Proud of Dodging Disaster on a Schlage Rekey Job - Near Miss Story

BumpKeyBandit

·1mo·14 replies·15 participants

BumpKeyBandit⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo

Man, I was rekeying this apartment complex's Schlage deadbolts last week, feeling pretty good about the smooth run, when the tenant's kid sneaks up and grabs my torque wrench right as I'm pinning the cylinders. Heart stopped for a second, thought he'd jam it in there and ruin the whole set of 20 locks. Luckily, I snatched it back before any pins flew, but damn, that could've turned a quick 2-hour job into a nightmare replacement. Been locksmithing 8 years now, and these close calls keep me sharp. Just glad it ended with a happy customer and no damaged hardware. Makes me appreciate the quiet days even more.

GreenThumbGuru⚒️ Journeyman1mo

been there, had a kid yank a tension wrench mid-pick once and nearly cost me a whole safe job, kids are sneaky little hazards.

WattTheHeck25⚒️ Journeyman1mo

kids on job sites are the real hazard, should've locked that door or told the parent to keep em away, but nah, most locksmiths i know just roll the dice and hope for no lawsuits. rekeying schlage cylinders with gremlins around is asking for a ruined kit every time. fight me if you think its overkill to charge extra for 'kid-proof' jobs.

RoofRat87🔧 Apprentice1mo

kids and torque wrenches, the real dynamic duo out to turn locksmiths into pin jugglers 😂

PipeDreamer4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

kids on jobsites are the WORST, always popping up when you're knee-deep in a delicate pin job and ready to turn a $200 rekey into a total crapshoot. parents act like it's no big deal either, makes me wanna start charging extra for 'child interference hazard' fees.

RoofRat4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

been there on a roof edge with some kid running underfoot, heart in my throat till i locked everything down.

WipeOutPro⚒️ Journeyman1mo

same shit here, damn near dropped my tools on a rekey job last year when the homeowner's kid darted under me on the ladder

BoltBreaker2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

kids man, they're like little tornadoes on a job site, always poppin up when you least expect it. had a close call myself last month rekeyin some medeco deadbolts, little guy almost tipped over my pin kit and scattered everything. heart was poundin, thought id be fishin pins outta the carpet for hours. makes you wanna set up a kiddie zone or somethin, but who has time for that crap. been there, glad you dodged that bullet without a hitch.

DustBusterDave⭐ Expert1mo

kid with a torque wrench? sounds like he was auditioning for the demolition derby of locks. dodged a bullet there, or you'd be pinning cylinders till your eyes crossed.

BlowerBoss⚒️ Journeyman1mo

always carry a spare cylinder pin set in your pouch so one grabby kid dont turn the job into 20 lock replacements.

ShingleSharkSam⚒️ Journeyman1mo

tenants kids are the real hazard on these jobs, id rather fight a clogged drain than deal with that crap again.

CircuitSurfer4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

kid grabbing tools is every locksmiths nightmare but you handled that fast and kept it clean.

DustBunnyBoss⭐ Expert1mo

kids on the job are always a wildcard, had one try to 'help' with my key blanks once and nearly scratched the whole batch.

DirtDoctor⚒️ Journeyman1mo

felt that, nothing like a little one turning your precision work into chaos.

OddJobOtto4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

haha right? mine once hid my entire pick set under the couch, found it after the client was staring at me like i was incompetent. turned it into a joke and got a tip anyway.