Whats a good book to learn from?

[freakparade3]

That looks like Varjeal's way of saying that I am writing my poor donkey off in addition to making picks all the time.

In between all of that, I have to do my normal locksmithing work.

I forgot what sleep was a few months ago.

However, Bill Phillips's "Complete Book Of Locks And Locksmithing" Volume 5 is an excellent book on the subject.

Romstar

I didn't really find this book to be all that helpful. My goal is to be a locksmith, not just learn picking, the picking section was pretty slim in my opinion and alot of the info like master keying is way over the head of someone just starting. I don't think it was worth what I paid for it.

[Romstar]

I didn't really find this book to be all that helpful. My goal is to be a locksmith, not just learn picking, the picking section was pretty slim in my opinion and alot of the info like master keying is way over the head of someone just starting. I don't think it was worth what I paid for it.

If your goal is to be a locksmith, then "The Complete Book of Locks And Locksmithing" by Bill Phillips should have been right up your alley.

This is the bread and butter of locksmithing. Picking locks is hardly a part of what a locksmith does day in and day out.

The section on picking in that book is slim, for that very reason. Phillips goal was to give the starting locksmith material that would prepare tham for their daily activities.

While it is true that masterkeying can be difficult, it is something very important to learn, especially if you are starting your own shop. While there are programs you can use that will set up masterkey systems for you, if you don't understand what is going on, then any errors will be hard to detect.

Also, it is very important to know the proper way to hang various types of doors, and different ways to install door closers.

Picking is something that is learned as an additional skill, and while it is important, again it is not the most important skill of the working locksmith.

This will be the goal of the book I am going to be working on. I hope that it will be a comprehensive guide to picking, while still being friendly to the beginner, and useful for the advanced student.

However, I still stand behind my opinion that "The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing" is one of the most important books any new locksmith can have.

Romstar

[freakparade3]

I understand that masterkeying is important. The way the book talks about it though, I was totally lost. I guess I need a better basic understanding of it before I get what he was writing. Mabye it was unfair for me to say the book was not worth the price. I'm just trying to learn everything I can, and the book covers alot, but I don't feel it's the best for beginners.

[Romstar]

I understand that masterkeying is important. The way the book talks about it though, I was totally lost. I guess I need a better basic understanding of it before I get what he was writing. Mabye it was unfair for me to say the book was not worth the price. I'm just trying to learn everything I can, and the book covers alot, but I don't feel it's the best for beginners.

You have a point, but I think that it is probably best to look at it as a text book, similar to what you had in school.

It does cover a lot of beginner material, and then it throws in intermediate and advanced material as well.

Thats why I always recomend it. You will find yourself refering to it over and over again for a long time before you decide that you don't need it anymore.

In the trade, there will be several books that will have material you want to review when you approch something you haven't done yet, or are not completely comfortable with yet.

I do agree that it is sparce on picking, and that is a major failing I believe, but at the same time he seems to be following the old lockie code, and just skimming over those things that he believes you should learn from other places.

I think from a picking and opening perspective, there are several books available through The National Locksmith, Locksmith Ledger, HPC and even a book on picking from Pro-Lok that will provide you with adequate material to tech you these methods.

Presumably, you would need to be in the trade to access these materials, and thus they are left out of Phillips' book.

I guess if I follow through with the book project, that willbe where I fit in. A book available to hobbiests and professionals alike that covers a wide range of picking and opening techniques and tools.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it apparently.
Romstar

[greyman]

Dare I say, my book is coming out mid next year. It will have quite a bit of interesting stuff, even for learners. One thing I will say (mods - please don' take this as a plug) - is that no current book I know of deals properly with key combinations and how to compute them, especially when the MACS is involved. If you're interested in computing etc, this might be up your alley.