So I recently purchased a locking gun cabinet, and want to swap out the lock, but due to the construction of the new lock, I need a flat surface. Only problem is, the spot for the original lock was pressed in about 4mm at the deepest part. See photo:
I’d just like to know if there’s anything at the space that might allow me to flatten this depression. I imagine some relief cuts may be in order, but that’s all I’ve surmised so far.
Any advice would greatly be appreciated.
You could remove the lock cylinder, then find the largest high grade bolt you can find. Use that with washers & tighten it down. Tractor supply sells grade 8 bolts by the pound.
Another way is if you can get the door off, & it fits, you could press it out.
Since a significant part of the new lock needs that space, I’d prefer to press it out.
I’m gonna type this out and let me know if I’ve gone off the rails: If there’s something that can accommodate or fit around the door, I’d like to press it out, probably with some softer sacrificial material sandwiched around it to cut down on marring the surface.
You could also build up the surface with bondo but that would be a safety risk that they could get into with a chisel.
Any pressing on it is likely to mess the finish up. You could tape the surfaces to try to keep it to a minimum. More thank likely you will need to touch it up.
Yeah I doubt it’ll come out unscathed. Any suggestions on tools that might fit the bill? I haven’t poked around in a while
Unfortunately, it’s not so much about the outer surface being flat, but both sides being flat such that the lock can be properly mounted
Better question: Would something like an arbor press work if the metal is around 1mm or less?
Yes the arbor press would work if you can get the work underneath it.
Thank you very much for the advice!
