If you do not get a helper and you must leave the shop because you
Visit these links if you are looking for locksmith services in Spokane, Washington | Spokane locksmith solutions.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Good Locksmith Business Practices
As a locksmith technician, it is always important to be prepared with a complete set of working tools and supplies in your service van, so you are ready to go when a job comes in. The basic difference in your planning for part or full time locksmith operation involves the outside, or on-the-site, work. Practicing being a locksmith only part-time, you can't expect to build a proper income without taking jobs that require you driving around town and sometimes even a little further, or by taking those jobs that fit into your free time. Once you get into it full time, you will have to do all those things.
As you develop a steady incoming outside work, you will want to make some arrangements to take care of the drop-in customer when you are not in the shop. You can train a helper to operate the Key Machine and to make keys while customers are coming into your store for them. Be sure to train the helper properly, so he would know exactly what the customer wishes done and write down everything to when you return and be able to fulfill the customer's needs.
If you do not get a helper and you must leave the shop because you
got called on a job, make sure you will leave a sign showing when you will return. If you work out such a system such as leaving a sign showing when you will return, or telling the customer how to deposit instructions for work he needs to get done, it might save you a lot of business that otherwise can be lost or worse, go to the competition.
Visit these links if you are looking for locksmith services in Spokane, Washington | Spokane locksmith solutions.
If you do not get a helper and you must leave the shop because you
Visit these links if you are looking for locksmith services in Spokane, Washington | Spokane locksmith solutions.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Padlock Decoding Tip
In our locksmith company, we usually decode many combos of padlocks. We usually do it as an exercise, but its also good to preserve the padlock itself, learn the theory behind it, and other basic things. One of the things that usually give us a hard time while decoding is after reading the gates through the shackle hole, we can't get the combination right on the first try.
For a Master 1500D padlock, we usually add 11 to the number decoded from the shackle hole, to get the combination number. At times the reading will be off by one or two increments and will cause it to not working. With other padlocks, the number added will vary, but will only be found with trial and error. Running into these kind of issues, I learned how to get the right combination. Here its where the progression and manipulation kicks in.
When misreading the gates, we would usually end up locking some of the padlocks we would work on, with no way to start over since the shackle will be locked out. We needed to find a way to start over. When it comes time to test the combination, we don't lock the lock's shackle. What we do is use another combo padlock's shackle.
This is done by pushing in and twisting the shackle until the locking dog engages. Pull on it and it is effectively locked. The borrowed shackle lock is perpendicular to the back of the lock to be worked on. Now the right combination is set, and the shackle will pop out just as if it were the lock's own shackle. But the advantage this time is that if we won't get the right combo, and need to start over, the shackle won't lock and we will be able to do that. Check out the following link for more interesting tips.
For a Master 1500D padlock, we usually add 11 to the number decoded from the shackle hole, to get the combination number. At times the reading will be off by one or two increments and will cause it to not working. With other padlocks, the number added will vary, but will only be found with trial and error. Running into these kind of issues, I learned how to get the right combination. Here its where the progression and manipulation kicks in.
When misreading the gates, we would usually end up locking some of the padlocks we would work on, with no way to start over since the shackle will be locked out. We needed to find a way to start over. When it comes time to test the combination, we don't lock the lock's shackle. What we do is use another combo padlock's shackle.
This is done by pushing in and twisting the shackle until the locking dog engages. Pull on it and it is effectively locked. The borrowed shackle lock is perpendicular to the back of the lock to be worked on. Now the right combination is set, and the shackle will pop out just as if it were the lock's own shackle. But the advantage this time is that if we won't get the right combo, and need to start over, the shackle won't lock and we will be able to do that. Check out the following link for more interesting tips.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Door Lock Service
A fellow locksmith technician sent me a job recently to make a key for a 1989 LeMan's lock. I had some experience with those locks before. As I experienced before, the wafers were severely corroded from non-use and no lubrication, and were stuck tightly in their chambers. My solution to the problem is to saturate the plug and wafers with WD-40 and after allowing it to work for a bit, I force the wafers out of the plug with a small screwdriver.
Sometimes, I would have to use a small hammer in order to accomplish this task. Once I have them all loosened sufficiently, I take one wafer at a time and rub them against an 8' Bastard Cut file. I hold the wafers of either side and gently rub them against the file until the corrosion is removed and the wafer is showing its original brass color!
After cleaning each wafer, I put them back in the plug and remove the next one and repeat the cleaning process. You have to be careful with the cleaned wafers, as they will now easily fall out of the chamber. Once it was finished and it was time to make the key, my TNL software gave me the three missing cuts without having to progression. Check out the following link for more info regarding similar locksmith services.
Sometimes, I would have to use a small hammer in order to accomplish this task. Once I have them all loosened sufficiently, I take one wafer at a time and rub them against an 8' Bastard Cut file. I hold the wafers of either side and gently rub them against the file until the corrosion is removed and the wafer is showing its original brass color!
After cleaning each wafer, I put them back in the plug and remove the next one and repeat the cleaning process. You have to be careful with the cleaned wafers, as they will now easily fall out of the chamber. Once it was finished and it was time to make the key, my TNL software gave me the three missing cuts without having to progression. Check out the following link for more info regarding similar locksmith services.
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