mortice id info uk

[B.P.F.Locks]

what would be the best id for all uk mortice locks. icl have a new improved manual at £120, is this the best option and price? and does it do exactly what it says on the tin?
thanks
FIDO

[horsefeathers]

what would be the best id for all uk mortice locks. icl have a new improved manual at £120, is this the best option and price? and does it do exactly what it says on the tin?
thanks
FIDO

go for it, if you have nothing better to spend £120 on.

Or make your own by going thru your stock if you have any, or buying locks, new or second hand from ebay, boot sales etc. This is by far the best option as you can take each lock apart and see the relationships between gates/stumps etc. Also use them to practise picking with curtain picks.

[Shrub]

Definatley make your own, you will learn far more and it will stay in your head,

A book that has pics of locks in it soon looses its interest, once you know the locks its worthless and knowing the locks comes very fast especially when your practiseing and maybe making your own id chart up,

[jonj]

you shouldn't need it man but as they say if you have a spair £120 then go for it but i would try to learn it off by heart as if you ever loose the booklet your stuffed (when you see a loc have a look in the key hole and then look at the face plate to see what make it is the test your self as you go along

[paul1982]

I have made my own so much better and in doing so you are able to actually see how each lock works and the type of levers in the lock, and can make own notes and i.d markings on each lock. Such as the coulouring and texture of the casings. I hardly ever use them as i have pretty much remebered what i have put togrther in my manual..
Buying something someone else has created could cause problems as you may not inturpret the i.d markings the same as they have.

[Chucklz]

If you are going to be trading, why not invest that money in a variety of stock? You get to learn to ID the locks you've just bought, and of course can use them for customers? You are going to need to purchase stock anyway, so why not just save the money for locks (or nights at the pub).

[B.P.F.Locks]

cheers for the reply chaps,
much appreciated.

point taken!

i forgot just how much help this website was.. keep it up!

Fido

[toomush2drink]

Get the id book as it contains a lot more info than just id it also tells you the best opening method for each lock.You would get your money back in 2 openings.
Sure build up your own database but if its an old lock thats hard to get hold of how will you ever get the chance to id it if you havent got one ? Even now i still go back and check my id book every now and then, you can beat having pictures of worn locks to compare with not just nice shiney new locks. Once the paint starts wearing away round the keyhole it gets tricky on certain locks.

[79commando]

I've been down the route of buying Mortice ID books and templates off E-Bay and trust me some are marked up incorrectly which could spoil your weekend on a job. I've also built up a good set of photos from locks that I have purchased or managed to source from customers.
The ICL book http://www.theinstituteofcertifiedlocks ... manual.htm is a very comprehensive book made up of common locks and also hard to come by locks, the pictures are lifelike in that they show worn locks not the shiny ones you practice on the bench with then never see again. It also encompasses the majority of the decoders on the market and other bypass methods.

Like most tools you could make one up yourself however I would rather spend my time picking locks to get my time down rather than wasting valuable time sourcing locks, taking photos, printing them out etc. After all time is money.

Having had the pleasure of drilling off the talon on a Chubb 3g114 and wasting a good hour with a Bailiff and Engineer tapping their feet behind me soon made me concentrate a bit more on lock ID and drill points.