Sentinel Lock and Door
Case Studies
An apartment building management company asked for a repair of a door closer. This door is often windswept, which is bad for door closers. The closer that was installed wasn't inefficient in itself, but the way it was installed resulted in problems. It was installed for a door that swings only about 120 degrees, but the door could swing a full 180 degrees, which meant when the door was hit by heavy winds, the door closer also acted as the door stop. You can see that the frame bracket was severely bent and the arm broke free. I decided on a heavy duty door closer, which was incompatible with the window frame because it protruded from the surface of the door about 1/2 inch. I 3D printed a spacer plate which positioned the door closer away from the window frame, positioned the closer at a horizontal point at which the door could open a full 180 degrees, and installed a simple post door closer. I checked with the customer about a month later to check on its condition, and it was reported that it was working very well.
Our customer contacted us with a problem lock. It had been giving them trouble for quite some time, and their final straw occurred when they could not lock their office space from the inside because the locking knob had broken off. The lock was a three-point lock commonly used in this area due to high winds. Their entry was protected by an alcove, likely added to the building after the door was installed some years before, making the need for a three point lock unnecessary. Instead of replacing the expensive lock with the same type, the customer and I agreed to simply retrofit a standard, simple lever and deadbolt. Using a needed wrap/cover plate and strategically choosing installation points, the final result was obtained.
The railroad company Union Pacific has a building in Bill, about a half hour north of Douglas. The exit devices and door closers on their two entries were very beat up and likely hadn't worked well in years. Several new parts and even more several hours and trips later, the doors were properly operational again.
A hotel customer of ours had trouble with the hardware activated by the guests' card access. Guests could only enter the building through certain doors, resulting in numerous unhappy customers and constant complaints. Originally, the hardware was not installed properly and over the years operated worse and worse. We finally decided to "start over" and make major modifications to the door hardware and electric access devices.
An automotive customer was unfortunate to have his vehicle ignition broken, resulting in being unable to drive. Due to the high security "chip key" technology, the would-be thieves were not able to steal the vehicle. I replaced the ignition cylinder for him at his home location and he was back on the road again.
A large department store in town found themselves unable to secure their building late at night. The employees were stuck in the store until repairs could be made. I was able to provide them with a long-term repair resulting in the employees being able to go home that night and securing the store.
An apartment building's residents were constantly having to walk around the building to get to the trash area. The landlord was receiving constant complaints about the problem. I offered to install keypad access on a nearby exterior door for the convenience of their tenants. I replaced the simple handle and key cylinder with this heavy duty keypad lock.
The TSA at Casper Airport is going through some renovations and required a keypad lock in place of a key lock.
Our customer called on us to repair a door broken in by a tenant. They were unable to rent to new tenants until the problem was solved, as the door could not be secured. They first asked about a door replacement, which would be costly. I instead offered them a less expensive option of repairing the door with a cover/wrap and providing new hardware.
The Wyoming Food Bank building had some poor original installation issues which was at risk of allowing insects and rodents into the building. I came up with a solution for the problem by providing a custom threshold which will prevent future problems.
A window washing company accidentally broke a door closer off of the frame and door of a fast food restaurant. They had to keep that one door locked for a few days, causing an inconvenience for customers. I provided an exact replacement and got them going again.
A store in town needed their marketing displays changed out. Although it wasn't locksmith related, I still provided the service for them.
A misadjusted door closer caused this door to remain slightly open and therefore unsecured. A proper adjustment solved the problem.
A Dollar store in Gillette was unable to lock their store for the night due to damage of the threshold resulting in jamming the door slightly open. I was able to make the trip to their store same-day to dislodge the broken threshold from the bottom channel of the door then remove the dangerous sharp metal that was left over from what was the threshold.
An employee at a hardware store in town broke the bottom pivot of their front door, resulting in an inability to lock up for the night. I was able to replace the part and allow them to close on time.
Another Dollar store in Gillette where a small rock was preventing the door from closing all the way, resulting in the store being unable to close for the night. The lock was also loose in the door, so I provided an installation bracket to secure the lock. They were able to complete their work and go home on time.
The rear door of another Dollar store in town was secured with a padlock due to completely missing hardware. Because it was an Exit door, this was dangerous and illegal. I installed the proper hardware and weatherstrip, making the opening secure and safe.
Another broken pivot on an office here in town. I had the pivot in stock and was able to get them secured for the evening.
A department store in town needed remote unlock capabilities on their restrooms. I retrofitted specialized remote access components in the locks and installed the remote buttons in the customer service area.
A new shoe store in town took over a retail space. Their policies required a specific alarmed exit on the rear door. To accommodate their corporate requirement , I installed a mullion so that I could install their required exit device. This involved concrete anchors.
