The first Time

[SteveW]

Hi all, this is my first posting. I am trying to set myself up doing mobile domestic work. I am going part time to begin with whilst carrying on my part-time job, ive done some MLA training and have got some of the basic tools and want to persue the non destructive rout. On my course i was told the best way to learn was to set myself up and get on with it, and i would learn from my mistakes. Is this the best way to go? I dont need to rely on locksmithing for my living but i would like to be fulltime in a year or two, and any money i make can be reinvested in tools and stock. how does this sound as abasic plan ?
Any advise would be most welcome, ( and yes i have checked out alot of the previous startup postings)

[Shrub]

It does all depend on your knowledge gained from the MLA.

If your competent and have some good resorces like someone to phone up in times when you get stuck and regulary reading this site then i beleive you can have a go,

The main thing to do is practice opening locks before you actually get going, i agree with the advice if its meant for learning the various methods to gain entry, experiance is a good teacher but if you cant pick the locks in the first plae your going to be stuck,

In the UK the biggist issue is the identifying and picking of lever locks, if you cant id a lock you may as well not be able to pick it.

Get quite a few BS rated locks and a vise, just sit/stand there and practice opening them when ever you have time, its addictive and rewarding. You should be able to use a curtain pick on all of them, use 2 in 1 picks on non BS rated locks, use wires on non BS locks, if youve treated yourself to any decoders then you need to be proficient on them.

You also need to be practiceing on rim cylinder locks, euros etc. You should be able to pick them by hand and if you treat yourself to a electric or manual pick gun you also need practice with those.

You also need to know how to open digital locks by bypass or malnipulation.

If you are also going to do cars or safes then i would suggest you did neither until you did have a lot of training or advice on them as they are quite specialist and mistakes are costly.

There is so much to learn you could never learn it all before you do your first job, i imagine i will still be learning the day i die as thats the nature of the business.

Have a read around here on various tools and opening techniques and just get practiceing, youll feel right when the time comes and will know when you are confident enough to have a go at someones door.

[SteveW]

Thanks alot Shrub
Ive been picking for a couple of years, ive got standerd picks and a couple of 2 in 1's and ive been having regular sucess with both. Ive got a letter box tool, a van , a GL-888C key machein, a good variety of blanks, and loads of enthusiasm ( i dont know if i spelt that right ). i hope to have my first CB curtain pick befor christams. Where should i go from here?

[bonez]

as shrub said plenty of practice you'l know when your
ready,you will learn by your mistakes!!
trouble is it usually hits you in your pocket!!
best a luck
oh and welcome to the site.

[Shrub]

Its hard to say but if your getting your first CB pick then try and buy 1 or 2 of all the popular BS mortice locks and practice like mad, when you can regularly open them swap the levers around inside and start again.

Make yourself some overlifters for no BS locks, these can be made from a key blank with the bolt throwing part cut off and a wire, you use the wire to tension the bolt and the key blank to lift the levers from the lock position, its very effective on 2 and 3 lever locks and with a bit of practice the same on no curtained locks, it doesnt always work but its a good thing to have non the less.

A good spinner is a good thing to have as some cylinder locks pick easier in the lock position, you do that and then just spin the plug back past the shearline to the unlock side, you then use a tensioner to unlock the lock.

For those times when you have no other choice a snapper is a very good tool, its a must if you have a lot of upvc doors where you are.

A set of 2 and 3 lever tryout/jiggler keys is good, you can do a lot of locks with those once you have the tecnique sorted, leave the 5 lever sets alone though, they are a waste of money.

If you have the money the chubb pin and cam for the 114g and the one for the 110 is nice to have along with the invincible slide rule decoder, although not neccasary if you struggle with the curtain pick due to lack of practice they can be a life saver.

To be honest it all depends on how good you are at picking but i would suggest its the mortice locks your going to struggle on and practice on those will pay dividends, get some form of mortice id if it helps or start making your own, there are a few threads on here regarding what you should be looking at but basically things like colour, harplate size, key hole size, curtain size, curtain colour, bolt height etc etc are all points you can use to id the correct lock.

A good 2-3mm drill kit is a handy thing to have if you come across any damaged locks but in my experiance not actually 100% needed.

[Shrub]

I think toomush has a good post somwhere on the tools a uk lockie should look at having on their van

[Shrub]

I know you said youve read them but this is a good thread viewtopic.php?t=4708

[toomush2drink]

Everybody seems to focus on the lock opening side of things but i fit more locks than i open, hows your woodwork ? I personally think you need to practice with the chisels otherwise costly mistakes can be made.Get yourself a mortiser if your not too confident in this area and its a good tool anyway if your are especially on multiple lock installs.
You are never really ready and its only by getting out there and experiencing life on the door that teaches you real quick, assuming you learn from your mistakes

[Shrub]

Yes great advice i had sadly not mentioed, i along with many others use a db mortiser, very neat and quick, a good set of sharp chisels and a rubber/plastic mallet is the order of the day.
You still need to chop out by hand the strike box hole so again as toomush said its practise time, some scrap 3x2 is good enough for practiseing, you just go deeper on the door for the lock hole.

I set of hole cutters or spade bits for fitting cylinders is also a good way to go.

[jax]

steve w...good luck, if you approach it with understanding you`ll be ok, dont learn parrot fashion, you need to grasp the principles....and i`d leave the warrant runs alone for awhile, you need a certain amount of confidence, especially when the warrant officer is used to a quick, clean entry.
did i really just type that??????
CLEAN ENTRY!!!!!

[SteveW]

Thanks alot for the advise
I have already done quite a boit of fitting so i dont have any major concerns there. Cylinders dont present to much of a problem either( though i am concerned about UPVC door locks , not the cylinders but the locks !! there alot of variations).
Mortice locks are going to be my major headache. I am having very little trouble with non BS locks (2,3 , and five leaver), its the BS locks that are my problem. As i said befor i am investing in a CB curtain pick, i think the Std 5/5 or the 5g would be the best place to start. Which one would be more usefull? Ive also been chating with the guys at safe ventures, would decoding kits (i was yhinking of the union and ERA profit kits) be a wise investment whilst i improve my curtain picking skills?

[Shrub]

The CB pick is a 5g and 5.5g in one

[SteveW]

I stand corrected, but is this the best one to start with?

[Shrub]

Yes as its the most common size you will come across

[SteveW]

What about decoding kits? it all sounds too easy! But they may take the fun out of the job.