A jammed cabinet lock, fixed on the spot

The problem

Maritza, who runs the Good Heart Cafe on Glenmore Trail SW, had an antique cabinet whose lock would not work. It is a cabinet lock with a little lever inside and an old bit key, and it is pinned together, so it is not really meant to be taken apart and serviced. When one of these breaks, most likely you need to replace it. This one was jammed.

The cabinet is an antique, and it is not just furniture to her. She bought it at an estate sale from a couple in their nineties. It was the first piece of furniture they bought together when they moved in. That is why the answer was never a new lock.

The cafe is a family place that makes its food from scratch, and with her blessing we name it: goodheartcafecalgary.com, 1011 Glenmore Trail SW. Local businesses helping local businesses.

What Isaac did

Isaac was there with Andy, who was packing up to leave. The owner asked Isaac if he could look at it. He took the lock off the door and had it working again before Andy was ready to go. Andy picked up Isaac's phone and took these pictures while he worked.

He poked around inside the case for the leverage points, to find where it was binding. He found two levers that had to be pushed in before the tongue (the part that shoots out and locks) would come out any further.

He tried to get the key to work in different orientations while he searched.

In the end he took pliers to the tongue and pulled until the broken mechanism came free. From then on it worked. No lube, no new parts.

Then back on the door.

He did not have his screwdriver with him, so he used the owner's tools.

The same lock that was there before.

Then he locked and unlocked it with the key, to make sure it was working properly.

Back to normal.

The video