best place to get practice locks

[decadude]

I am a total n00bie to the hobby and want to know of the best place to get practice locks i do not have a lot of money and unfortunately this hobby seems kinda expensive but fun none the less

if anyone can steer me in the right direction i would greatly appreciate it

[femurat]

Hi decadude, welcome to the forum.

Why don't you try our B-S-T area?

Cheers

[awol70]

or habitat for humanity..its a charity,so you help people,and you never know what you might find.

[sparkster]

you can also look on ebay, always plenty on there, ask your local double glazing company, demolition sites are good for a few if theres any construction work being done by you.

[SnowyBoy]

I have a GEGE serrated pinned cutaway on a popular auction site for £15 + £1.99 postage.

To be honest, when people entering the hobby say 'they haven't got a lot of money' sort of bothers me as when you take on a hobby which involves purchasing tools & physical items to do that hobby you should at least be prepared to set some money aside to give yourself a good start.

Everyone IMO should have a spare £20 to spend on something they like, and 90% of my cutaways are under that price.

[SnowyBoy]

Forgot to post some pics.

I have two types I am doing right now & that is Euro & padlocks.

Padlock type (without the shackle spring window)
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/8071/abus1.jpg

Euro Type
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/295/gege1.jpg


I am sure a few members will not mind assuring you of the quality of my cutaways & also that they are superior to any of the other half cut models for sale on Ebay.

Also, just in case anyone thinks I'm in this for the money (like on a certain other forum), I started this simply because there were no cutaways on the market available thatwere any good to me.... the workmanship was either terribly shoddy, or the cuts were really boring and you couldn't see anything apart from the top pins. When you get a lock from me you can be assured that it is the sort of quality only I would expect myself, and not just a mass produced item to earn me mega bucks....

[exspook]

old skips that have doors in them are great for collecting locks for practice

I have even come across a huge box of chubb locks thrown out in the skip of a locksmith buisness

You could always try the local locksmiths store and ask nicely

Dave

[Desert Fox]

I have a GEGE serrated pinned cutaway on a popular auction site for £15 + £1.99 postage.

To be honest, when people entering the hobby say 'they haven't got a lot of money' sort of bothers me as when you take on a hobby which involves purchasing tools & physical items to do that hobby you should at least be prepared to set some money aside to give yourself a good start.

Everyone IMO should have a spare £20 to spend on something they like, and 90% of my cutaways are under that price.

Well the fact that some people don't have money shouldn't stop them from pursing a new hobby. But having the money does help a whole lot.

I find that habitat for humanity is great (if it's in your area), any old hardware store would do, just pick up some tiny master locks (usually under 5$) and see how it feels. As for tools, a simple set would be a good idea or you can make your own (paper clips aren't advisable however).

Good luck!

[SnowyBoy]

I have a GEGE serrated pinned cutaway on a popular auction site for £15 + £1.99 postage.

To be honest, when people entering the hobby say 'they haven't got a lot of money' sort of bothers me as when you take on a hobby which involves purchasing tools & physical items to do that hobby you should at least be prepared to set some money aside to give yourself a good start.

Everyone IMO should have a spare £20 to spend on something they like, and 90% of my cutaways are under that price.

Well the fact that some people don't have money shouldn't stop them from pursing a new hobby. But having the money does help a whole lot.

I find that habitat for humanity is great (if it's in your area), any old hardware store would do, just pick up some tiny master locks (usually under 5$) and see how it feels. As for tools, a simple set would be a good idea or you can make your own (paper clips aren't advisable however).

Good luck!

I still think getting yourself prepared for a hobby is a whole lot more rewarding. It avoids the risk of loosing interest because you havn't got the tools neccessary to carry out the task.... I've butchered good locks with dremels because I couldn't wait for the right tool, and I regret that. But had I have had any less commitment to my new hobby, that would have probably sealed the fate of it, all because I rushed in.

Anyway, he could still pick up a really rubbish lock for 'under $5' which might put him off starting picking altogether, then again he might get a good one. At least on the forum he can be sure he's getting a lock worth having.

[raimundo]

I have gotten the most locks and great variety of them from a friend in the scrap metal recycling industry.
and of course, for automotive locks cheap, go to the "pick your parts" type of auto salvage yard. Bring your slim jims and have some practice on the doors while there.