So tonight I got to a job about 6pm. Was running late as I got called to do a full rebuild of a shop ali door, and that takes ages. They're just removing the body. The police have left the door halfway down the hall.

Door is pretty busted up - they had sent detailed photos. I say £200 to sort it for overnight then finish the repair with parts tomorrow. They show me another locksmith who wanted to charge them £900! WTAF??

I have to wait a bit to get to work, but after a while I crack on. Whole thing was under 2 hours.

I have spent at least 5 hours trying to impression a y11 and 1623 key blank I can not get it I have genericode it just doesn't have the code any advice on what I can do I'm not buying the precut key online I just can't figure it out for that lock it's code is h09 and it's a kobalt truck toolbox

im 17 and i want some privacy, i dont have a door key cuz my mom had a manic episode when i was younger and threw away all the keys of all the doors in my house. I dont even know if i provided good pics (ignore the green block idk what that is)

Hello fellow Locksmiths!
I have a customer wanting a key made for this Watling Manufacturing slot machine. I’ve included a few pictures. Any help on ID’ing a key blank? Thx

I bought this lock, the body is flush against the door and a bit was chiseled off for the corner, but for some reason it doesn't open/close when the connector is in? The connecting bar has had 3/4 notches removed to make it shorter but that hasn't helped. Neither keys or the lock handle work when the bars inside. Am I missing something?

Can anybody suggest a good key cutting machine for mortice lever type keys (chubb and such)? With my current setup I’m able to cut pretty much any other type of key. The Xhorse XP-008 is the best thing I’ve found so far but I’d love some opinions from experienced locksmiths.

Getting into the trade and want to know what’s a good machine to invest in. Currently using an XHorse condor mini XC

I know it's an Arrow but I need to find the exact key for key blanks. That or I have to recore the doors to a best key. Thanks for the help

For those of you who are past using a hammer to stamp keys, what are you using?

We currently use a 3-1/2 Ton Manual Impact Press for stamping, it has a jaw that holds up to 6 single letter stamps or custom stamps with our name etc, it's amazing but it's also from 1989 and is needing replacing soon due to wear.

The modern equivalent is the MV-18 here https://www.durable-tech.com/marking/manual-press but the price is around 3k including new jaw and stamps as sizing has changed.

I'm looking for alternatives like 3 ton arbor presses which look to be about 1/10 the cost and wondering if anyone is using them successfully, or have more cost effective solutions for rapid accurate stamping?

I bought a house and the thumb latch on Baldwin front door was very tough to use. Removing the latch, it looked a little bent so I spent $100 on a replacement. 2-3/4” lever passage latch. I tested it before installing and it also seemed overly hard to turn. After installing it, the lever was hard, but the thumb latch on the front was damn near impossible to operate.

Where did I go wrong?

This isn’t a real company just having fun experimenting with AI.

The other day I saw a video game go viral.
A game about literally picking a needle out of a haystack
So I had the idea what about organizing your pin set after you drop it lol

I used Codex and a lot of time I don’t have to make this landing page based on a locksmiths worst nightmare lol 😂

Hello! I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction. The thumb turn fell off or was removed from this door and I need to replace it. I have been unable to locate the necessary part in order to complete the repair. Any guidance and assistance would be helpful! Thank you!

Anybody has experience with adding Access Control to a door that’s full glass and the header is also Glass. 1/2” thick .
How can we mount Hardware to this glass?

I have the 1/4” drive with 5-14mm

What else do I need?

My thought is to first remove the keyhole and then the mechanism. Trying to avoid any damage. Thoughts?

Idk if this is the right subreddit but ig not ill post this elsewhere. So i was stuck inside my airbnb and my landloed wasnt answeing so i called a locksmith and they had to rpelace the lock cause smth smth broke inside idk. I ended up paying £420(?) And im planning to send it to my landlord but idk if theyre gonna deny it cause the number is insane idk. It seems liek a scam but i already paid

I asked an archaeologist, they said “Your key looks like its likely from 1870s-1910s (Victorian Era/Ranch Era) likely from a local ranch from that time period. It its likely too ornate to be from the Russian Era (1812-1841). For a trunk or desk drawer.

Ilco 057 HS, missing both L&R Depth Calibration Gages, set #BD0720XXXX.

Anyone know what the thickness of these two plates are? Roughly the size & shape of a HO01 Honda blank, one is "0.020 (Im told) thicker than the other, but don't know what is the nominal static depth measurement.

Thanks in advance.

(Edit for typo)

Hi lads I have a customer here with an imported American truck, it’s a 1950s Chevrolet apache and he wants a spare key done for it, I was hoping the Americans here could help me identify what blank I need, thanks.

Hello Fellas, New here.

I want to change the cilinder of my apartment door

I have find out that I need to get a mortise cilinder.

Is there a way to know what size I should get just by looking at these pictures.

I’ve got the Silca Futura Pro and its been working great for the past 8 years. Now all of a sudden, it won’t connect. It turns on, blinks a couple of times, and the just give a white light. I’ve had someone look at it for the Printed Circuit Board inside of it, and no faults there.

Now I got told that Silca have shut down the licence/software.

Anyone who have met these problems? And maybe what i should do know?

Estimate

Hoping we can convert these Schlage lockets to SFIC’s, but not sure what model they are. If we can get the exterior handles and related parts instead of replacing the entire lockset, that’s what I’m aiming for.

Hey everyone!
I live in Milwaukee, WI, and I’m interested in learning the locksmith trade, specifically automotive locksmithing.

I’m starting from scratch and would love some advice from people in the industry:

What’s the best way to learn the trade?

Are there any good schools or hands-on training programs you recommend?

Are there reputable programs outside Wisconsin that would be worth traveling for?

What should I learn first when it comes to automotive locksmithing?

My goal is simply to learn the trade properly and eventually work independently in Milwaukee.
Thanks in advance!

An apt that I’m looking at there is a locked door (w a key) I am unsure which way the door opens so I am looking for something to secure a door both ways. I was thinking the steel door security bar that props onto the floor but if the door opens in the opposite direction, it won’t be any help!

Thanks!