A properly installed hasp and strike plate should guide smoothly and lasting easily with clear strength. Apply a small amount of petroleum jelly to the end of the latch and close the door. The jelly will transfer to the strike plate and indicate where the latch touches it. Determine if the strike plate is too high, too low or too deep. Adjust the strike plate by carving out a small amount of wood from the jamb with the chisel in the direction that the strike needs to move.
Realignment
1. Observe all hinge plates for screw exhaustion and separation. Facilitate the load on the hinges by lifting on the door slightly and tighten any loose screws. Repair any stripped holes by removing the screw and filling the gap with wooden toothpicks. Shove the toothpicks into the gap and split them off flush with the hinge recess. Pack the gap tight and propel the screw back into the gap. The toothpicks Testament yield all the slack away of the gap and confess the screw to bite and put in writing tight.
2. Expansive the door and impel the bolt. Blow any dust or debris elsewhere of the fastening mechanism and eyeball the latch sliding in and out of the door. Lubricate with light machine oil if the latch seems to hang in its housing.
3. Close the door and observe how the door stop fits. Changes in moisture, changes in position from being bumped or changes in thickness due to painting can prevent the door from closing to the point that the strike is set to. Bump the doorstop with a hammer and wood block back and away from the door to relieve any tight spots. Bump carefully and slowly and work the block over the general area being adjusted. Do not over correct or correct all in one spot as the doorstop is rather delicate and easily broken. Renail the stop in its new position with trim nails and recaulk/repaint if the finish was damaged during the adjustment.
4. Close the door and observe where the latch hits the strike plate. Over bit, latches may incline rigid to shut or still fail to receive in the strike, creation it impossible to secure. Changes in moisture content of the door and upright, corrosion or dust in the bar and building settling are some of the greater factors. A poorly placed doorstop in the doorjamb or hinge screws pulling away can too surpass to a bad becoming door and quarters the alignment of the hasp and strike plate gap.
