Doors – Finding replacement for antediluvian lock

This looks to be like a schlange or kwikset lockset commonly found at Home Depot. You can easily re-cylinder this, but it isn't obvious how to get the lock off.

My solution was as follows:

1. Rotate the lever to the vertical position. There will be two screws hidden under it.
2. Remove them, and separate the lock into two halves.
3. The lock-half has a cover on it. Remove it.
4. There's a screw that holds the cylinder in.

You can also get a lock/lever combination, as well as new doorknobs -- in many cases you can re-use the existing deadbolt and striker latch and just change the visible hardware.

If this is something you will only need to do one time, swap out the latchset. The chance of dropping the pins are high the first time around, but with care, it can be done. I know this from experience. The new latchset gives new longevity as well.

If this will be a recurring thing get the keying kit, I see them online and you can pick them up for as little as the cost of a new latchset, for the smaller kits. There are really cheap ones too, but I know nothing of what they have the capability of doing other than rekeying one knob.

I have no faith in the smartkey setup, but I am a purist when it comes to locks. I do not claim to know about smartkeys, but if it is a matter of putting in one key, installing a specific tool, and then put in the new key and remove the tool and it changes the lock, sounds like somebody with the original and a new key, and the same special tool can do the same.