So, a good buddy has a mother-in-law garage apartment built in the 1960’s (maybe 70’s). It has Schlage brand multi-point lock systems from back in the day. The garage is unoccupied and got broken into over the summer. All three doors were “locked” but not shut post break in. That is, the top to bottom u-shaped rotating piece on the door was open in the non-rotated or locked position. A locksmith sprayed in lubricant, fiddled with each door for a few minutes and got that u-shaped piece to rotate ~30 degrees to the “unlocked” or open position. Once in the open position, when the door is shut it easily swings to the non-rotated position. Then, when opening the door, a bit of pressure on the hinge side of the door, the u-shaped piece rotates 30 degrees and it opens.
Challenge is one of the doors is open but the u-shaped piece is in the locked position. I can’t figure out how to make it rotate the 30 degrees? HELP!!!
If unclear, the door is open but the u-shaped piece is in the closed position (no angle). I’ve hit it with my palm multiple times. Tried two crescent wrenches to rotate the “u”, gently banged the “u” with a hammer. Can’t figure out how to get torque.
I cannot figure out how to rotate the damn thing. I must be doing something wrong or there is a trick. There is another door with the exact same lock that I have been able to open and shut a couple of times to understand how it generally works. Both the outside and the inside lock need to be rotated CCW to the unlocked position. I’ve spritzed in the “unlock” oil to every orifice. I figure it’s “frozen” or “stuck” into being open but locked.
If I can get it into the 30 degree angle, then there is plenty of leverage on the bar that juts out from the door frame that the u-shaped piece locks into. Once it fits into that door frame bar, then there is plenty of torque to rotate that 30 degrees open or shut. My problem is now that it is open, how to get it to rotate that 30 degrees???
By the way, this lock does not have a rotating handle. Only a keyhole lock on the outside, and a fixed handle (not part of the lock mechanism on the inside). It has a small plastic spring lock piece on the top of the door, that seems to do something when it’s closed. I can push it down but doesn’t seem to do anything related to the unlock.
If anyone has experience or good ideas, please share!!!