Airport Locksmiths

If you are a locksmith going to an airport to travel for your own personal business or pleasure, you are sure to take note of the many different locks in an airport. There are locks on employee lockers, drawers and cabinets, supply closets, outbuildings, luggage, restricted access areas, planes, motorized carts, the many vehicles in the lots, etc.

There is no doubt that locksmiths have done their share of visiting airport parking lots to unlock automobiles for weary travelers. Airport security is under higher scrutiny these days, which aids the locksmith by elevating their importance as well as hampering them by putting their skills and reputation under more intense scrutiny.

Locksmiths who service airport equipment must be able to welcome corporate accounts. They must be bonded, insured, masters in their trade, and security consultants. They must perform services for some very high profile customers and do so in a discreet manner, using class and finesse. They must dress as a professional, speak as a professional, and work as a professional to make the uppermost impression on the bigger clients.

Some of the services an airport locksmith would perform include:

1. Restricted key systems

2. Locks and safes

3. Electric strikes

4. Panic bars

5. Mail box locks

6. High security locks

7. Access control systems

8. Buzzer systems

9. Exit alarms

10. Door and frame repair

Some of the hardware companies an airport locksmith would become acquainted with are Gray Tools, Medeco, Makita, Edison, Irwin, Lepage, Freud, Dominion, Canaropa, Para Paints, Kaba, Sargent, Corbin-Russwin, and Yale.

An airport locksmith must have a wide range of knowledge and skills to be able to handle the variety of automobiles they will encounter. He/she would have to make keys, repair locks, change locks, provide 24 hour service, and repair ignitions.

There is a wide range of personalities that any locksmith has to encounter on a regular basis. But in an airport, emotions often are on high because of the excitement and anxiety in the atmosphere. Travelers and employees are harried, tired, angry, sad, worried, and excited. This puts customer service in the high priority category. Relating to people who are in an extreme emotional state takes patience and empathy. Offering a kind word, showing restraint, remaining calm, and reserving opinions is important for the locksmith. It's more humane as well as being a boost to the image of the business and reputation.

Word of mouth is an extremely important form of advertising. If building a big business is important, or creating a franchise line of businesses is a goal, then the word-of-mouth from the various types of people in an airport is a positive step forward. Being considerate to the "little man" is just as important as being considerate to the "big boys" of business.

If you are doing business with anyone associated with an airport, you should place emphasis on considerate behavior. It will take you farther in life as well as in business. You should be able to understand your limits as well as recognize your potential.

The Lock Companies Behind Locksmiths

Be it directly or indirectly, locksmiths deal with all sorts of companies in their line of work. Some big names for these companies are: Yale, Master Lock, Kwikset, Medeco, Schlage, Sentry, Olympus, Weiser, and American Lock USA.

Yale created and patented the first compact cylinder pin lock in 1845. They're well-known as lock manufacturers and distributors. But they are only one of many who have made an important name for themselves. All locksmiths are acquainted with the Yale brand as well as the ones that follow.

Weiser Locks offer fashionable doorwear. Their locks have been featured in films and used in the homes of Hollywood stars. They made a touchpad electronic deadbolt which allows temporary access for service personnel and babysitters. Locksmiths buy kits to rekey Weiser Locks when it is necessary.

Locks are used in many areas of our lives. We use them for bicycle locks, gun cabinets, safes, mailboxes, patio doors, furniture, lockers, and tool sheds. There is a high probability that there is something in every area of a home that has a lock of some type on it.

Locksmiths have to learn the different tricks to the many brands as well as some of their background. The Master Lock brand are most likely used in some way in every household in America. Master Locks are known well by locksmiths. They are used in homes, businesses, schools, and many industries.

Kwikset manufactures residential door locks and door hardware. Deadbolts, door knobs, keyless entry locks, door levers, handlesets, and pocket door hardware are their specialties. Any locksmith in America can operate Kwikset brand products because they're popular. Keyless entry presented a learning experience for locksmiths worldwide.

Sentry locks are well known locks, too. Their line of safes is widely used and are great products for protecting valuables. The products are especially valuable in cases where fire, burglary, or natural disaster has caused keys to be lost, forgotten, or damaged.

Because burglars often use forced entry to steal from residences, a locksmith must know how to repair the damage done. This can include replacing the hardware that was damaged. If a locksmith doesn't sell the brand the customer prefers, they must know where to find the right brand and how to install it or at least know of a reliable or more improved substitute.

Besides working with the brand names in their businesses, locksmiths can also find employment with lock manufacturing companies. Companies such as Sentry offer excellent benefits and perks to their employees. Some of these include dry cleaning services, on-site fitness centers, pre-paid legal services, and discounted insurance rates.

American Lock manufactures locks for outdoor security and industrial security as well as many different types of padlocks. There are important items that must remain outdoors that often need to be locked for security purposes. Industrial security requires industrial locks.

Besides the regular types of locks that are attached to outdoor equipment, there is also the equipment that has built-in locks. Lawnmowers, power boats, four wheelers, and other items that people invest in and need keys to use. Locksmiths can be called for these items as well, to keep from damaging the ignitions when a key is lost. So, the locksmiths must also be acquainted with the brands of locks used in outdoor equipment.

Are Bump Keys a Threat to Locksmiths?

The public knowledge of bump keys did not make the locksmith industry happy. It opened up public scrutiny and negative images for locksmiths because it spread open knowledge of how vulnerable the public can be with the locks that are on the market. Privacy was made insecure and uncertain.

Bump keys gained popularity and gave the public a glance into the world of the locksmith. The glance, however slight, made the job seem easy. A locksmith faces many challenges aside from the types of locks that can be opened with bump keys. But the public knowledge brought forth both positive and negative attention to locksmiths. In some aspects it showed that more credibility needed to be gained from those legitimate in the business to ease public concern over those who are not. It caused more work for locksmiths in some ways because of the amateur criminals who adopted a belief that they could get away with more wrong-doing in an easier way. It also showed many ways our modern locks were failing us.

Locks are designed by locksmiths, manufactured in factories, sold for public and private use, and then worked on by locksmiths who must pick the locks for people who lose keys or leave them locked inside the building or vehicle. It's somewhat of an amusing circle that moves from the locksmith and back to the locksmith.

Not everyone, of course, was willing to take the bump key attention to heart. It lost popularity after the initial shock was over. Locksmiths are still a respected group who are much needed; in some ways, the attention brought by the bump key information enhanced business for locksmiths.

Bump keys are certainly not the only way a criminal can enter your home, business, or vehicle. If a person is determined to enter and is persistent, there are many other ways to accomplish unlawful entry. Not every criminal would want to take the time to learn the proper way to make and use the bump key.

Locksmiths will continue to flourish in their trade, and if the truth be known, have had occasion to use the bump key as well. The real threat to the public is in not taking responsibility for their own safety and not taking criminals seriously. Lock bumping is not new. The Dutch and German locksmiths experimented with it many years ago. It's just another form of lock picking that was put in the public eye that people had not realized was a threat all along.

So, even though the public and the locksmiths frowned on the bump key knowledge becoming public, it was only a matter of time before it surfaced. The interest died down once the spotlight was removed. Life goes on. Locksmiths are still respected in their field and will continue to be such. Lock manufacturers didn't suffer enough for it to affect them on a large basis.

The bump keys are only a small part of the tools that fall into the wrong hands. There is no way to keep every tool that could possibly cause unlawful entry out of the criminal's hands. Hence the job security of the locksmith will remain secure!

When Do Prisons Need Locksmiths?

Some prisons have been known to teach locksmith skills to inmates. There has been some controversy over this for obvious reasons. Why would prison officials give someone the tools to become an even better criminal? To learn the craft, the group has access to tools that can be made into weapons. Prisoners are quite creative in learning how to make and hide weapons. They're also creative in the weapons they do make with what few tools they are provided. So, allowing the prisoners to become locksmiths not only teaches them a skill to enhance criminal behavior, it also provides access to something that could later harm another inmate, guard, or nurse. But there has been much information and attention on reforming criminals as opposed to merely housing them during their time of incarceration.

It is true that people who go to prisons can become reformed individuals who decide to turn their lives around for the good of the public. There are people who are falsely accused and incarcerated who deserve a chance to improve their skills. But people who are put in the position of changing locks and maintaining security systems are supposed to be free of criminal backgrounds.

Much criticism occurred over the television series that provided information on improving security in homes. Professional criminals would be called to stage a break in to show the homeowners how vulnerable their security systems actually are. The homeowners would watch the whole ordeal on camera; then a professional locksmith would go in to change the locks and enhance the security system for the home. Some said this only set the stage for amateur criminals to learn more tricks. However, just as much damage is done by well-meaning individuals who keep valuable information from the public. How do our security measures improve? They improve by exposing the weaknesses. So, someone who has actually been in prison or jail for breaking and entering would be the best person from whom to acquire information.

Locksmiths have been called to several prisons across the globe because of staff carelessness. Keys are placed in the hands of what is supposed to be competent, trustworthy individuals. Allowing anyone to take these keys home after work only sets up the temptation for misuse and the chance to misplace a highly valuable set of items. Even long-term employees can become tempted by wrong-doing. High priority is supposed to be placed on keeping the criminals in their jails and prisons, which should mean high priority to protect the very keys that are necessary to keep them there.

When keys are lost to a prison, thousands of dollars must be spent to re-key and/or replace locks for the facility. Prisoners must be kept on lockdown while the locks are being replaced or re-keyed. This is an example of a simple mistake that cost the institution a large sum and also provided job security for the locksmith.

Not only does the locksmith have to keep the prisons safe, they also have to keep the employees safe in their own homes for the times a prisoner could be released who has a grudge.

Stories Related to Locksmiths

Locksmiths encounter some interesting situations in their line of work. In one instance, a locksmith received a lock cylinder from a car door that had been taken off the car because the owner lost the keys.

In another instance, a locksmith had to open a mausoleum niche so that a potato chip can could be removed. Someone had taken the body's remains out of the hallowed space and left the can in place.

Locksmiths get frantic calls in the hot summer to unlock car doors when preoccupied mothers or fathers accidentally lock their keys in the car with their infants or toddlers. They get calls in the winter when parents lock their keys in the cold cars or the cars that are left running. Unfortunately, these stories don't always end on a positive note.

A locksmith of the year 1977 had to remove a wad of mud left by a colony of wasps in a lock on the door of a University mausoleum. The mausoleum is a historical monument of artistic beauty. The tomb was built in 1888 and is the home of Egyptian sphinxes of granite, bronze outer gate, polished granite doors, Italian marble walls, ceilings and floor, and three sarcophagi of marble cut. A sarcophagus is a coffin of sorts, like the mummies of Egypt were placed in before being taken to their tombs.

Some locksmiths who unlock car doors or the doors to homes require the person they are assisting to provide proof of legal entry to show that this person has a legal right to enter. The professional must protect himself/herself from being prosecuted for aiding entry to the wrong person.

Locksmiths have had to come to the rescue of people recovering from a night of too much alcohol consumption. The people get drunk and lose their keys or lock the keys in the vehicle.

Locksmiths also have had to rescue the elderly whose caretakers would lock themselves out of the house. They have been counselors to customers who would be in the mood to confide their troubles as the locksmith is working. Locksmiths have saved people from going to jail when they lock themselves out of their cars at busy intersections.

The profession exposes the locksmith to people who are many times in a frantic mood because of a missed appointment, who may be late for work, who have an emergency to get to, who must catch a plane or a bus, and people who have locked their keys inside the car while it's still running.

There are most likely plenty of stories that someone in this profession would be embarrassed to tell. Many stories have been forgotten over the years. Many stories would be too sad to tell. But the gratification the locksmith gets from the customers who truly appreciate the help and show it is sure to be worth the effort. No job is perfect, and there are probably as many drawbacks as there are happy memories. But as with any other job, there will be good days and bad days and plenty to relate to the children and grandchildren.

Museums for Locksmiths

One of the biggest museums in America that a locksmith would enjoy that is related to their craft is the Lock Museum of America. It's located in Terryville, Connecticut. With eight display rooms and plenty of advertisement, it is sure to draw people from all over the country. You don't have to be a locksmith to be interested in antique locks and the hardware connected to them. Antique doorknob collectors enjoy visiting museums for locksmiths. People who have an interest in old doors or in the artwork of the old locks and related items would enjoy this museum.

Another museum for locksmiths and lock enthusiasts is the Lock Museum that is located in Willowhall, Staffordshire. This museum has been taken over by the Black Country Living Museum in an effort to secure its future. In an effort to preserve the contents and the relevance to history in general, the Black Country Living Museum took an interest in the Lock Museum.

Blake's Lock Museum can be seen in the United Kingdom. California offers the Jehning Family Lock Museum, located in Mountain View. Paris, France is home to the Hotel Liberal Bruand. The Hanns Schell Collection is the world's largest museum of locks and keys. It's located in Austria. Locksmiths should also enjoy the metal locks and keys at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum Shop in Key West, Florida. There's a Powerhouse Museum located in Sydney, Australia.

Doorknobs are collector's items and are a part of a locksmith's work. There's a club called the Antique Doorknob Collectors of America. The interesting items in this club also include antique door hardware and extend to plates, doorbells, coat hooks, and window latches. There are beautiful doorknobs on display in the club's collection.

The Antique Doorknob Collectors of America holds yearly conventions all over the country to learn and share their information. The club has a wonderful collection of Bennington knobs, mineral knobs, real estate hardware, and a group they call Fabulous Doorknobs-this group is made up of Victorian hardware, bronze knobs, and Wheeler knobs.

Donald Jackson offers an impressive Roman gallery of locks, keys, and seal boxes that shows an interesting collection of security hardware. He displays an impressive image from a locksmith's grave stone showing Roman locksmiths at work. Mr. Jackson writes an informative, detailed article on ancient locks, collecting, and fabrication.

West Coast Lock Collectors Association explores the history and ingenuity of locks. They have an annual lock show to thrill collectors and capture the interest of the public. Their table fees are $35 to anyone who is interested in adding their own collection to the event. They send out a quarterly publication to association members. This association is a hobby club that puts any income back into the company for operating expenses.

Antique Padlocks offer internet viewing to provide a look into padlocks of eight different varieties as well as helpful links, patent information, and hardware companies who have marketed padlocks. As thieves became more determined, padlocks did lose some value because they could be cut with bolt cutters. There are still many around today, and there are still requests for locksmiths to remove them. They are sure to remain a part of museums as the years move forward.

Tools and Equipment for Locksmiths

Locksmiths have to put several thousands of dollars into their tools and equipment investment. They may start out in the hundreds, but the cost will grow as the business grows. If a locksmith is interested in specializing in several areas, there are different tools for each area.

Aside from the normal tools of the trade, such as key blanks and a key making machine, a locksmith must break down the types of key blanks into different categories and buy other items to go along with these. Key blanks come as at least six different types of residential blanks (from $5 to over $50), ten brands of commercial key blanks, and automotive key blanks for domestic and foreign vehicles.

How is the locksmith to keep up with all the different keys? He/she must buy key tags, drawers, and key towers (tower only with no blanks, $500). These keys require key cutters. There are at least six different kinds of cutters. A manual duplicator costs $400-$600. A semi-automatic duplicator costs $655-$1600. An automatic duplicator costs $800-$1300. A tubular key duplicator costs $400-$1200. Code cutters cost $1900-$3100. Then there are your cutter wheels which cost in the range of $33-$340.

A locksmith must buy pins, pinning kits, picks, pick sets, tension wrenches, and many different locks. There are hospital locks, government locks, gate locks, electronic hardware, furniture locks, biometric fingerprint locks, and electromagnetic locks ($200-$700).

Every locksmith who has trained with a distance school will know about Kwikset locks and IICO key making machines. These are standard equipment for locksmiths-in-training. There are academies that teach courses on a course-by-course basis to further educate the craftsmen.

There are also transponder keys that require a code machine to code the key for the vehicles to work in the ignition. Newer model vehicles with added security methods use electromagnetic fields of energy that are sent to a computer in the car. (This is an example of technology and computers sneaking into yet another area of our lives.) Coding keys in this manner is a way to increase security for the automobile owner as well as reduce costs for the insurance companies.

There are older vehicles still in operation that require the simple use of the Slim Jim tool, so a locksmith must keep older tools around as well. Besides accommodating people who can't afford the newer, more sophisticated vehicles, there are collectors of antiques who won't want their cars damaged. So, the locksmith must know how to open the vehicles in a way that causes the least amount of forced entry. Even people who don't own expensive cars are proud of what they own and won't appreciate damage.

As is evident, there is much for a professional locksmith to learn. Much of it can be retained by repetition. There are many locks that use the same tools and methods to unlock. But for the loads of information that can't be retained, the locksmith must rely on paper tools. These exist in the manuals and written information that must be kept for reference purposes.