Anybody a Locksmith?

[Old Ironsights]

PM me please...

[kimwcook]

My partner knows about locks, but alas, he's in Afghanistan at the moment and won't be back for quite some time.

[Old Ironsights]

I can open locks...

I'm seeking business advice.

[awp101]

I can open locks...

A "master key" can be a really fun thing to have, no?

[bdhold]

amateur

[Old No7]

3rd Generation locksmith here... You called?

Though my brothers and I no longer work in the trade; partly because of our desires not to be saddled with the various small-business responsibilities (and headaches) that we all saw our late father deal with over the years, but mostly because of his request that we all go to college and have a better life than he thought he did. (Not saying that college is the answer for all! And yes, there are way too many dumb "smart people" around for sure...)

Working with good, solid locks and hand tools is very satisfying -- just like gunsmithing in many ways -- but wow, the trade is not what it used to be. Starting over 30 years ago, the cheap junk-brass locksets took a lot of good/profitable work away from all the 'smiths, as there was no sense in putting $5 or $7 of labor to rekey a lockset, when one could get a new (cheap!) one for just over $10. At one point in time, we made twice as much from repairs and rekeying locks as we did at all the other sales combined. Today, I'd expect that ratio to be lots lower. (Think "replace" instead of "repair" or "rekey"...)

The glory days of the trade back in the late 60s or 70s for us, had my 3 brothers and I in the shop working with our dad, rekeying nice heavy-duty (and real solid brass) locksets from Yale, Schlage, Corbin or others. We also drilled safes and rebuilt door closers too. Back then, we'd have 4 semi-automatic key machines in a row and they ran almost all the time non-stop. I recall doing a multi-level Master Key system once -- 40 locksets all opened by their own keys, with a couple of sub-masters to open 2 groups of 20, then 4 more subs to open 4 groups of 10, with one "grand master" that opened them all! That was cool. But you had to plan that system out on paper first, believe it or not, or else the cuts would be so deep or so close the locks would have no security. My dad could do those systems in his sleep, but to me, it was quite an accomplishment for a teenager. The "right of passage" in our family was being taught to pick locks (and being bonded by the family business) at the age of 12 at the kitchen table, so our dad could work on the locks the next day.

We used to marvel at watching my father putting an uncut key blank into a wafer lock, and by twisting it with pliers and looking under a strong light with a magnifying glass, he'd take a light cut with a file. Then after 30+ more file, twist & look combinations, he'd have the lock turn right over for him. Wicked cool. I only did that once, but it took me more than 30 tries (and more than 1 key blank too!).

Best bet is to PM me with the questions you have, and I'll do my best to answer and give you the straight scoop from my perspective/experience.

Hope you don't mind me sharing these pix OI, since you sparked this trip down memory lane for me...

And here's to you Dad! Thanks for all you taught me!
Here's the old shop, started by my paternal grandfather:

Hubbard's Lock on Monroe St.jpg

Can you find the right one???

Keys at Hubbard's.jpg

The "master" at work!

Dad cutting keys.jpg

Old No7

[Mescalero]

Our bar got broken into, so we called a locksmith to re-do everything.
While he was up there I had a key made for my 1990 Bronco.
It is amazing to see someone who knows what he is doing, do his thing.

[cas]

amateur

Sadly for them, it's harder to shoot them than pick them.

[Ben_Rumson]

Old No7 ...You made me remember something I had forgotten about when you explained about your Dad twisting a key with pliers and looking under strong magnification at the marks on it.. I had a old Harley that needed a key made for it.. Lucky for me the ignition switch was left unlocked by the original owner.. After I got the bike restored I rode it down to the old local Locksmith and he did the same as you and your Dad.. He had an appropriate blank too... 10 min later after BSing about the bike while he worked he gave me a wink and I happily paid him...

[HemiRambler]

Teeny Tiny off topic...growing up I was fascinated by locksmiths - (weren't all kids?) anyways
years later I had an old safe with an inner door that I needed a key for. I had the mechanism apart and took it to 3 "locksmiths" in our area....


NONE of them could make me a key!!!!! Apparently the locksmiths of today (at least in my area) are nothing like the locksmiths of my youth (I'm 45 now). To say I was disappointed was an understatement.

So...I, being an amateur, machinist machined a key from round brass. I turned it on a lathe then milled off anything that didn't look like a key. Worked perfect. Years later we hired an "X" locksmith at work and eventually we came upon THIS story. He snickered as I told him I ended up making a key myself - I kinda felt he doubted me so I pulled it out of my pocket (still on my keychain) after all these years and his pelosi eating grin quickly disappeared. It was a funny moment. I kinda could see why he was an "X" locksmith.

Times are a changing...I just lust for the old days and I ain't even that old.

So where was I going with all this ??? shiet I dunno - I think somebody mentioned "locksmith"

[Canuck Bob]

All I use is a size 12 key or a 10# sledge. Works great to open but the repairs eat up a lot of time.