Best books for beginner

[alanmcki]

Hello

I'm in a predicament as I am about to move to Australia from the UK in August but want to start learning locksmith skills before I go so I can continue out there and hopefully eventually get some work experience leading to a job.

So as I can't afford to put myself on a course now, I thought a good book and some basic picking tools would be a good idea to get me stared.

Any suggestions on the best books for a complete beginner?

Thanks

[LocksportSouth]

The two Deviant Ollam books, Keys to the kingdom and Practical Lock Picking are supposed to be quite good

[Squelchtone]

The two Deviant Ollam books, Keys to the kingdom and Practical Lock Picking are supposed to be quite good

Both good books, but I think OP is learning to be a locksmith, and from what many of the locksmith members here have said over the years, picking is a small fraction of the work a locksmith does. So something like a Bill Phillips book The Complete Book of Locksmithing, which is filled with locksmith knowledge from 1970-2005 would probably have more in it as far as the types of locks out there, how to install and maintain them, how to run a business, etc. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Loc ... 071448292/

*the book can feel outdated at times, as it is a culmination of the previous 5 books by the same title.
**that book is on my shelf at home, so I cant check it right now, but I think it was also geared more towards the USA, so certain lock mechanisms popular in other countries such as uPVC doors with euro profile cylinders may not be covered, I'll check tonight.

hope that helps,
Squelchtone

[MBI]

For tools you'll need a basic short hook pick and a tension wrench. Down the road you may decide you want some slightly different hooks and you'll definitely want a few different wrenches, but for now, a short hook and a tension wrench will do you fine.

Instead of a book, I'd suggest a practice lock. Get an old lock you don't care about (in case you lose parts), either a rim, mortise or KIK (key in knob) cylinder that you can take apart. Learn to disassemble and reassemble it so you have a GOOD understanding how it works. Put it back together with just ONE pin stack in it (bottom pin, top pin and spring) all in one pin chamber. Then learn to pick it that way. It'll be super easy but it'll give you a feeling for how to find a pin with the pick and see what it feels like, and how much tension to use with the tension wrench (not much).

Then take it apart and put it back together with two pin stacks, and learn to pick that over and over until you can do it in your sleep. Keep on moving up until you can easily pick it fully pinned.

I think it's most important to understand how the lock works, and what it FEELS like to pick, set pins, etc. If you don't feel confident in your ability to learn to disassemble and reassemble the lock, there are also people who sell practice locks that are easier to take apart, and come with spare pins. There is a guy called Mr. Wizard on the forum who sells some, as well as others on ebay and on various forums.

If it were me, that's where I'd put my money and effort in learning to pick.

[kwoswalt99-]

**that book is on my shelf at home, so I cant check it right now, but I think it was also geared more towards the USA, so certain lock mechanisms popular in other countries such as uPVC doors with euro profile cylinders may not be covered, I'll check tonight.
Squelchtone

It does not cover either of those things in depth.

[Jacob Morgan]

Of the locksmithing (as opposed to lock picking and bypass) books I have, the one that Squelchtone suggested is probably the closest to the "Bible" of locksmithing. Phillips also wrote Locksmithing http://www.amazon.com/Locksmithing-Second-Bill-Phillips/dp/0071622756/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452736682&sr=1-11 and Master Locksmithing http://www.amazon.com/Master-Locksmithing-Experts-Intruder-High-Security/dp/0071487514/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452736682&sr=1-12. The Locksmithing book I have, and it seems like a good introduction to locksmithing (I'm not a professional locksmith, so I my not be the best judge). The sections on access controls and alarms are not that great, in my opinion. The Master Locksmithing book I do not have (yet), reading reviews on Amazon there are complaints that he used a lot of manufacturers booklets for filler and the safe and vault chapter is thin. Phillips does tend to pad his books with vendor booklets, but that can be a good thing if you need to know how commercial hardware works.

A couple of other books I have that you might find used, one is Locksmithing by Rathjen. The section on alarms is good, although it does not have the new stuff. Overall a solid book with a good section on master keying, interchangeable cores, and running a business. But, he did not include anything that could assist a criminal in the book, so no picking or impressioning. The other book I have is Practical Course in Modern Locksmithing by Whitcomb Chrichton (1971 edition). It is in a distant last place compared to everything else. It covers most of what Rathjen does, only maybe circa 1950 even though it was supposedly revised in 1971. Unless one is interested in the history of locksmithing or something like that I would recommend the book.

Another type of book you could look for would be the course booklets from a correspondence course that someone else took. A lot of people take the Foley-Belsaw course (and courses like that) and never go into business. Later on the stack of booklets go on eBay. Last week a full set of the Foley-Belsaw course books sold for $40 or thereabouts. Wish that I had bid on it. There is another one on there right now http://www.ebay.com/itm/Belsaw-Institute-Professional-Locksmithing-Course-Book-/291640378716?hash=item43e71f055c:g:Vk0AAOSwgQ9VsYso, although it looks like an older copy. It seems like a new set of Foley-Belsaw locksmith booklets shows up on eBay about once a month.

There are some DVD courses, but I have no first hand knowledge of them. Regarding video, there is a youTube channel that has some basic locksmithing https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6FAA070778F1219E. One website that I find interesting is http://www.gaterslocksmith.com/blog/, it is a blog by a locksmith in Florida, it really brings out that locksmithing is not just picking locks or repining locks all day. It is basically a few dozen well-photographed jobs with running commentary from a professional locksmith.