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Lock-In

 

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Secure Multipoint Picture Locking

Widely Used Time-Proven Method

SEC 2 and SEC-3 Lock-In Security Hangers attach pictures to the wall at both the bottom and the top rails of a frame. This multipoint locking system provides extra security but also requires a fair degree of precision when installing the hardware.

Metal picture frames do not need any hardware to be placed on the frame itself--the channel on the back side of the metal frame accepts the Lock-In wall hardware.

Wood frames, on the other hand, require steel mounting plates to be attached to the back side of the frame to connect with the Lock-In wall hardware. Three wood frame mounting plates and the screws to attach them are included in the wood frame version of the Lock-In Security Hanger.

For each frame that you need to security-install, order either one SEC-2 (wood frame) or one SEC-3 (metal frame). The parts included in each set are listed above. Please see the photos below for detail and demonstration views of Lock-In Hanger components.

Extra T-Lock Hardware for Larger Frames

Larger frames (frames more than 24" wide), will benefit from an additional mounting point at the bottom of the frame--one at each corner of the bottom rail rather than just one at the center of the bottom rail--four mounting points total for the frame. This extra hardware is optional, but adding an additional mounting point will make larger frames more stable on the wall as well as more secure.

For each larger frame that you need to security-install with Lock-In Hangers, order one SEC-2X (wood frame) or one SEC-3X (metal frame) in addition to the basic Lock-In Hanger. The parts included in each Extra T-Lock Hardware set are listed above.

Security Wrench Installation Tool

The Security Wrench shown below works with all three types of security hardware that we offer. A thin, long-handled crescent wrench can be used instead of a Security Wrench to lock or unlock frames, but the job is made much easier with this special tool. Without it, wall surfaces tend to get scuffed, fingers pinched and hardware damaged.

If you do not already have one on hand, it is strongly recommended that you purchase at least one SEC-4 Security Wrench to facilitate the installation of security hangers. This inexpensive, virtually unbreakable tool can be used as often as necessary and need only be purchased once.

Security Wrenches are not automatically included with security hardware orders. They must be purchased as a separate item.

Security Wrench 3/4" x 5 1/2" Security Wrench - SEC-4

 

Lock-In Security Hanger Components

For bulk users or resellers, or if you just need a few extra parts, Lock-In Security Hanger components are also available individually (each part as a separate item number).

Please make note of our quantity requirements with respect to these items.

Lock-In Component Minimum Quantity Requirements

• If you need just one or two different Lock-In Hanger components listed on this page we will accept an order for any quantity. • Otherwise, a minimum quantity of 200 pieces of each component is required for any order containing more than two different hanger components.

 

To order any of the individual Lock-In Hanger hardware components shown directly below, go to this page.

T-Head Screw SEC-9	T-Head Anchor SEC-10	Mounting Plate SEC-14	Mounting Plate Screw SEC-15

 

Using Lock-In Hangers on Slanted or Angled Walls

Lock-In Hangers may be also be used to hang frames on slanted or angled walls (attic walls, walls under roof eaves, etc.) so that the frames are held flush to the wall.

The hanging process can get a little tricky on a slanted wall because you are working against gravity--a second pair of hands is usually needed--but once the frame is properly secured it will be held in place against the wall surface.

Because the Wall Brackets used at the top of the frame will not be quite as secure on a slanted wall as on a normal wall, for additional safety we recommend adding one of our Extra T-Lock screw sets for either wood frames or metal frames at the bottom of each frame when hanging pictures on any slanted or angled wall. This will provide two locking points at the bottom of the frame instead of just one.

You can also use two, three or four or these same Extra T-Lock sets by themselves to hang a frame on a slanted wall. Keep in mind, however, that if you use this method you will need to measure and install the hardware in the wall very precisely since no alignment adjustment will be possible afterwards.

Additional Lock-In Hanger Notes

1. Technical Note: Using Lock-In Hangers with Metal Frames

Lock-In hardware will fit on all currently manufactured metal frames generically designated as #11 Profile moulding. This includes the metal moulding currently made by Nielsen, Clark, Designer, Alumaframe, Global Art, MCS, Decor and most OEM manufacturers. The #11 Profile category (and compatible profiles) constitute probably 95% of the current metal moulding market.

If you are installing older metal-framed pictures, you should be aware that metal frame moulding design has evolved over the years and our Lock-In T-Head Screws and Wall Brackets may not fit inside the back channel of certain older, now obsolete style metal frames (typically pre-1980 manufacture).

There are a small number of these older extrusion profiles still being made, the so-called #186 Profile and #444 Profile. These profiles have a narrower back channel, measuring about 1/4" wide, compared to the standard 3/8" wide universal channel of the #11 Profile. Lock-In hardware will not fit on #186 or #444 profile metal frame moulding.

Lock-In Hangers cannot be used on low-end crimped corner metal frames (also called "back-load" or "back-loaded" frames). Back-loaded metal frames do not have a universal channel at all and look like this at the corners.

As long as the corner hardware and channel on the back side of your metal frame looks like this and the channel is 3/8" wide, Lock-In hardware will fit.

2. Mounting Plates

If you look closely, you will see that Lock-In Mounting Plates (used on the back side of wood frames) are slightly asymmetrical: the two screw holes are positioned a little off-center and the long edge on one side sticks out a little more than the opposite edge (image here). The asymmetric design gives the Mounting Plates a bit more leeway when installed on narrow wood frames. Apart from this consideration, Mounting Plates have no up or down edge--they can be oriented either way to accept wall hardware.

Another often-overlooked feature of wood frame Lock-In Mounting Plates are the two small raised bumps on either side of the slot opening. In theory you can use these bumps to mark the position of the plate on the wall by tapping on the face of the frame bottom rail (see wood frame instructions, steps 11-13, below). In practice, the Mounting Plate bumps usually do not make enough of an indentation on the wall surface to make this feature consistently useful.

3. Narrow Frames

If you are using Lock-In Security Hangers on a narrow (thin) wood frame or on a metal frame with a long horizontal span, make sure that the frame is adequately braced internally so that the frame will remain rigid under load.

The minimum frame width required for Lock-In mounting plates to be safely attached to a wood frame is 3/4."

4. Final Notes

Any reasonably handy person can install Lock-In Hangers. The first picture you tackle will probably take some time, but once the installation sequence is understood, hanging speed will increase.

A basic instruction sheet is included with each shipment of Lock-In Hangers. Or, if you prefer, refer to our step-by-step Lock-In Hangers installation instructions below.

1. Mark the desired position of the top corners of the frame on the wall.
2. Drill a 1/4" dia. hole in the wall about 1" down and 2-3" in from sides of each these marks. (A 1/4" dia. hole is usually sufficient for drywall--for harder surfaces or if the plastic anchors start to deform when hammering them in during Step 3, re-drill using a 5/16" drill bit). It is very important that these two holes be as level on the wall as possible.
3. Attach the two wall brackets at these holes so that the flanged ends of the brackets face up and away from the wall, using the 1" wall bracket screws and (red) plastic wall bracket anchors provided. Take care to hammer the anchors in gently until they are just flush with the wall surface. Do not over tighten the bracket screws.
4. Hang the frame on the wall brackets so that the flanged ends of the brackets are seated snugly inside the back channel of the frame's top rail.
5. Check for level. If the frame is not quite level, small adjustments are possible by removing the frame from the wall, loosening the wall bracket screws slightly, shifting the brackets up or down as needed in their slots, retightening the screws and replacing the frame on the brackets.
6. With the frame hung level on the wall brackets, lightly pencil-mark the wall at the centerpoint of the frame's bottom rail where the rail's back edge touches the wall.
7. For larger metal frames, an extra (fourth) mounting point should be used on the frame's bottom rail to make the frame more stable. Extra T-Head screws and anchors must be ordered separately (see above). For larger metal frames using an extra T-Head screw, make two pencil marks during Step 6, spaced an appropriate distance apart, rather than one at the midpoint of the rail and expand Steps 9-13 accordingly.
8. Remove the frame from the wall.
9. Measure the distance on your metal frame from the outer edge of the frame to the center of the channel (this dimension can vary with different types of metal frames). Transfer this measurement to the wall, making a second pencil mark up from the one made in Step 6. Erase the bottom mark.
10. Drill a 5/16" dia. hole at the pencil mark made in Step 9 and gently hammer the (blue) T-Head plastic anchor provided into the drilled hole until it is just flush with the wall surface.
11. Thread the T-Head screw provided into the plastic anchor until about 3/8" extends out from the wall surface. Start the T-Head screw first by hand and complete using a Security Wrench. Align the head to a final horizontal position.
12. Again place the frame over the top wall brackets. The bottom T-Head screw should now be in position within the back channel of the frame's bottom rail.
13. From the right hand side, slide the Security Wrench up underneath the bottom edge of the frame and, without lifting the frame away from the wall, engage and rotate the T-Head screw clockwise one-quarter turn to a vertical position. The frame is now locked to the wall.

1. Place the frame face-down on a soft surface.
2. Attach two of the slotted mounting plates to the back side of the frame, about 2" in from each outside edge and slightly down from the top edge, using the 1/2" screws provided. Screw holes should be pre-drilled to avoid splitting the wood.
3. For small to medium size wood frames, attach the third slotted mounting plate to the back side of the frame at the center of the bottom rail, slightly in from the outside edge. Again, screw holes should be pre-drilled to avoid splitting the wood. Measure from the outside edge of the frame's bottom rail to the center (top to bottom) of the slot in the mounting plate. Write down this measurement.
4. For larger wood frames, an extra (fourth) mounting plate should be used on the frame's bottom rail to make the frame more stable. Extra mounting plates must be ordered separately (see above). On larger frames, space the two bottom rail mounting plates an appropriate distance apart, slightly in from the outside edge of the bottom rail. (If an extra mounting plate is used, expand Steps 11-15 below accordingly). Measure from the outside edge of the frame's bottom rail to the center (top to bottom) of the slot in the mounting plates. Write down this measurement.
5. Mark the desired position of the top edge of the frame on the wall.
6. Measure the distance between the centers of the two top rail mounting plates.
7. Level and drill two 1/4" dia. holes in the wall about 1 1/4" down from where you want the top edge of the frame to be and spaced apart at the distance measured in Step 6. (A 1/4" dia. hole is usually sufficient for drywall--for harder surfaces or if the plastic anchors start to deform when hammering them in during Step 8, re-drill using a 5/16" drill bit). It is very important that these two holes be as level on the wall as possible.
8. Attach the two wall brackets at these holes so that the flanged ends of the brackets face up and away from the wall, using the 1" screws and (red) plastic anchors provided. Do not over tighten the screws.
9. Hang the frame on the wall brackets so that the upper flanged ends of the wall brackets are seated snugly behind the top rail mounting plates on the frame.
10. Check for level. If the frame is not quite level, small adjustments are possible by removing the frame from the wall, loosening the wall bracket screws slightly, shifting the brackets up or down as needed in their slots, retightening the screws and replacing the frame on the brackets.
11. With the frame hung on the wall brackets, lightly pencil-mark the position of the frame outside edge on the wall at the center (left to right) of where the mounting plate is located on the bottom rail of the frame.
12. Remove the frame from the wall.
13. Transfer the measurement made in Step 3 or 4 to the wall, making a second pencil mark up from the one made in Step 11. Erase the bottom mark.
14. Drill a 5/16" dia. hole at the pencil mark made in Step 13 and gently hammer the (blue) T-Head plastic anchor provided into the drilled hole until it is just flush with the wall surface.
15. Thread the T-Head screw provided into the plastic anchor until about 3/8" extends out from the wall surface. Start the T-Head screw first by hand and complete using a Security Wrench. Align the head to a final horizontal position.
16. Again hang the frame on the wall brackets. The T-Head screw just installed should fall inside the slot of the mounting plate on the back of the bottom rail.
17. From the right hand side, slide the Security Wrench up underneath the bottom edge of the frame and, without lifting the frame away from the wall, engage and rotate the T-Head screw clockwise one-quarter turn to a vertical position. The frame is now locked to the wall.

Related Pages

Hook-Ups Security Hanger • Frame-Lock Security Hanger • Security Hangers Overview