What a mortise lock is, and why it is different
A mortise lock is the heavy lock case set into a pocket cut in the edge of the door: Schlage L9000, Sargent 8200, Yale 8800, Corbin Russwin ML2000 and their cousins. You find them on commercial doors and on older Vancouver houses and apartment blocks.
The cylinder is an ordinary pin tumbler and rekeys the same way. The difference is access. The cylinder is threaded into the case and held by a set-screw in the door edge, so it has to be unscrewed before you can touch the pins, and screwed back with the cam the right way round or the lock will not work at all.
Know the thread, too: 1 inch or 1 1/8 inch diameter, usually 32 threads per inch. Buy a replacement in the wrong size and nothing will seat.
None of this is exotic, but working without a follower is the classic way to end up on the floor picking up top pins.
- A flat screwdriver that fits the set-screw without chewing it.
- A plug follower matched to the cylinder diameter. A dowel cut square will do at a push.
- A pinning kit for the maker, plus spare springs.
- Tweezers and a pinning tray, so the stacks stay in order.
- The new key, cut before you start, and the maker's bitting chart.
Work over a tray or a towel, not over a floor vent.
The two mistakes people actually make
The old key still turns. A top pin from the old combination got reused, or a bottom pin is one step too shallow. There is no partial fix: strip the cylinder and restack it.
The cam is on wrong. The lock feels fine in your hand and does nothing in the door. Take the cylinder out and turn the cam round rather than forcing the key.
A third: overtightening the set-screw and binding the threads. It only needs to stop the cylinder turning, not clamp it.
How to rekey a lock that is not a mortise: Schlage and other door locks
The same pin work rekeys an ordinary door lock. On a knob, lever or deadbolt the cylinder comes out with the lockset instead of unscrewing, and the rest is the same: follower in, plug out, new bottom pins to the new key, plug back, test both keys.
Schlage rekey kits hold the pins, a follower and the plug tools for Schlage C keyway cylinders, and work the same way. Schlage SmartKey locks are different: they rekey with the SmartKey tool and the working key, with no pins to change. A store rekey kit fits one brand and keyway only, so check the keyway before you buy one.
When to call a locksmith instead
Do it yourself on a storeroom or a spare door. Call us when a lockout would be an incident, not an inconvenience:
- A commercial or shared entrance. A rekey that goes wrong on a building entry locks everyone out.
- A restricted or high-security cylinder. Mul-T-Lock, Medeco and Schlage Primus pins are not sold without authorization. We are an authorized Mul-T-Lock dealer.
- Several doors at once. Keying a set alike is bench work.
- No bitting chart. Guessing depths is how the old key survives.
We rekey a standard cylinder for $25-$45 per cylinder and a high-security one for $60-$120 per cylinder, keys included. Or bring the cylinder to our Kitsilano shop and skip the service call. See lock rekey in Vancouver, lock change if the case is worn out, or high-security locks.
