Keys, Locks, remotes, repairs. Forest of Dean & Ross on Wye
This antique rimlock was taken off a chapel undergoing renovation. The key was lost back in the depths of time and the owner wanted to keep as much of the original fabric as possible.
The bolt and the stump needed hammering flat as vandals had damaged it during a break in years ago. The mainspring was completely snapped and needed replacing. A similar era salvaged key was hand filed to work in the lock.
This door locked with a mechanical keypad was non destructively opened for a customer. The combination wasn’t passed on when the premises changed hands. Once the door was opened the code was changed so that the customer can now use the door. 
Client needed a mortise deadlock fitting to a double fire door (for use only when the building is unoccupied). To comply with fire regulations the lock was covered with an intumescent seal. Extra smoke and flame seals were subsequently fitted over the strike plate.
Customer’s front door couldn’t be unlocked with the key and the door was jammed shut. We were able to open the door and removed the lock for investigation. The problem was clear. The tail of the bolt that is pulled by the bolt thrower to withdraw the bolt had snapped right off. A replacement lock was fitted.
A customer rang with the tip of his key snapped off the ignition. It wasn’t possible to extract the broken part in situ therefore the ignition barrel and steering lock were removed. This enabled the customer to drive off (avoiding a parking fine). The ignition was then stripped (much more than shown in the photos) to removed the stray part and to cut a new key. (Note: customer was able to provide proof of ownership of the vehicle).
As the temperature changes UPVC doors can become difficult to lock/unlock. If it needs excessive force to lift the handle or turn the key then the door needs adjust or the mechanism inside can fail completely. If it fails in the locked position it can be difficult to fix. It’s far cheaper to adjust the door, and to avoid anything failing.
If the door does become stuck open or closed, give us a ring and see if we can fix it for you.
A dealer needed an extra key for a car that was being collected that afternoon. He couldn’t wait the week for a dealer key, and didn’t want to pay dealer prices either. This era Skoda uses the same keys and transponders as VW, Seat and some Porsche.
There are 4 main ways to provide replacement car keys. Cloning the existing chip. EEPROM programming a new chip into the ECU/IMMO. OBD programming into the ECU/IMMO. Dealer only keys.
Here is an installation of a standalone access control lock. This can be set to either open with a code, or a proximity dongle/card. Users can easily be granted/denied access by the system manager. This type of lock is ideal for small offices/businesses where access needs to be controlled, avoiding the hassle of changing the lock every time a member of staff joins or leaves.
I was asked to do lock changes on a vacant shop. It hadn’t been entered in about 18 months and was covered in dust and grime. 
There were 2 British Standard 5 lever mortice locks on the door.
Both mortice locks were non destructively opened and removed. Interestingly (to me at least) they had both been previously drilled open and not replaced. There was still the hole in the hardplate. Whichever locksmith did it had just poorly replaced the levers inside. Admittedly they’d drilled the hole perfectly.
Normally levers in this model lock are a mix of hi/low lift, they’d certainly be different from each other. When we opened the top locks all the levers were identical which is completely wrong.
It might be tempting after a hard day at work to drop your keys on the nearest table then go and relax. Don’t! The simplest way to steal your car or burgle your house is to fish keys out of the letterbox. Keep them out of sight. Keep them out of reach of rods and wires.