith services too, But in the last 13 years, here in our geographic region we found that too many local operators are simply not charging enough for expert automobile locksmithing services.

Lucky for us, we enjoy professional relationships with a number of colleagues whom we believe to experts in the field and have no hesitation in recommending their automobile locksmith offerings.

Following is an article from November 1, 2008 that explains a little about making car keys...

November 1, 2008

Making Car Keys

Many locksmiths across the world are often called upon by customers to duplicate or re-create original keys for cars, trucks, buses, motor homes, prime movers, motorcycles and other motor driven equipment.

Since 1995, many automobile manufacturers have included advanced security features to their products, in an attempt to provide their customers with state of the art protection, reduce incidence of theft and also to provide advanced diagnostics information for mechanics and repairers.

When the auto industry started evolving, many customers found themselves only able to duplicate modern auto keys at their respective dealerships. Not Anymore!

Thanks to the excellent research and development of companies like Advanced Diagnostics, locksmiths across the world have been able to purchase suitable equipment to enable the duplication and origination of automobile keys.

There have also been many advances in the locksmith industry in relation to the ability to make keys for cars without the need to remove lock cylinders. Tools like EEZ Readers, Determinators etc, reduce the need to dismantle doors or ignitions, significantly speeding up the time required to perform key origination requests.

Many locksmiths posess the ability to code cut keys to customers providing the original keycode for their vehicles. But, the greater majority of customers never recorded the original keycode information after initial purchase, causing increased expense when the need arose to make new keys. In recent times, many automobile manufacturers have started to produce their vehicles without keycodes embossed on the lock cylinders and dealers usually only maintained records for up to 5 years.

A new law is about to come into effect in California next year thanks to the efforts of the National Automotive Services Task Force (NASTF), that will require all dealer representatives to provide  24 hour keycode assistance to customers. The sticking point in this new legislation is that only approved locksmiths (ALOA members) and other specific trades, will be allowed to access this information. No doubt, the ability to access vehicle codes will impact the industry with likely increased prices for the purchase of code information, there are a few locksmiths who will never require the codes because, the level of training they have completed will enable them to provide services to customers in spite of the attempted industry regulating efforts of NASTF.

When customers seek new keys for their vehicles, I recommend they seek out a qualified locksmith professional with the appropriate transponder programming equipment, who can offer services only a properly trained technician can perform.

At Locks210.com, we consider ourselves reasonably proficient in many locksmith duties and tasks, however we are not currently suitably qualified or equipped to provide the expert assistance necessary to perform automotive key manufacturing requests.

We strongly recommend the services of our colleague Patrick Chapman of St Louis Lock And Key (314)494-2510.

Also Jack Shinstock of Lock Express (314)307-2239

If you are located in Vancouver, British Columbia or the surrounding area, we have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Mike Behr of Behr Lock Inc (604)880-9891.

If you are located in the Winnipeg, Manitoba region, we strongly recommend Darren Ingleson of Wildwood Lock & Security (204)791-7911.

Strikemaster II Pro - Still The Best offering To Repair And Prevent Door Frame Failure (Post Revisited - December 2009)

Back in 2008, we first posted about the fabulous Strikemaster II product. A product designed, manufactured and marketed by a colleague from North Carolina.

We have been continually selling and recommending this product for many years now, because it is one of the few products of it's kind that very inexpensively will repair your door after a door kick in without requiring you to replace the entire door and frame.

Below, find one of our first posts about this product and the original video that was made to explain it's features.

Over they last 10 years, we have installed hundreds of these products to customers who have suffered the heartbreak of door frame failure. I guess our clients love the fact that such a competitive priced American made product is widely available to correctly and professionally repair their door frames, without requiring they to spend significantly more for a new door and frame, that essentially will not protect them from similar attacks in future.



December 3, 2009

Strikemaster II Pro

This video shows exactly how and why the Strikemaster 11 product is essential to securing homes and residences. This particular video is almost 4 years old and the price displayed there is incorrect.

The new Strikemaster 11 Pro product is an improvement to the design of this fantastic product and is available now. Whether you decide to order it direct from the manufacturer or through any of their dealers, the price is identical.

We expect stocks of the newer model in about 3 weeks time.

We previously talked about the Strikemaster 11 in March 2008.

(source...)



A list of our articles about this product and similar offerings can be viewed here.

Post Revisited - November 25, 2008 - Safes - How To Choose

The post below was first published here November 25, 2008 and has racked up a great many views during that time.

Explaining the attributes of safes can be a chore to the uninitiated. The CDOJ (California Department Of Justice) put together their own list of attributes to consider when purchasing a safe.

Today, many of the items advised herein, still apply, It is up to the end user to decide for themselves, the attributes required to suit their individual needs...

Pictured above is just a random image selected online of a safe.

Choosing a safe is often difficult. 

I have been asked many times over the years to make a recommendation to customers wishing to purchase a safe.

Before making a recommendation, I feel it necessary to ask some specific questions to a customer to help in determining a suitable product to recommend.

Many people do not understand the ratings systems for safes, probably because there is no written industry standard.

In the early 1990's, I worked for one of Australia's oldest manufacturers of quality safes, Kelly Safe Co PTY LTD. (they closed down in 1995, I believe). Kelly safes were considered a staple of the Australian landscape for about 100 years previously. They manufactured impressive quality safes for many of Australia's institutions, banks, high-society clubs, hotels etc.

The increasing competition from foreign products combined with the significant increase in raw materials cost, saw Kelly become less competitive in later years.

I learned much from my short time with them about how to grade safes.

There are many classifications of safes that are determined by each individual country/locallity as suitable for local conditions. The leading tester in the world (most respected) is known as the Underwriters Laboratory.

The questions I like to ask my clients are:

1. What approximate cash value of personal documents, jewellery, bank notes etc are you looking to secure?

This determines what grade of safe would be suitable for the contents.

2. Approximately how big (dimensions) would the individual pieces of content be for storage?

This determines the necessary internal dimensions of the recommended safe.

3. Are you looking for Burglary Protection, Fire Protection or both?

4. Would you prefer a bolt down facility, free-standing, on castors, wall-mount, floor mount, vault etc?

5. How much are you looking to spend?

The most important question is question #1, because this separates the designations of safes from each other and directly guides a professional to make the most suitable recommendation.

In California, the CDOJ (California Department Of Justice) uses the following terms:


California Department of Justice Burglary Rating (CDOJ)
Regulatory Gun Safe StandardsDOJ regulatory standards require a gun safe to meet either: 
All of the following requirements:

1. Shall be able to fully contain firearms and provide for their secure storage.
2. Shall have a locking system consisting of at minimum a mechanical or electronic combination lock. The mechanical or electronic combination lock utilized by the safe shall have at least 10,000 possible combinations consisting of a minimum three numbers, letters, or symbols. The lock shall be protected by a case-hardened (Rc 60+) drill-resistant steel plate, or drill-resistant material of equivalent strength.
3. Boltwork shall consist of a minimum of three steel locking bolts of at least ½ inch thickness that intrude from the door of the safe into the body of the safe or from the body of the safe into the door of the safe, which are operated by a separate handle and secured by the lock.
4. Shall be capable of repeated use. The exterior walls shall be constructed of a minimum 12-gauge thick steel for a single-walled safe, or the sum of the steel walls shall add up to at least .100 inches for safes with two walls. Doors shall be constructed of a minimum of two layers of 12-gauge steel, or one layer of 7-gauge steel compound construction.
5. Door hinges shall be protected to prevent the removal of the door. Protective features include, but are not limited to: hinges not exposed to the outside, interlocking door designs, dead bars, jeweler’s lugs and active or inactive locking bolts.

or All of the following requirements:

1. Is listed as an Underwriters Laboratories Residential Security Container;
2. Is able to fully contain firearms;
3. Provides for the secure storage of firearms.

BURGLAR SAFES:
Burglar safes are usually made of solid steel plate or a combination of solid steel and composite fill material such as concrete. These safes are divided into categories based on the level of protection delivered and the testing endured. Here we will discuss only seven classes: B-Rate, U.L. RSC Rating, B/C Rate, C-Rate, U.L. TL-15, U.L. TL-30 and TL-30 X6.

B-RATE SAFES (ALSO U.L. RSC, RESIDENTIAL SECURITY CONTAINERS):
B-Rate is a catchall rating for essentially any box with a lock on it. The safe industry had an unwritten standard of ¼ inch body, ½ inch door. As steel prices (and shipping costs) increased manufacturers tried many things to reduce their costs. No tests are given to provide this rating. When buying a B-rate safe, look at things such as lock work, hard plates, and relocks.
U.L. Residential Security Container rating (RSC) - This UL rating is based on testing conducted for a net working time of five minutes, on all sides, with a range of tools. See U.L. TL-15 and TL-30 descriptions below for "net working time" description.

B/C-Rate Safes

This is a catchall rating for safes with at least a 1/4" steel body, 1/2 inch door PLUS additional 10 or 12 guage metal layers where composite fire resistant material is also deployed. No tests are given to provide this rating. Look at the lock work, relocks and other features when making your decision.

C-Rate Safes

This is defined as a ½ inch thick steel box with a 1-inch thick door and a lock. As before, NO tests are given to provide this rating. Look at the lock work, relocks and other features when making your decision.


The Underwriters Laboratory information:
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) Ratings
http://www.ul.com

TL-15

Safes given a U.L. TL-15 rating have all passed standardized tests defined in UL Standard 687 using the same tools and usually the same group of testing engineers.Construction Requirements

• U.L. listed Group II, 1 or 1R combination lock.
• 750 lbs. minimum or comes with instructions for anchoring in a larger safe, concrete blocks or on the premises where used.
• Body walls of material equivalent to at least 1" open hearth steel with a minimum tensile strength of 50,000 P.S.I.
• Walls fastened in a manner equivalent to continuous 1/4" penetration weld of open hearth steel with minimum tensile
  strength of 50,000 P.S.I.
• One hole 1/4" or less, to accommodate electrical conductors arranged to have no direct view of the door or locking mechanism.

The label means that the safe successfully resisted entry (i.e. opening the door or making a 6" square opening entirely through the door or front face) for a NET working time of 15 minutes using "…common hand tools, drills, punches hammers, and pressure applying devices." Net working time means simply "when the tool comes off the safe the clock stops". There are over fifty different types of attacks that can be used to gain entrance into the safe. Usually they will try only 2 or 3 based on what they know about the product, and they know a lot.

TL-30

Construction requirements are identical to the TL-15 above. Tests are essentially the same as the TL-15 tests except for the net working time. Testors are allowed 30 minutes and a few more tools (abrasive cutting wheels and power saws) to help them gain entrance. The label signifies the testors were unable to open the door or make a 6" square opening entirely through the door or front face within 30 minutes. Keep in mind these engineers have the manufacturing blue prints and can disassemble the safe being tested before the test begins to see how it works. They know their stuff. TL-30 x 6 - The TL-30 (30-minute) test is conducted on all six (6) sides of the safe.

Other Considerations

When you begin the search for a safe it is a good idea to speak to your insurance agent and see if a particular type of safe will reduce your insurance costs. Many times you can justify the additional expense of a higher security safe because of the premium reduction. Remember no safe is burglar proof, you are buying time. The longer it takes to break in the greater the chance to be caught, and thieves don’t like to get caught.

---

10 Things You Didn't Know About UL's Safe Testing

1. The best safecrackers in the business never steal a penny. They work for UL.
   
2. UL has been testing and certifying safes for more than 80 years. The first safe tested for burglary resistance was in 1923 and the first bank vault in 1925.
   
3. Chisels, wenches, screwdrivers, power saws, cutting torches, crowbars, abrasive cutting wheels, jackhammers, even specified amounts of nitroglycerin are just a few of the "tools" UL technicians use during a safe attack. The idea is to test safes to worst-case scenarios. They use tools that could be found at any construction site or hardware store. They also analyze blueprints as if the burglar might have blueprints of the design and attack its weakest points to evaluate the safe for certification.
   
4. UL's safe attack tests are conducted by a two-person crew. The object is to create an opening large enough to withdraw "valuables" (anywhere from 2- to 6-square-inches on a safe and up to 96-square-inches on a vault), activate the locking mechanism so the door opens or to cut as many bolts from the door as necessary to pry it open before the time specified in the rating requirement expires.
   
5. Safes are rated for their resistance to attack against specific tools for a set period of time. There are a dozen different ratings, everything from ATM machines, to gun safes to bank vaults. For example, a safe that bears a Class TRTL-15X6 rating, which might be found in a jewelry store, should resist a hand tool and torch attack for a minimum of 15 minutes. A TRTL-30X6-rated safe, which would protect important documents or store money, should withstand an attack for 30 minutes. The ultimate safe rating-a TXTL60-should withstand an hour's worth of attack that includes the use of 8 ounces of nitroglycerin.
   
6. Because of the size and weight of certain safes and vault doors, it is not always practical to have the product shipped to UL's laboratory locations. UL's burglary protection staff has traveled to destinations such as Japan, France, Israel, England, Finland, Taiwan and India.
   
7. In addition to burglary protection ratings, UL also rates safes for their fire resistance protection. Class 350 safes protect paper documents, Class 150 safes protect magnetic tape and photographic film, while Class 125 safes protect floppy disks. In addition to the Class Rating, safes obtain an hourly rating for fire resistance-anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours.
   
8. Another cool test UL runs on safes is an impact test. This test simulates a safe falling though multiple stories of a building-resulting from a fire that has weakened the structure. After the safe is heated to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in a furnace, it's raised three stories and dropped onto a pile of bricks. In order to meet the requirement, the safe can't pop open. Temperatures inside can't rise to above 300 degrees Fahrenheit and sample papers left inside have to be readable.
   
9. The specialized suits you sometimes find technicians wearing are not just for show. Their entire ensemble, including protective coat, helmet and gloves, protects the crew against the adverse effects of sparking. After all, safety can't be taken for granted, even within the walls of UL.
   
10. Safes are just one of the 19,000 product categories that UL tests and certifies. While UL's burglary protection team cracks combinations, shatters glass and fires .44-caliber bullets at body armor, other UL engineers and technicians keep busy testing everything from TVs, coffee makers and holiday light strings to fire extinguishers, medical CAT scan equipment and building materials.

(source...)

Post Revisited - August 20, 2007 Lock Bumping By Master Lock

A little over 11 years ago we posted the following article here in our blog.

Since then, a great many products have come and gone from the marketplace, claiming to be bump proof, bump resistant, pick proof, pick resistant etc.

Unfortunately, ensuing years have proven many of these claims to be untrue, except for the leading Australian designed Bilock Extreme Security, bump proof and virtually pick proof high security key and lock system, among few others including Abloy and in later years Multilock MT5.

The advent of many electronic lock products has not prevented many of them being vulnerable to bumping or picking and many customers still appear to be accepting the advice of untrained and unknowing sales assistants at leading big box hardware stores over the tried and true experience of the second oldest profession on Earth - Locksmiths. 


August 20, 2011

Latest Bumping Video from Master.







Bilock is the only fully 100% guaranteed bump proof pin tumbler lock cylinder available. Bilock has been available since 1980's with technology that is many years ahead of others.

Locks210.com is a proud Bilock Extreme Security exclusive dealer.


(source...)

Language Barriers Once An Issue Of The Past, Are Simplified And Eradicated With Google Translate

Multiculturalism has become a very large and important part of society and business life today, with a great many people living here and across the world who may speak little to none of the native language of the land.

I was called to a client last Friday, to survey and estimate for a door and lock repair project, where the customer who had filled out the online lead form, obviously didnt understand much English.

I contacted them immediately (as i try to do with all leads) and noticed the difficulty in understanding them and they in understanding me.

By speaking very slowly and enunciating my words, I was able to get my message across and determine some of their needs. I arranged a suitable time (in the following hour) to attend and provide a free onsite survey and estimate, like we offer to all our clients.

Upon arrival, ringing the door bell and waiting, the clients daughter answered the door and invited me in.

She spoke very little English and after a few minutes I managed to get her to tell me that she was Nepalese. She pointed me in the direction of the project request and toward her father and mother.

The difficulty in communicating, to determine their needs was perplexing until I remembered that Google produced a fabulous app, a few years ago called Google Translate.

Having traveled abroad, a number of times in recent years and me not speaking the native language of some of my destinations, I have successfully used the Google Translate app on my cellphone a great number of times. From reading menus to understanding street signs, the Google Translate app has quickly become one of my most prized app's. I remember traveling from Italy, through Switzerland to France, a few years ago and we stopped over in Bern, Switzerland for a few hours while waiting to transfer trains. We decided to look for a bite to eat but very few of the signs had English translations, so understanding where to go and what to do was difficult without the app.

The app includes a microphone feature that enables you to speak in your language and it will automagically translate into the desired language for which you want to speak. Then you can play the translated phrases for your subject to hear and understand. they can then respond in their language, again into your cellphone and the app will translate into English. then I press the play button and a Google created synthetic voice will speak in English.

While abroad another time, we were staying in Madrid, Spain for a few days and wanted to go to the oldest restaurant in the civilized world, Sobrino de Botín and eat from their unique menu. The taxi driver that picked us up at the hotel, did not speak any English at all and I immediately pulled out my phone and spoke our request into the Google Translate app. When the driver heard the synthesized voice, he lit up and smiled and understood perfectly. he responded in Spanish and thanked us for introducing him to such a fabulous tool that would help him to earn substantially more money in future.

......back to the subject of the post here... the customer was able to communicate their needs in their native Nepalese and to understand my responses after translating from English.

We have arranged the project completion for next week and chalk up another satisfied client.


If you run your own show, or even if you dont, you will most likely run into communication issues in your life and sometimes your daily travels. using the Google Translate app will help you to communicate easily with almost anyone and provide top notch customer service for which you will be remembered and referred  because of. I highly suggest you download the app from your OS app store and start capitalizing on income opportunities from customers, whom in the past, you may have had difficulties talking to and with. 

Below find links to the app in Apple App Store and Google Play.


Google Translate For IOS

Google Translate For Android 

Post Revisited - How To Repair Door Closers

This post originally appeared in May 2009. It has become one of the most widely viewed posts on our website.

Repairing door closers is not too difficult, even if you are only slightly mechanically inclined.


Blogging often involves many labor intense hours of writing and researching, especially if you are composing your own original works.

I try to acknowledge the source of my reference in most if not all articles written here.

This next post is actually by well respected Author and Locksmith Tom Rubenoff and the source of this article is from Hubpages.

Door Closers

This article is primarily about surface mounted door closers, but the ideas herein can be applied to other kinds of door closers as well.

Door closer adjustment is an art that requires knowledge, patience, and an ability to climb up and down a ladder several times, but with these attributes and the appropriate wrench, hex key or screwdriver, you can do it yourself.

Most of the adjustments are implemented through the opening or closing of hydraulic valves. When it comes to turning the screws that operate these valves, a little goes a long way. A turn of 5 degrees can significantly increase or decrease closing speed.

CAUTION: DO NOT COMPLETELY UNSCREW DOOR CLOSER HYDRAULIC ADJUSTMENT SCREWS OR YOU WILL RUIN THE CLOSER AND VOID THE WARRANTEE.

Also, hydraulic fluid will leak out of the closer and make a mess. This will make you unpopular.

A door closer is a mechanical device designed to close a door slowly, but firmly enough to latch. It accomplishes this by using spring tension modulated by hydraulic fluid. As the user opens the door, hydraulic fluid passes from one reservoir to another, and as the spring pushes the door closed again, the hydraulic fluid passes back to the previous reservoir through a series of valves that control the speed.

The illustration at right shows the effects of the common hydraulic adjustment controls available on most commercial grade door closers. Controls for swing speed and latching speed control how fast the door closes, and many closers also feature a hydraulic control for back check that controls the last few inches of the opening the door so as to prevent the door from being slammed into an adjacent wall.

• Swing speed adjustment controls how fast the door closes from fully open to within about 5 degrees of closed
• Latching speed adjustment controls how fast the door closes for those last few inches
• Back check adjustment controls the amount of resistance to opening the door past a selectable point

The illustration below shows the various hydraulic control valves. These might be located in many configurations, but you will usually see the back check control located somewhat away from the latch speed and swing speed controls.

There are also door closers equipped with an additonal valve for Delayed Action. Delayed action closers hold the door open for a longer period of time to allow persons with disabilities more time to get through the door.

Also notice the Spring Tension Adjustment in the illustration above. Spring tension controls the "size" of a closer. The term is misleading, because it does not actually have anything to do with the physical dimensions of the closer. Size is determined by the width of a door. "Sized" closers, that is, closers that have a factory pre-determined spring tension for a particular door width, have no spring tension adjustment. Many door closers today are "non-sized", indicating that spring tension can be field adjusted to fit the size of the door.

It is tempting to use the spring tension adjustment to solve problems, for example, in positive pressure situations where air flow is preventing the door from closing properly. However, the tighter you make the spring, the harder it will be to open the door. It is possible to tighten the spring tension to the point that some people will not be able to open the door.

Adjusting the Door Closer

To adjust the door closer, bring a step ladder tall enough so that you can easily reach the door closer from the second or third highest step. Climb the ladder and examine the closer. If you can't see adjustment screws, chances are the closer has a cover. Usually the cover is plastic, but it could also be metal. If you see no fasteners holding the cover on, that means the cover is held on by tension. Pull it off. If you do see fasteners, usually you can loosen, but not remove, the fasteners and the cover will slide off.

If you find that there is oil in the cover or oil on or leaking from the closer body, you can stop right now. You need a new door closer. If, however, it is not leaking, you can proceed.

Now that you have the cover off, you should be able to see the adjustment screws. If you are lucky, they will be marked on the closer body as to what they are or there will be a diagram inside the cover. If not, you may have to experiment a little to see which is which. Remember, when it comes to turning door closer adjustment screws, a little goes a long way. Start with no more than 1/8 of a turn. Turn the adjustment screw clockwise to slow the door closer down, counter-clockwise to speed it up. then get down off the ladder and observe the effect.

Open the door and watch it close. If it closes right the first time, check it 10 more times. If it closes correctly every time, you're done. If not, go back up the ladder and make another adjustment, etc., until the closer is doing what you want it to do. When it closes the way you want it to 10 times in a row, it will probably continue to do so.

Ideally a non-delayed action door closer will close and latch the door in 7 to 8 seconds.

Problems

If you expect a door closer to consistantly close the door, as a prerequisite the door must close properly. If there is a hinge problem, a warped door, or the door must swing uphill to close, a door closer will only go so far in solving the problem. Sometimes a door must be repaired before it will close and lock automatically with a door closer.

In vestibule conditions, where you have an exterior door, a small space, and then an interior door, the trapped air between the inside and outside door can be a factor. You may have to adjust both closers to get both to work correctly. Wherever air pressure is a factor, including negative or positive pressure situations, I have have gotten door closers to close and latch the door consistantly by adjusting them to a slow swing speed and a somewhat fast latch speed. The slow swing speed seems to give the air a chance to get out of the way and the fast latch speed gives it a very slight slam at the end to make sure it latches.

Trouble Shooting

• If oil is leaking from your door closer, throw it away and buy a new one.
• If your door closer is slamming the door and cannot be adjusted to do otherwise, either the fluid has leaked out or the valve seals are worn out. Either way, your best option is to replace it.
• If the closer stops closing the door before it's closed all the way, or actually spings back when you try to manually shut the door, the arm is probably installed on the shaft incorrectly. Download the instructions from the door closer manufacturer's web site and see if it is installed correctly.
• If the arm makes noise and bounces up and down while the door is in motion, tighten the fasteners that hold the arm to the closer, to the header, and at the knuckle that holds the two parts of the arm together.
• If the door closer has no spring tension and the spring tension adustment turns round and round with no effect, the spring is broken the door closer must be replaced.

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