Good source of info

[toomush2drink]

Hi i notice a lot of people on here asking for info on lever locks well take yourself down to your local locksmith or shoe repairer (yes thats correct) and see if they can order you a book called " An Encyclopaedia of locks and builders hardware" by josiah parkes-union works-willenhall-england.
It has a brown hardback cover and is about 9inches by 6inches size
This book was first published in 1958 then 2nd print 1968 and 3rd print 1979. All this information is all i could find inside about print.
It is quite an old book and may be hard to get but i ordered mine when i was a shoe repairer about 5 years ago through one of my key suppliers at about £20 quid. It is a goldmine of info on most locks and will certainly educate you on most lever locks and general lock history.
Bearing in mind when this was written its amazing a lot of the locks havent changed that much just been modifiyed over time.
If this book doesnt open your eyes to how advanced locks can be take up knitting !!
It shows mushroom pins,side bar cylinders,deadlock levers,wards and much more.

Seek this book out

I am going to see a shoe repairer i used to with and see if it still available otherwise im sure a little "google" will help.

Toomush

[CitySpider]

All right. I'll bite.

Why would a cobbler have a copy of _An Encyclopaedia of Locks and Builder's Hardware_?

[Mad Mick]

Cobblers in the UK usually cut keys etc., as well as repair shoes.

[plot]

Cobblers in the UK usually cut keys etc., as well as repair shoes.

i think toomush2drink (threadstarter), posted in another thread that he got into lockpicking when he was a shoe repairer and cutting keys for people... so that would be correct.

my question is, are there really that many shoe repairers in the UK? never seen one in the US...

[Mad Mick]

There are a plethora of shoe repairers in the UK, most of whom cut keys etc., as a sideline. Pretty much any mall in most towns, has a 'cobbler' where you can get your footwear repaired, and get a new key cut. They don't offer any kind of locksmithing services other than key cutting though. Maybe something to think about for the US market.......?

[mr lockpickman]

in my town (near birmingham), there's like 4 cobblers

out of about 70 shops

[Ivan]

While looking for this on google I bumped into - The Encyclopaedia For Locksmiths by Mick Friend . Can anybody recommend this book? The sample page looks interesting -

http://www.authorsonline.co.uk/New/Samp ... BookID=328

[toomush2drink]

Yes i did learn about locks and key whilst as a shoe repairer but shoe repairering is now a dying trade so i had to do something else.Now im going to be a locksmith but 5 years ago it was closed shop (excuse the pun) especially if you were a shoe repairer as most locksmiths frowned upon cobblers taking their lucrative key cutting trade.

I wish things llike this forum were about then as its pointed me in the right direction for my career change.

toomush

[jimprice]

The book "An Encyclopaedia of locks and builders hardware"
is no longer available.
You may be able to find this book in a second hand shop.

A good book on locks and keys is
"A treatise on fire and thief-proof depositories and locks and keys"
by george price. printed in 1856

Well out of print now, but has nearly 1000 pages of information
including details on the picks that hobbs used on chubb locks
and bramah locks

[Chucklz]

This particular text "A treatise on fire and thief-proof depositories and locks and keys" is part of LSS, so yet another reason to grab LSS.

[plot]

chuck is like a loaded college student who'se spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on locksmithing stuff apparently...

(yes, i'm jealous of all the high dollar and cheap stuff he has)


anyways, i've never seen a cobbler in the US... usually by the time a shoe gets worn down, you just buy a new pair... i mean, really, you usually get a new pair before they wear down. and i dont see how alot of shoes could even be repaired... i'm guessing it's like workboots they fix? even then, i just spent 25$ at payless for a new pair of workboots every 6 months... any workboot i buy is tax deductable anyways.

[toomush2drink]

Plot your right about getting a new pair when they wear out but some of the shoes i worked on were £3000 a pair. They were john lobbs who make the royal families shoes.Over the years i repaired many celebs shoes and have seen many royals shoes, how about princess diana's slippers at £300 a pair !!.

Shame about the previous post about the book i recommended is not available now.

toomush