Just signed up for Foley-Belsaw locksmithing school...

by **lock_assassin** » 30 Nov 2004 19:55

Well just sent in lesson # 31 on Saturday morning. Very interesting lesson as it dealt with safe & vault locks, plus safety deposit box locks. I won't go into detail about the safe & other topics but it did a pretty good job explaining how they work. The first part of the lesson went over Hurd padlocks and a few other high security locks. All in all a great lesson and if I pass the exam I get my Advanced Locksmithing Diploma!!! Sounds like the next lesson deals with burgler alarms and such. I will post a review of that lesson as well as my thoughts on the entire Foley-Belsaw Training once I get it all completed.

Sorry I didn't go into detail about the combination locks & safety deposit locks but I would imagine those topics need to stay in the proper forums.

Thanks for your time...

lock_assassin

by **PickTrick** » 30 Nov 2004 20:21

i just finished lesson 30 last week and sent it in. I can't wait to get the next lessons.

by **Buggs41** » 30 Nov 2004 20:38

The security system lesson has no quizzes to send in. At least none that I found. It basically covers electrical schematic drawings, and their applications in the security system. One note on thier drawings, they are using 'hole-flow' theory, instead of 'electron-flow.' In electron flow theory, electrons flow from the negative battery terminal, through the circuit, and enter the battery at the positive terminal.

by **MrB** » 30 Nov 2004 21:56

How can hole flow or electron flow theory be relevant to a locksmithing course? That's a highly arcane and irrelevant piece of theoretical physics.

As far as basic electrical circuit theory is concerned, voltages are either positive or negative relative to ground (which may not be grounded

). Current will tend to flow between two points with different voltages (the direction of current flow doesn't much matter in some DC circuits, and is irrelevant in AC circuits).

For certain DC circuit components, polarity matters. What this means is you must connect the positive wire to the positive terminal and the negative wire to the negative terminal or something might not work properly (or damage may occur).

Sometimes it may help to visualise current flow, in which case current flows from positive to negative (or positive to less positive, or less negative to more negative). Digital multimeters will show positive readings if the current or voltage is forward, and negative readings if the current or voltage is reversed. Analog meters will tend to try and go backwards into the zero stop. Don't do that (poor meter).

If you put your electrical meter in a circuit and it reads backwards when it shouldn't, it is a sure sign that you have some wires crossed over somewhere.

AC circuits are a whole different matter, and then you have to worry about such things as correct grounding of live circuits and correct isolation of low voltage circuits. Even AC circuits can have polarity, but that is not a common issue.

by **Buggs41** » 30 Nov 2004 22:13

How can hole flow or electron flow theory be relevant to a locksmithing course? That's a highly arcane and irrelevant piece of theoretical physics.

Very true. But anyone reading this now, will hopefully learn from it. Not that they need this knowledge. In believe that each and every day, you should attempt to learn something new.

by **PickTrick** » 1 Dec 2004 22:26

locksmiths are required to install alot of electrical equipment, and you are better off knowing how to do all of this, for instance installing an electric strike, maglock, or even for instance an RCI keypad. There are alot of wires you need to connect, not just a red and a black one, so the more information you have regarding electrical work, the better you are to complete your job properly and not losing it to another locksmith who knows what he's doing.

I'm working as an apprentice now to my boss who owns his own store, he took me in, he does installations for government's in our province and he's fully covered, if he wanted he could buy LSS+ gov version of 14 cdroms, but he doesn't use computers much or anything, Anyways he's putting the paper work through with them and i'll be able to purchase that myself. We work for city buildings and stuff installing mul-t-locks and whatnot. Imho mul-t-locks are unpickable, and anyone who says they can pick one that is installed in a building and they have never seen before is never going to get it to open with a regular set of picks. If anybody ever opened a mul-tlock with a regular set of picks, they knew the combination or they put the pins in there themselfs, probably all the same combination so they just raise every pin to the shere line with the flat back of their pick and it will open. I highly doubt anybody here could walk up to our store and pick one of our locks open, the firedepartment has put out a research before they purchased mul-t-locks (they switched from abloy to mul-t-lock) and we did the installation , it was put on hold the order because somebody told them mul-t-lock was pickable, eventually when they got their research completed they realized it's not pickable and it was a big hoax that anybody would be able to pick it. Flukes happen in this world, and after 1hour to 2645 days i'm sure you might flick your pick just right and lift the correct pins by fluke to open it. But nobody can open them knowingly in under a minute, like you would be able to if it was pickable, why would it take you longer, asuming all the pins and springs are new and nicely lubed.

Btw to make a popsicle stick open anylock , just stick a popsicle stick into the plug with the pins there, and hammer the pins down to the shere line till it's flush, take the pins out, remove the popsicle stick put the pins back in, complete the construction of the lock and the stick will open that 1 lock that you built, show your friends, i bet it will impress them.

by **Romstar** » 1 Dec 2004 22:54

The Mul-T-Lock is pickable. I've done six. All of them were buggers.
The fastest was 5 minutes. The longest was over an hour.

Most comercial locksmiths drool over these locks when they malfunction. The build up on them is that they are unpickable, notoriously hard to drill, and as a consequence, expensive.

Thus, most locksmiths don't even WANT to try picking. They get down to business with the drill, charge like crazy for that, and then the cost of a new lock on top of it all. Most likely pinned as per the original, so the cost goes up again.

They ARE pickable. Just work at it.
Romstar

by **Minus** » 2 Dec 2004 16:01

First of all its nice to be back on the forum

Small update on my part:

I have completed my advanced course(after a long delay due to personal issues) and i have both diplomas on my wall

, also as promised i received the ilco pickgun and ive been having fun playing with that. Its nice to come back and see this thread still alive and kicking.

by **Jarod** » 3 Dec 2004 12:47

i JUST got my student id card, they said that i will be getting my first package soon! i can't wait for the mail, hey does anyone know how they send this stuff, ups, usps, fedex, or what, i thought it couldn't be usps because its illegal to send lockpicks thruogh the mail, but they send 3 picks and a tencion wrench with one of the packages?

by **Buggs41** » 3 Dec 2004 16:02

It comes via the post office.

With your ID card, You are a BONIFIED locksmith student. And thus, they can send you lockpicking material.

by **Lockpick Dan** » 3 Dec 2004 19:04

Yes it's usps. Funny thing is i got my package before i got my ID card.

. I had to call them and ask for my student number cause i was done with the first 15 lessons and was ready to send them in and still didn't have my card.

by **lock_assassin** » 7 Dec 2004 20:38

Well I am now completely done with the course. I just got my Advanced Diploma and the Security System manual to read through. All in all I think this was a good decision on my part to take the course. I learned alot more than I ever expected to from the course. For someone wanting to get into the field I think it would be a great place to start. I know working for a locksmith you could learn all of it but it was a great experience for me plus I got a key machine. I really have a much better understanding of all aspects of locksmithing, not just picking, which was my intention.

Just wanted to post a follow-up on everything.

Good luck to everybody currently enrolled!!!

lock_assassin

by **GA_LockIt** » 7 Dec 2004 21:41

lock_assassin wrote:I just got my Advanced Diploma and the Security System manual to read through.

I have received the information regarding the locksmith course from F-B. After the Basic and Advanced courses, do they have any other courses available? I didn't see that specifically stated on the website or the information packet that I received.

I would presume you could take multiple advanced courses - with additional tuition expense....

Ben

by **Lockpick Dan** » 7 Dec 2004 22:41

yes, they have a security system and burglar alarm course after the advanced course.

by **Lockpick Dan** » 7 Dec 2004 22:52

sorry, forgot to mention that the advanced course and the security system and burglar alarm courses are included in the course cost.

Just signed up for Foley-Belsaw locksmithing school...

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