Most of the time, as a locksmith, whether from Gateshead or elsewhere, jobs involving a lock change don’t take long and are quite straightforward: there is something in the door, remove it and put something else instead. Simple (most of the time).
Other times, there is nothing at all in the door, or no lock, and your customer wants a lock fitted from scratch. While this is also straightforward most of the time, it already takes a lot more time, and a bit more skill too.
In this instance, this Landlord had 5 doors split between multiple properties that needed your favourite locksmith in Gateshead to convert from a simple handle to a fully-fledged lock. This
process involves drilling the door to make space for the lock, carving space for the place of said lock, drilling holes for where the key goes, and making sure all is aligned, looking good, and not cut too wide or deep. The frame also needs to be carved to receive the striking plate, where the new latch and bolt will be.
This is not always the easiest thing to do, especially by hand, so you will very rarely see a job like this made by hand with laser precision. In this case, and as seen in the pictures, I would say this was a decent job. I would give myself a good 8 out of 10.
I would have loved to get the top part of the lock carved half a millimetre lower, and have the frame carved slightly cleaner, but all in all, definitely not a botched job. New locks in these Gateshead properties are now installed and you can see the finished product below for yourself:
Published: 9th October, 2023 | Updated: 9th February, 2024