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

BumpKeyBandit

·1d·5 replies·6 participants

BumpKeyBandit⚒️ JourneymanOP1d

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⚒️ Journeyman22h

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⚒️ Journeyman21h

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.

DustBunnyBoss⭐ Expert23h

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⚒️ Journeyman23h

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

OddJobOtto4⚒️ Journeyman23h

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.