Lock Repairs

Doncaster car crime increases

I believe it was that great philosopher Gary Numan who once said “In cars, in cars, in cars. In my car, in my car, in my car, in my car, in cars, in cars, in my car, in my car, in my car, in my car.” Really makes you think doesn’t it.  That may give you a clue as to what I’ll be talking about this month. Nope, not 80s electronic synth pop (although I’d be happy to wax lyrical on that at a later date) but cars. 

But hang on, you’re thinking. You’re a locksmith, not a budding Top Gear presenter. Why on earth are you banging on about cars? Have you gone mad? At which point I’d do that “A ha” thing and whip out the following link, http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/thieves-target-high-value-cars-in-doncaster-1-8586423  seen in the Doncaster Star last month.  And then you’d go “Oh, I see, you’re not going mad after all and it’s all beginning to make sense.” And then you might buy me a beer, we’d become friends, and you’d ask me to be the godfather to your children. And at that point I’d hesitate because I’ve got quite a lot on and am not sure if I want that further responsibility, and then I’d remember this is all hypothetical anyway and breathe a sigh of relief. 

Who wants a less secure door?

You might be reading the title to this blog and thinking - 'well, nobody', but you'd be surprised at just how lax some people are with their home and office security.

Your door and its locks are the only things preventing unwanted visitors from entering your property. It therefore makes perfect sense to have the best, most secure locks possible… right?

History of locks, part 2

Happy New Year everyone. Now the festive period is safely out of the way, the tree's in the attic for another year, the bin collections are back to normal, and that last mince pie is going stale in the cupboard, it's time for a real treat. Yup, it's the second in our series looking at the history of locks. You'll remember of course that we started this in December with the first part, and I thought I'd respect tradition in following up with part two - after all, best not confusing things this early in the year. 

I could now do a brief catch up of the story so far, as the BBC no doubt do with their adaptation of War and Peace. However, you'll be pleased to know the story of locks won't last *quite* as long as Tolstoy's epic, and there's certainly less Russian names to get your head around. Plus, of course, I'm assuming that you've thought of little else over the last month anyway, other than the information I gave last month about Ancient Egyptian locks. It probably even distracted you from the Christmas edition of Downton Abbey, but there's no need to thank me, really.

Rotherham security advice

I don't know about you, but I've been enjoying the series of poetry programmes on the BBC recently. Yes, really! Just because I'm a locksmith it doesn't mean I'm not allowed to like poetry, y'know - don't judge a book (or poetry anthology) by its cover!

Anyway, the programmes got me thinking about poetry related to this time of year. There is of course the famous mists and mellow fruitiness of Ode to Autumn by John Keats, for which I, as a renaissance locksmith obviously have a soft spot because the author's name sounds rather similar to  keys. But moving on, another of my recommendations is Autumn Song by Dante Gabriel Rossetti  I find the whole poem really quite evocative, full of metaphor and meaning. Google the whole thing if you've never read it, but the first two lines go:

Know’st thou not at the fall of the leaf
How the heart feels a languid grief

"Hang on," I can sense you're thinking. "Isn't this a locksmith blog? If I wanted poetry I'd switch on chuffing  Radio 4." Well wait a second, I'm getting there. Because I'll now seamlessly (or not so seamlessly) segue to the subject at hand - Autumn, and more specifically the more unsavoury aspects it brings. To illustrate, I'll dreadfully mangle Rossetti's first two lines above to the following:

Know'st thou not that the sound of a thief                                                                      Will cause a household misery and grief.                                                                          

Security advice from a Rotherham locksmith

Percy Thrower, Geoff Hamilton, Capability Brown...if you know what I'm talking about here then, a) you're probably of a certain age, and b) those names will have hopefully steered you brain towards the subject of gardeners. Which then, through some sort of hypothetical name association game, may lead you from gardeners to gardens, then the wider subject of the whole of the outside of your house, and, unlikely as it may seem, the leap to how to improve the security of your garden and home exterior. Okay, that's a bit of a jump from Thrower, Hamilton and Brown to garden security, but it was the best way I could think of to start this blog. Sorry about that. Anyway, in the following paragraphs I'll be giving tips on how to defend your property from the outside - this will also cover garages, sheds, and gardens.

Making the boundaries  of your home more daunting a burglar has the dual effect of decreasing the probability of your garage/coal shed/greenhouse being broken into, and also increasing the security of your house itself. Consider yourself a hypothetical burglar for a moment; there are houses you have identified as break-in targets, both with similar locks and alarm systems. However, one of them also has a series of landmines dotted throughout the garden and pathways - which house is going to be the unlucky one? (As a disclaimer, this was an illustration - we are not actually advising that you bury landmines around your property - and your neighbours may not be overjoyed when their beloved cat, Tiddles, happens upon one)

Landmines aside, here's a few hints and tips on beefing up that security. 

Handy tips to keep your home safe and secure

As a locksmith, people often ask me "Hey Stephen, which film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1934," and to them I reply "It Happened One Night" and we continue with our drinks.  Okay, that only happened once and it was a pub quiz, but even so, I'm still proud of that answer. In reality, I find people are more keen to ask me how they can best protect their valuable belongings.

Aside from the obvious answer of getting me in to update their locks and home security (I had to get a plug in somewhere), there are other steps that can be taken and, in the spirit of the season of goodwill (nearly), and to mark the ending of Home Security Month (what, you mean you didn't know it was in October?), I've put together a few pointers on how to be just that little bit more secure throughout the winter months.

French door repairs in Rotherham

Think of a locksmith and you might imagine wooden front doors, steel locks, big chains of keys and, quite possibly, the scene from Police Squad when, on being asked who he is and how he got in a property, an undercover Leslie Nielsen replies "I'm a locksmith and...I'm a locksmith" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRva7z8pvwc). The latter could be just me though.

In reality a great deal of my working week consists of repairing UPVC doors, whether they be the main entrance to a property, or, more commonly, as patio or French doors. And it's not only doors - fixing the mechanisms on UPVC windows is also a significant portion of my workload and an area in which I can provide assistance.

One of the issues that can cause problems with UPVC French doors is the failure of their locking mechanisms. When this occurs, the doors cannot be opened even when the key is able to turn. This, to use an understatement, is clearly not ideal. However, it need NOT result in the considerable cost of replacing the whole door  (although sadly some door salesmen will try to convince you this is the case). 

Tilt and slide door repairs in Rotherham

Tilt and slide doors in Rotherham were a popular choice many years ago. These doors have often never received a service during their use! This means that there is a chance that now they are not so easy to operate or have developed a problem.

SF Locksmith is the leading specialist in tilt and slide door repairs in Rotherham and carry a wealth of knowledge in how to fix these patio doors. 

The great news is yes. And at a fraction of the cost of a replacement door. 

UPVC door repairs in Rotherham

UPVC doors are locked by the means of a multipoint lock which is usually operated by you lifting the handle and then locking this mechanism solid via turning the key. After years of constant use these can fail either with door still closed, which though inconvenient still safe or in an open position and unsecure!