Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
17th April 2024 Issue no. 701
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What every locksmith should know
The full article is published in the current edition of sister publication Locks and Security Magazine
By Brian Morland
The very nature of being a modern day locksmith is that he answers the needs of his customers locking security needs, and that more often than not is to repair, replace or upgrade an existing lock. One aspect of the work that I have always particularly enjoyed is when I'm called to a property or indeed to a safe or even a piece of furniture, where the lock has failed or the key is lost.
The first challenge is to identify the problem from the presented situation; a locked door, safe or cabinet. Before any of the tools or skills that have been learnt can be applied, you first have to call upon another set of skills, arguably more important than physical dexterity skills and that is to identify the presented problem and the exact version of the locked or failed device in order to apply the correct instruments and skills. This is no mean task but can save a lot of hard work if part of your rational was to familiarise yourself with the locks of the past.
Locks and keys have been in everyday use for millennia. They are also very enduring; it's not uncommon to find locks still in everyday use that were made a 100 or even 200 years ago and sometimes even older. The variety is staggering as is the range of designs. Many of these locks also had quirks or a 'secret' in their design or operation. Therefore if your customer service also includes a field/workshop service component it also follows that part of a locksmiths continuing learning ought to be at least a basic understanding of earlier locks and their configurations. Therefore we explore a few examples.
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6th July 2016