day in the life of a locksmith

[GWiens2001]

I had a call to open a Fire Fyter floor safe today--I already spent the last week calling the company to get the combo it left the factory set to, with no luck ever getting my call returned because the Fire Fyter factory doesn't care about their clients.

Anyhow so I arrive at the house, get down on my knee pad & spin the dial just for fun, then I gave the lid a tug--imagine my surprise when the safe opens!
Then I noticed the safe was actually locked open, with the door just resting upon the bolt. Looks like the contractor never even tried to open the safe, just assumed it was locked & told the homeowner to call me--turned into an easy $75 so no complaints on my part

Sometimes life gives you a freebie.

Gordon

[Squelchtone]

Sometimes life gives you a freebie.

Gordon

Sometimes you're the hammer, sometime's you're the nail.

Squelchtone

[billdeserthills]

A client came into my shop the other day & he brought his own key blanks & wanted me to cut his blanks. I usually tell these folks that I don't cut their blanks but I made an exception in his case & cut them--he came back a minute later to say that neither key worked, so I refunded his $5 & then he got upset that I didn't try to re-cut them--I just figured if they had been my blanks there would be some implied warranty involved and I would have played around with them but since he brought his own he had no warranty--

Anybody else cut blanks their clients carry in?

[jeffmoss26]

yes - with no guarantee and no programming of any car key we do not provide.
we also have several school district/end users who buy their restricted blanks through us then bring them in to be cut as needed.

[Exhorresco]

Thought some would get a kick out of this:

Edinburgh Timpson locksmiths lock themselves out of own shop.

[cledry]

A client came into my shop the other day & he brought his own key blanks & wanted me to cut his blanks. I usually tell these folks that I don't cut their blanks but I made an exception in his case & cut them--he came back a minute later to say that neither key worked, so I refunded his $5 & then he got upset that I didn't try to re-cut them--I just figured if they had been my blanks there would be some implied warranty involved and I would have played around with them but since he brought his own he had no warranty--

Anybody else cut blanks their clients carry in?

We do but we state clearly that there is no guarantee. Often it costs about the same as we charge for cutting our own blank or more!

[billdeserthills]

A client came into my shop the other day & he brought his own key blanks & wanted me to cut his blanks. I usually tell these folks that I don't cut their blanks but I made an exception in his case & cut them--he came back a minute later to say that neither key worked, so I refunded his $5 & then he got upset that I didn't try to re-cut them--I just figured if they had been my blanks there would be some implied warranty involved and I would have played around with them but since he brought his own he had no warranty--

Anybody else cut blanks their clients carry in?

We do but we state clearly that there is no guarantee. Often it costs about the same as we charge for cutting our own blank or more!

Exactly, I quoted him $2.50 each to cut his blank and I would have only charge 25 to 50 cents more to cut my blank
I just figured if you want me to use your own part then I can't warranty your part

Over the years I have happened upon a few of these folks, seems like most of them have tried to have their key made and nobody has been able too because their key is too worn or otherwise messed up to duplicate

[demux]

Often it costs about the same as we charge for cutting our own blank or more!

Makes sense. Key blanks, especially the more common ones, are not terribly expensive when bought in bulk, what you're paying for is the machine and the time and expertise of the person operating it, maintaining and calibrating it, etc.

[Dyonzi]

Just had twelve of these kaba 7100 come in!
Super popular lock where I work

[billdeserthills]

Good luck with those, I have had a lot of trouble after selling them to people who just don't 'get it',
when using these Simplex locks. First thing to fall off is the outside turn knob, you get one serious try
at opening this lock when using the wrong combination and good bye turn knob. I once put two of these
on a couple of public bathrooms and the whining and complaining & free return calls became hugely evident.
After a month I returned and found both had been replaced with regular key locks

[Dyonzi]

seriously? I have never seen that’s happen with one of these. I’ve seen the metal piece around the deadbolt break before... I guess I’ll find out

[Safecrackin Sammy]

Just had twelve of these kaba 7100 come in!
Super popular lock where I work

Those arent real popular but I have used them in the past as single sided deadbolts where outside access isnt needed. Makes a neat way to add a secure deadbolt on a door that has glass in it without having to deal with keys.

[billdeserthills]

Guess inmates aren't the only danger when you work in a prison. "CATASTROPHIC FAILURE" Those are comforting words.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead releases supplemental budget
By Matt Murphy, Wyoming Tribune Eagle Dec 1, 2016

...

The other contingency is $19.2 million as an emergency measure in case of a catastrophic failure of the Wyoming State Penitentiary. That cost represents what it would take to move prisoners and house them elsewhere for one year.

Such a scenario is unlikely, but Mead said the money is needed “out of an abundance of caution.” The state penitentiary has numerous structural issues, though lawmakers are putting short-term and long-term plans in place to correct those problems.

Current estimates place the entire cost to repair the state penitentiary at more than $80 million, and Mead has suggested bonds as a way to pay for the work.

http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/newsletter_am/wyoming-gov-matt-mead-releases-supplemental-budget/article_d1c598e1-030a-5e27-92ea-0886f0ee1371.html

You know the deal...bureaucracy, politics, etc.

I got to visit that warehouse for the Tridents. Woo buddy they're going to be interesting installs. The walls have fire-resistant insulation that is about 3.5" thick and sits on top of the concrete walls. Imagine the inside of a padded room at an asylum - that's what they look like. We're going to need to use at least, probably 2, double gang boxes to build the alarm boxes for each unit to sit far enough beyond the insulation so that they can at least change the batteries. I have no clue if this insulation is required by code or what the code implications are, if any, for field modifications but the GC has signed off that such modifications would be fine. Fine by me!

Saw this attempted burglary against Securitech Trident & thought of you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8CTeDwTM34

Pickup truck lost!

[billdeserthills]

Had an interesting call, client told me she had accidentally locked her bathroom door. When I got there the lock was a Schlage F-10 series passage, so it didn't have a way to be locked. I tried to shim the latch but the door was too tight, I even got my stainless steel shim & still couldn't loid the latch. Depressed the retainer & removed the outer handle & the trim ring & drilled out the mounting screws, then I pulled the latch piece by piece through the 2 1/8" mounting holes--when I got the tongue out it became annoyingly evident that the door had been painted and then shut sometime last month & the paint was glueing the door shut.

The client was actually renting and I assured her that she wasn't at fault as she had nothing to do with the painting but she didn't seem to care about the money--wish I had more clients like her

[GWiens2001]

Had an interesting call, client told me she had accidentally locked her bathroom door. When I got there the lock was a Schlage F-10 series passage, so it didn't have a way to be locked. I tried to shim the latch but the door was too tight, I even got my stainless steel shim & still couldn't loid the latch. Depressed the retainer & removed the outer handle & the trim ring & drilled out the mounting screws, then I pulled the latch piece by piece through the 2 1/8" mounting holes--when I got the tongue out it became annoyingly evident that the door had been painted and then shut sometime last month & the paint was glueing the <censored> door shut.

The client was actually renting and I assured her that she wasn't at fault as she had nothing to do with the painting but she didn't seem to care about the money--wish I had more clients like her

Wow. What a hassle,

Gordon