Locks & Keys

Battleship Cove – Fall River, Massachusetts

Whenever we're on a family road trip, we try to find cool places to stop along the way to break up the ride.  Today we went to Battleship Cove, the world's largest historic naval ship exhibit.  The museum is home to the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., the USS Lionfish submarine, the battleship USS Massachusetts, and several other vehicles.  It's really an amazing place, and the kids loved looking at all the different rooms, many of which were set up as they would have been while the ships were occupied.

By |2013-02-08T23:32:19-05:00February 22nd, 2012|Door Closers, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Road Trips|0 Comments
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What If?

Have you ever run into one of those doors that needs access control, but for whatever reason it's almost impossible to get the wires to the lock?  Maybe it's an existing door (especially if it's fire rated), or an opening set into stone or a fancy surround like the door on the left.  It might be a situation where the wiring would have to be run in surface-mounted conduit, or where drilling into the walls or ceiling would create too much dust or would interrupt a busy workspace.  In a health care facility, there are specific procedures that must be followed to protect the air quality for patients and staff.  An exterior gate or remote door would also be a tough access control installation if the product is hard-wired.

By |2019-02-10T20:15:47-05:00September 22nd, 2011|Electrified Hardware, Locks & Keys|2 Comments
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Open Back Strikes

A couple of weeks ago one of my coworkers, Rich Conroy, took a phone call from someone with questions about open back strikes.  Rich asked me to write a post that he could refer people to, and the hold-up was that I had to find a photo.  Not the photo you see in a catalog (right), which usually shows the strike alone, but a photo of an open back strike in action.  Try looking for one on Google Images and you'll find a few graphics of the strike by itself, some open backed shoes, and plenty of open backed dresses, but no open back strikes in action.

By |2016-02-24T01:52:30-05:00August 11th, 2011|Locks & Keys, Panic Hardware|7 Comments
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Classroom Security Locks

As of July 1st, 2011, a revised California law (AB 211, Article 8.5) requires classrooms and rooms with an occupant load of more than 5 people to be equipped with classroom security locks.*  This pertains to all new construction projects submitted to the Division of the State Architect, which oversees K-12 schools and community colleges in the state of California.

By |2018-09-16T15:01:08-04:00July 28th, 2011|Locks & Keys|6 Comments
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Calling All Locksmiths!

I have a special place in my heart for locksmiths.  Maybe it's because I've been "saved" a few times...like the time I locked myself out of my apartment in my PJs at 6 a.m.  Or maybe it's because I like the mechanics of what they do.  I always loved helping our in-house locksmith with masterkeying, and I've been told by an experienced locksmith that I'm a natural at shimming cylinders.  How many people can say that?!

By |2014-10-08T09:08:22-04:00July 14th, 2011|Electrified Hardware, Locks & Keys|4 Comments
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Lexington, Virginia

We only spent a brief segment of our road trip in Lexington, but it was long enough to spot a couple of doors of interest.  Our hotel was originally a single family residence and it's on the Register of Historic Places.  We checked in pretty late at night but I immediately noticed the mess they had made of the lock on their front door.  Creative, yes...purty, no.

By |2012-01-27T21:57:30-05:00July 8th, 2011|Hinges & Pivots, Locks & Keys, Road Trips|5 Comments
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E.R. Butler & Co.

I've been in the door and hardware business for a long time - almost 25 years.  While I'm still passionate about the products, the industry, and our customers, there are some days when I'm not quite as excited as I once was.  It's kind of like the old, "I love you but I'm not in love with you," line.  I'm sure you can relate...we all have those days.

By |2012-01-27T21:57:31-05:00June 16th, 2011|Beautiful Doors, Hinges & Pivots, Locks & Keys|3 Comments
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New York Chapter DHI

I had a great time at the New York DHI Chapter meeting tonight! I was so impressed with the attendance, the food, and the engagement at their chapter meeting, and they are very excited about the upcoming DHI conference in NYC in October.  Public speaking isn't my favorite thing to do, but they were a fabulous audience for my presentation on social media and professional networking, which made it easy for me.

By |2012-01-27T21:58:10-05:00May 10th, 2011|Locks & Keys|2 Comments
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Anti-Ligature Levers

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, with over 31,000 people taking their life annually.  1,500 suicides occur annually in hospitals (1); it is also the leading cause of death while incarcerated (2). Ligature strangulation (hanging) is the primary means used to end one’s life in these environments.

By |2013-02-09T00:29:36-05:00March 11th, 2011|Locks & Keys|11 Comments
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Love Padlocks

Who says hardware can't be romantic?!  In honor of Valentines Day, I present to you a tradition that began in the 1980s in Pécs, Hungary (or maybe in Italy depending on which version of the story you believe), and has spread to cities across the globe.  It seems that sweethearts are attaching padlocks to bridges, statues, fences, and other structures to express their love.  My pragmatic side wonders whether the structures can handle the extra weight of this quantity of padlocks, and whether people go back and take their padlock off when they break up, but since it's Valentines Day I'll just let you all feel the love.

By |2017-10-05T09:14:59-04:00February 14th, 2011|Locks & Keys|5 Comments
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Back to School

I received these photos last week and I didn't have much advice...maybe someone else does.  These are classroom doors in a school for autistic children, and the extra locksets are due to the special needs of the students.  The students are unable to retract both latches at the same time (if they can even reach the upper lockset).  While this keeps the children in the classroom (a good thing), it also prevents egress (a bad thing).

By |2012-01-27T22:07:29-05:00September 23rd, 2010|Fire Doors, Funky Applications, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress|7 Comments
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Accessible Thumbturns

At least once a month someone asks me whether it's ok to use a deadbolt with a thumbturn on a door that is required to be accessible.  It took some digging to get a definitive answer, because the accessibility standards don't specify a certain dimension that would be acceptable for the thumbturn.  The ADA guidelines and ICC A117.1 both state that hardware has to be operable without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist, but that still leaves a lot up to interpretation.

By |2020-02-14T12:09:50-05:00August 5th, 2010|Accessibility, Locks & Keys|5 Comments
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Schlage AD-Series Update

Yesterday I spent a few hours auditing a class on the Schlage AD-Series Electronic Locks.  If you haven't seen this lock yet, you should go to the website and take a look.  The whole idea behind it is that it's adaptable.  You can change the type of credential reader (keypad, mag-stripe, proximity/Smart Card/Multi-Tech reader) , the function (classroom/storeroom, office, apartment, privacy), or even the level of access control (offline, networked, wireless), and the changes can be made without taking the lock off the door.  So you install a stand-alone keypad lock today...tomorrow you can change it to a networked wireless lock with a Smart Card reader, and only the credential reader and inside escutchen need to be replaced.  The rest of the change is accomplished with free firmware.

By |2013-09-29T19:27:58-04:00June 24th, 2010|Electrified Hardware, Locks & Keys|0 Comments
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Anti-Ligature Knob

I got a call this week from a facility that needed to replace existing locksets with an anti-ligature product.  If you're not familiar with anti-ligature hardware, it's designed for use in mental health or detention facilities, to help protect patients or inmates from self-harm by minimizing the attachment points on the hardware.  Anti-ligature hardware is just one part of a safe environment for facilities with special needs, along with tamper-proof plumbing, mechanical, and electrical devices, break-away shower rods and bars, impact-resistant glass and mirrors, etc.

By |2012-01-27T22:08:02-05:00March 4th, 2010|Locks & Keys|16 Comments
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Classroom Function

It's funny how some things stick in your mind, and even funnier that I have "hardware memories" from way back. I remember a rumor going around my 7th grade Home Ec class that another class had locked our teacher, Mrs. Cross, out of the classroom, and that she had cried. So sad!

By |2012-01-27T22:08:06-05:00November 9th, 2009|Locks & Keys|2 Comments
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Schlage LiNK

The other day, one of my friends asked me about the new Schlage LiNK, which is a remote access system that connects you to your home from anywhere via cell phone or computer.  With the monthly subscription and Z-Wave enabled products, you can remotely control and monitor your door locks, check on your pets with live video, turn lights on and off, and control and monitor your home's heating and cooling system.

By |2014-01-29T13:37:10-05:00October 19th, 2009|Locks & Keys, Videos|2 Comments
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Lever Designs – Unlimited Possibilities

Some projects require lever designs for locksets and panic hardware that are beyond the selection of standard "vanilla" levers offered by all of the commercial manufacturers.  In some cases, even the "European" designs don't fill the bill, especially when special finishes are desired.  I've often run into this with museum projects I've specified.

By |2017-05-15T09:23:35-04:00September 27th, 2009|Locks & Keys|4 Comments
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Colonial Williamsburg Revisited

During Chip Falcon's Road Trip we visited Colonial Williamsburg, and you may have seen my slideshow of the doors and hardware there.  I received quite a few questions from readers about the hardware at CW, so I sent an email to the Architectural Research Department there and I got a return email from Mr. Kenneth Schwarz, whose title is Blacksmith, Master of the Shop.  Ken has been a wonderful source of information about the hardware at CW, and I'm looking forward to meeting him and hopefully getting a behind-the-scenes tour the next time I'm there.

By |2015-05-20T09:22:43-04:00September 7th, 2009|Funky Applications, Locks & Keys|19 Comments
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Fail Safe Locks

I didn't want to scare anyone by adding more information to my previous post about stairwell re-entry, but I do get questions about how to accomplish this.  The stairwell re-entry requirements state that the stair side lever must unlock on fire alarm or on a signal from the fire command station depending on the code (there is always free egress from the non-stair side).  I have seen stair doors that had been retrofitted with card readers and electric strikes.  If these doors are required by code to meet the stairwell re-entry requirements, an electric strike is not an acceptable way to do this.

By |2014-04-26T19:26:55-04:00April 24th, 2009|Electrified Hardware, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress|0 Comments
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Roof Doors

The locking requirements for roof doors are a bit of a gray area, due to the varied preferences of local code officials. In most cases, the roof door can be locked on the interior side, preventing access to the roof. It is very rare (except in movies) that the egress plan for the building includes going to the roof for helicopter access. If the roof was part of the egress path, the roof would have to be maintained as an egress route, snow removed, etc.

By |2012-01-27T22:10:39-05:00April 13th, 2009|Locks & Keys, Means of Egress|5 Comments
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Dormitory Locks

The hot topic of last week was how to handle locks on dormitory entrance doors, since the students have figured out how to reach under the door with a coat hanger and pull down the lever to unlock the door.  There's a minute+ of bad video below to illustrate the procedure, as reenacted by a couple of college boys.  The video has already been viewed 1,419 times by students who need help with their coat hanger technique, so the problem is bound to get bigger.

By |2014-05-23T22:04:19-04:00April 8th, 2009|Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Videos|0 Comments
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Solution for Unequal Pairs

One of the top 5 questions which I receive almost weekly is regarding the replacement of a 5'-wide equal pair with a 3'+2' unequal pair.  Because automatic flush bolts and a coordinator can be problematic, and most panic hardware will not fit on a 2' wide door, I'm constantly being asked if it's ok to use manual flush bolts on the 2' leaf.  That's a tough question to answer because the code-compliant solution isn't the best application as far as function and durability.  The IBC (2003) says this:

By |2012-07-26T17:56:08-04:00March 4th, 2009|Accessibility, Locks & Keys|2 Comments
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Time-Out Lock

One of our customers sent me this photo last week.  It was found on a psychiatric facility and to operate it, a staff member must be present and holding the bolt projected via the lever.  I did my best to track down a manufacturer with no luck.  It's possible that it was made in a machine shop or that it is no longer available, but my first thought when I saw it was that I need to buy 3 for my kids' rooms and then find 3 suckers to stand there holding the bolts projected.  ;-)

By |2012-01-27T22:10:41-05:00February 23rd, 2009|Funky Applications, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress|2 Comments
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Tactile Warning

Tactile warning is an abrasive or knurled strip on a lever handle to indicate that the door leads to a hazardous area such as a boiler room, mechanical room, or loading dock.  This requirement is no longer included in the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) or in ICC/ANSI A117.1, but it is a requirement of the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (521 CMR):

By |2017-05-25T15:37:23-04:00February 23rd, 2009|Accessibility, Locks & Keys|2 Comments
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