Master Locksmithing, Bill Phillips, Copyright 2008, ISBN 978-0-07-148751-1, 9" X 7", 416 pages.
Contents:
1. Types of locks (refresher)
2. Picking pin tumblers
3. Bumping
4. Impressioning
5. High Security Locks
6. Rekeying Kwiksets
7. Non-locking Door Hardware
8. Electronics
9. Emergency Exit Devices
10. Electric Strikes
11. Alarms
12. Magnetic Locks
13. CCTV
14. Access Control
15. Automotive Locks
16. Masterkeying
17. Safes - Buy and Sell
18. Safes - Drilling and Manipulating
19. Working as a Locksmith
20. Safe and Secure Home
21. Security Consulting
22. Appendixes: Finish Codes, assorted spaces and depths, suppliers, electrical schematics, suppliers, etc.
Had high hopes for this book, having read through his
Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing several years ago. Overall this book was a disappointment. Phillips has a tendency to cut-and-paste a lot, and in this book he goes on a rampage. One of the worst examples is Phillips reprinting 40 pages worth of a Kwikset guide on rekeying in the book. First, rekeying the elusive and complex grade 3 Kwikset is the mark of a master locksmith? Second, if one wanted the Kwikset guide to rekeying, an up-to-date guide is here:
http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/content/BDHHI/Kwikset/Tech-Docs/rekey-manual_102213.pdf for free, and may as well download the Schlage guide too:
http://consumer.schlage.com/project%20documents/p513-325.pdf .
The most comical cut-and-paste was the appendix on electrical schematic symbols--the guy obviously lifted the section from some amateur radio handbook from the 1960's, e.g., how often do dipole antennas, headphones, telegraph keys, phono-jacks, and pentode vacuum tubes show up in locksmithing these days? I am not a locksmith, but if I decided to go into business I would not worry too much about vacuum tubes and telegraph keys. What was not in the schematic symbols were things like solenoids, magnetic contacts, etc.
The bumping chapter is more cut and paste: nasty-grams between AOLA and Marc Tobias. One page on how to bump, and the solution to pumping is not to sell bump keys to the public. Nothing about bump resistant locks or how to make them bump resistant.
The impressioning chapter was very light on text, not much there, very basic. The high security chapter was about a dozen pages reprinted from ASSA.
The electronics chapter was very basic, high school stuff on Ohms law. Emergency exits chapter was 16 pages of a handbook from Alarm Lock.
Electric strike chapter was one of the better chapters (not saying much at this point), about twenty pages from Adams-Rite.
Alarm systems chapter was very high-level. Magnetic lock chapter was mostly a reprint from Magnalock.
CCTV was mostly useless. I have installed coax/DVR and ethernet camera systems before and this chapter is officially a steaming pile of excrement. Does not even mention DVR's or networked cameras. This was published in 2008 and it sort of implies that the only way to record footage is via a VHS recorder on 6 hour tapes.
Access Control was two pages. Automotive locks was very basic.
Masterkeying started with a strange excursion into warded and lever locks, then 6 pages on pin tumblers. Not enough material to get anyone started, in my opinion.
Selling safes goes over some safe terminology.
Drilling and Manipulating--finally, something exciting, right? The key sentence is "To learn about safes, read all you can about them, and take classes when you can." Preferably read a book not written by Phillips. It has a few high level pages about how safes can be drilled and there is one page on the concept of manipulation, but not enough to really do anything. After the
Master Locksmithing book on drilling and manipulating the reader would be stumped by a SentrySafe from Walmart.
Overall, it is bloated with manufacturer handbooks that are freely available, and the material otherwise in the book is so high-level that I doubt that anyone could actually put much of it into practice. Some of Phillips other books are not that bad, but this one just seems to be a cynical attempt to cash in on his name. Two thumbs down.
