Locksmith Education, Guidance, and Reviews

October 6, 2009

Get trained as a Locksmith sitting at home!

0095435001 Distance education is one of the biggest things happening in the world of learning today, and you will be surprised at the kind of courses which can be learnt online. Ranging from an engineering degree to the theoretical part of becoming a doctor, everything can be done now sitting at home – as long as you have access to the right kind of an online education forum.

Some of the most in demand courses of the recent times have been those which launch people off into trades that they like. Courses ranging from Plumbing to Carpentry to Locksmithing can now be learnt online. Since we are on a Locksmithing blog, that is what we will focus on; and if you are not sure about the courses online for locksmiths, allow us to tell you that they are out in full flow!

The best online locksmithing courses have a complete locksmithing training course for home study, and getting in does not require any pre-requisites. Unlike many of the other local places where one can get trained to become a locksmith, there is no limit to the amount of knowledge one can acquire sitting at home. Made as a combination of text and video files, the whole package is couriered home and there are exams conducted at the end of term. Since we said that there are no qualifications to get into a course like this one, the language used in the course is quite easy and anyone can understand it. One program that we found even had loads of information about each of the different brand of locks available in the market today. There is one-on-one lock information, including how each of them can be cracked, and we were quite surprised to see the comprehensiveness of the research in the program. Since we now have access to the internet on which there are quite a few hobby clubs that post lock picking videos, we can actually see how the theory in the books can be used practically.

At the end of the program, there is a certificate, which will allow people to get started in a career as a locksmith. If the certification is from a reputed company, it can be used to get into a professional locksmithing company and that is a good step in the right direction.

You can get more information from searching the net, but see that you don’t get fooled into a nonsense program run from some remote corner of the world by a person who knows nothing about locks.

October 1, 2009

An engineering degree in Locksmithing!

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We have been speaking a lot about locks and locksmithing in the recent months on this blog.

Apart from bringing you information on various kinds of locks and ways to break them, we have also been speaking a lot about the profession in general.

This article is to do with that genre, and has a very unique premise. You would be knowing that there is a lot of knowledge flowing around in the locksmithing community – especially with the modern breakthroughs in the field including electronic locks and other security systems. There have been a lot of informal locksmith schools across the country where some well-informed locksmith trains a few people looking to get into the profession; but like we said, it is quite informal and cannot be recognized by an institution.

For precisely that purpose, there are courses now available which certify a person in locksmithing, and the best qualification in the genre is an engineering degree in locksmithing. While that is a serious addition to the portfolio of someone with a background in locksmithing looking to expand, for most of the others, a trade degree from a recognized place of education will do.

Trade degrees are recognized by the government, and are necessary for governmental tenders and other such professionals bids. There are two levels of trade programs in locksmithing, and they are

  • General Locksmithing, and
  • Professional Locksmithing

Like the names suggest, general locksmithing is targeted to the novice who wants to get into the locksmithing business, and wants a good entry to the field. This module would cover all the necessary basics including the usage of common lock picking tools, installations, and repairs of common lock models, automobile lock maintenance, and other related topics.

The professional locksmithing module is more advanced than the one mentioned above, and is just right for someone already in the business of locksmithing looking to break into the big league. This module will have all the electronic lock installation and maintenance methods, and will also include processes for a security audit. These are the people who are qualified to undertake installations and repairs of a large scale in modern buildings.

If you are looking to get started in the profession, this might just be right for you!

Pic Credit – Internet

July 11, 2009

The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing – Review

Book Bill Phillips is one of the world’s foremost experts when it comes to locks and locksmithing.

Whether you are a professional locksmith or a lock enthusiast, it is simply not possible that you have not heard of him!

There have been quite a few books that he’s authored on the subject, starting from Locksmithing, published by McGraw Hill Professional in the year 1999. The next book in the series (not directly) is The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing, which came out in 2005.

Like the name suggests, this is seriously one helluva book to lay hands on if you are even remotely connected with the business of locksmithing. Everything about Locks – from lock making to lock breaking is covered in so much depth, that the only fear is that locksmithing would change from something beyond a hobby once you read this book!

This is the 6th edition of the book to be published by McGraw Hill Professional, and from 1976, there have been several revisions in this book to ensure that it is up to date. Coming to the specialty of this version, we found it to be the absolute bridge between professional and amateur locksmithing. Though Bill Phillips is among the top master locksmiths in the world today, the book has been written in a lucid and informative manner so that even if a layman reads this, he will understand most of the things mentioned (with the exception of a few technicalities which we will anyway not need).

If you are a regular on the Lockpicking channels of YouTube, you will know how exciting it is to be able to pick your own locks – especially when you get locked out of your home (which is likely to be quite often if you have kids) or you car (which is quite likely even if you don’t have kids!). But then videos serve only a few purposes, and unless you have the exact similar kind of a lock, picking it is a mammoth task – we will bring a few great lockpicking videos onto this blog in a few days time anyway, stay tuned. However, with the book, you are taken into the fundamentals of lock making and then lock picking. So even if you see a lock that you have not dealt with before, you will know exactly how it was made, and that makes picking it easier. One addition that has happened a few editions ago is the safe opening and servicing techniques. Whether you have a simple safe at home for jewelry, or a complex one at your office for documents, you will be able to open and service it quite efficiently with this user friendly guide.

The 6th edition is full of electronic locks and automatic locks, and there are pictorial representations which allow you to understand them better and also to service them in case of emergency. This is one of the greatest assets of this book, as it allows you to get familiar with a complex piece of technology which is now a huge part of our lives – electronic locking systems.

The registered locksmith test has changed, and the book carries the all-new test if you are looking to take one. Be sure that you find the answers in the book itself before you attempt this one!

Another key strength of this edition is the knowledge it gives you to conduct your own home (or office) security surveys. Usually large offices have professional locksmiths who specialize in assessing the amount of security your office needs, and then use that information to suggest the locking systems and levels needed. However, at home, most of the decisions are taken by us, and quite a few times, we are proven wrong. This section of the book enables you to make an informed decision about the level of home security you need.

Finally, since the book is equally targeted to the professional locksmith as it is to the layman (and all those in between); the last section talks about getting started in the locksmithing business and also gives very practical tips on getting hired as a locksmith if you are looking to so self-employed.

At 576 pages, the book is quite bulky, but the topic in itself is so dense that Bill needs to commended for keeping it down to those pages! At $ 29.95, it is surely a must-have in your library if you are even remotely interested in locks.

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