If you type the word ‘Locksmith’ in to google the no 1 predicted next word is training. And if you are searching for ‘Locksmith Training’ then this is probably how you have found this article.

With high unemployment in the UK there are thousands of people out of work desperate to find a job and willing to re-train and switch careers. While Locksmithing has always been a steady job in the past, there is not as much work out there compared with some of the traditional construction trades like building, plumbing, carpentry and electrics.

Most Locksmith jobs are normally one offs, so there is not much chance at getting repeat business. If someone has lost their keys or been locked out, it is unlikely that they will do it repeatedly and if a locksmith installs the correct locks and advises their customer on the appropriate additional security measures, there should be no need for them to return. If locks are correctly installed and properly maintained they can last a life time.

I have noticed over the years that the Locksmith Industry especially where I am (London) has become saturated with new start-up locksmith companies, one man bands fresh from the latest 3 day locksmith training course, of which there are many, and more and more of the well established locksmith companies are getting less work and in some cases going out of business.

I do welcome competition as I think it’s healthy and not actually a bad thing, as it has got rid of a lot of the big call centres and maintenance firms with their army of sub contractors who used to dominate publications such as Yellow Pages with their advertising. They have now mostly been priced out of the market and customers are paying a much fairer price as a result, and are mainly dealing directly with a locksmith now.

A lot of people thinking of a new career or business opportunity are attracted to locksmith training courses as in theory you can go on a 3 day course, buy some tools and away you go. The trouble is, as with most services there is only a certain amount of work in the first place, its difficult to create more work because as a mobile locksmith, you are not really selling a product that you can convince people to buy, its more of a service. Generally as a mobile locksmith, most of the time you are relying on people’s misfortune, and luck that they pick your company over the hundreds of other locksmith companies out there.

Due to the growing number of newly trained locksmiths, work is slowly drying up for many Locksmiths old and new, I’ve talked to a couple of people new to locksmithing looking for work who have forked out thousands of pounds on a course, new van and tools and are yet to have a customer call. As for the established locksmiths, many ironically are turning to making money from locksmith training courses. Try searching for ‘Locksmith Training’ on any of the big search engines and you will see exactly what I mean.

Here is an example:

There are dozens of 1-4 day locksmith training courses advertised on the internet, claiming you can ‘learn to be a locksmith in 3 days’ This is simply not true. I myself started off as a carpenter and joiner, taking an NVQ course at my local college and working for 5 years on building sites and in a workshop as a carpenter. Carpentry is a great place to start as a lot of jobs as a locksmith will require carpentry skills. I have seen quite a few jobs finished by other locksmiths and it was obvious that their carpentry skills weren’t up to scratch. Basic carpentry skills is a must, and on a 1-4 day course it is unlikely that you will gain the required skills and experience fitting all the different types of locking products to a good standard.

After being made redundant I was looking for work and a friend suggested that I get in contact with a local locksmith they knew as he was busy at the time (has recently gone out of business) and could do with an extra pair of hands. This meant going back to an apprentice wage for 6 months while I was training but it was worth it as he was passing on valuable knowledge and I was getting real ‘on the job training’ which is the only real way to learn how to be a locksmith. He would always remind me of that saying ‘they’ll never teach you this on any course’ and he was right.

So after a year or so I started to do the odd job for friends and family and got recommended by them, leading to my own jobs. This is the best way to start, rather than jumping straight in. You get to practice your customer skills and learn simple things like invoicing, banking and basic book-keeping.

Now on to the other side to Locksmithing (the bit I hate) which you probably will not get told about on courses is advertising and marketing. As I mentioned earlier Locksmithing does not often provide repeat business, so getting your name out there is essential. You can be the best Locksmith in the world, but if nobody has your number you’ll be sitting at home all day. The reason locksmith training companies fail to tell people about this is because it can be off-putting. Advertising and marketing can be as much as 40% of your turnover!

As a locksmith working for yourself you will need to know your market. How much actual work is out there? How are people going to find you? How much are you willing to spend on advertising? You may have to take out a bank loan and be prepared to make a loss at first. Be prepared for a lot of researching and late nights in front of the computer. You need to study what works and what doesn’t, and find out about your competition, how many locksmiths are in your area? who are they? where are they? what are they doing? This all takes time, many months not days, and if you are sensible enough to do this first, you’d be mad to even contemplate it. There are more Locksmiths than there is work. Fact.

When I started out 15 years ago it was all about getting seen in publications like Yellow Pages, Thomson and BT Phonebook and it was usually pot luck if you were at the front of the locksmith category or the back. What was a 4 page section quickly grew to a 20 page section. As the internet grew this soon changed, if you look at a Yellow Pages now and are old enough to remember you will notice that it has got a lot smaller. This is because more and more people are getting their information from the internet, and since the introduction of smart phones and mobile internet connections, people who are locked out of there house looking for a locksmith will now use their mobile phones to find you. So as many other locksmiths have had to do, I have had to pay thousands of pounds to internet marketing companies.

So in summary, my advice to anyone thinking of becoming a locksmith would be to consider all these facts before parting with any cash. Someone who is trying to sell you a locksmith training course is obviously not going to be interested if your business is a success or not. An apprenticeship is the only real way of learning the job, and these are few and far between because if truth be known, there isn’t enough work to warrant anyone taking on an apprentice in the forseeable future, this should tell you something. As far as training, if you told a plumber you’ve been on a 3 day course and you are looking for a job they would laugh at you, the same applies for locksmiths, don’t be fooled by what you are told.

by Mark Grainger (owner of Abbey Locksmiths)

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Our locksmith in st Albans attended a commercial premises in Colney Street AL2. The entrance door lock to the unit had become worn and had become increasingly hard to open with a key from the outside. Our locksmith changed the worn euro cylinder with a replacement and cut additional keys for the customer on his van. The cylinder had become worn because of some badly cut keys. When keys are copied and are slightly different from the originals it can often cause locks to wear unevenly, resulting in the lock not working properly. When getting keys copied always try and use an original key, this will reduce the chance of this happening.

If you need a St Albans Locksmith please give us a call on 0800 0520775 or 07779 798689 to discuss your requirements.

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What is a Mortice Lock?

A mortice lock is a lock that is fitted in to a hole or pocket of a door, the word mortice refers to the hole in the door in which the lock is fitted. These types of locks are most commonly found on wooden doors and are more popular in the UK and Europe. A mortice lock is often refered to as a ‘Chubb’ type lock by people in the UK, since Chubb has become the brand leader for this type of lock during the last few decades.

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5 lever mortice lock in action

a mortice lock

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Mortice locks can be deadlocks or sashlocks (sashlocks incorporate a handle and latch mechanism, normally found on back doors) and can be devided in to 2 categories:

1. Lever Mortice Locks
2. Cylinder Mortice Locks

Lever Mortice Locks

These locks are the most common type of mortice locks fitted to domestic properties in the UK, the majority of lever mortice locks are very similar in their workings. A key is inserted in to the lock which when turned will lift levers to the correct height enabling the bolt to be locked and unlocked. Please see diagram.

Lever Mortice Lock Diagram

Lever Mortice locks can have a different number of levers depending on the application and thickness of doors, generally the more levers that are stacked in the lock case the thicker the lock becomes. More levers means more key differs, so it is less likely that another key will open more than one lock. A lock fitted with 5 levers is also more secure than a lock say fitted with 2 levers. The most common lever locks are:

• 2 lever mortice locks - This is a lock comprising of 2 levers, the lock case is thin, so it is suitable for installation in to interior doors less than 45mm thick, where a low level of security is needed. Not recommended for security on external doors.
  

  2 lever mortice dead lock

• 3 lever mortice locks- More secure than 2 lever mortice lock and more widely used, with more manufacturers to choose from. Also suitable for interior doors less than 45mm thick. Not recommended for security on external doors.
  

  3 lever mortice dead lock

• 5 lever mortice locks- Lock cases vary in size and can be used on thinner internal doors and external doors where a medium level of security is needed. Most locks come with a box strike.
  

  5 lever mortice dead lock

• 5 lever British Standard (BS 3621) mortice locks- All the same features as a 5 lever lock with the addition of anti drill plates either side of the lock case and a larger reinforced dead bolt. Recommended for compatible internal doors (minimum of 45mm thick) and external doors where a high level of security is needed. Box strike comes as standard.
  

  5 lever british standard (bs 3621) dead lock

A good way of checking to see if you currently have a British Standard lock fitted, as most insurance companies in the UK now stipulate that any final exit doors are fitted with at least 1 BS3621 lock, is to check for the British Standard kite mark. Which will be stamped on the faceplate of the lock on the edge of the door, as shown below.

bs3621-2007

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bs3621 dead lock

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Cylinder Mortice Locks

These locks are different to lever locks as a cylinder is used to throw the bolt rather than inserting a key in to the lock. They are more commonly found on commercial premises, although increasingly more people are now having them fitted to their homes as they offer more flexibility with master suites and restricted keys. Cylinder mortice locks are normally fitted with a euro profile cylinder or an oval profile cylinder, which can be key operated from both sides of the door or can be key operated from one side of the door and locked and unlocked with a thumb turn from the other side.

cylinder-mortice-deadlock

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euro cylinder

oval cylinder with a thumb turn

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Locksmith Fail

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Locksmith - What people think I do

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Our locksmith was called to a home in Arnos grove as a customer was unable to open a wooden door with their keys. The door had dropped slightly and warped partly due to the change in temperature recently. Our locksmith was able to open the door fairly quickly then he adjusted the keep so it was inline with the lock and easier to open.

Quite often locks fitted to wooden doors can become stiffer and increasingly harder to use as the weather changes. If you notice this happening to your locks then it is a good time to check if the lock is lining up correctly before it gets any worse.

If you are looking for a locksmith in Arnos grove or a locksmith in n11 please give us a call on 07779 798689 or 0800 0520775 to see how we can help you.

Locksmith London

Our park royal locksmith attended a residential property in Park Royal, NW10 where a customer had left a set of keys on the inside of their Upvc door. This prevented the customer from getting their key in the lock and turning it from the outside. Our locksmith opened the door and retrieved the keys.

This is quite common often we find customers have been in a hurry and simply forgot there is a key in the other side of the door and till its too late. One solution is to have a key and turn cylinder fitted. This means that a key will always work from the outside and can be more convenient as you can lock the door easily from the inside by using the turn rather than hunt around for your keys. It is also a good safety feature as it provides a quick means of escape if you had to leave the property quickly because of an emergency like a fire.

If you are looking for a locksmith in Park Royal please give us a call on 07779 798689 or 0800 0520775 to see how we can help you.

Locksmith London

Our locksmith in Chelsea attended a shop on Sloane Street, Chelsea to replace a faulty euro cylinder on a shop door. The cylinder had become worn, so the lock was carefully removed and a replacement euro cylinder was fitted. Locks on commercial premises often experience a lot of use and if locks are not lubricated periodically they can wear or even stop working altogether. It’s a good idea to lubricate your locks once a year, it could save you money in the long run.
If you are looking for a locksmith in Chelsea please give us a call on 07779 798689 or 0800 0520775 to see if we can help you.

Locksmith London

Our locksmith in bounds green n11was called out to a residential property in bounds green after a customer called us locked out of their flat their with keys left inside the flat.
Our locksmith was able to pick open their lock without causing any damage to the lock or the door.
Where ever possible our locksmiths will always use non destructive methods to open locks, drilling is always a last resort.
If you are looking for locksmith in bounds green or a locksmith in n11 please call us on 07779 798689 or 0800 0520775

Locksmith London

Our Camden locksmith was called out to a flat in Camden, the customer already had a British standard night latch fitted to their door and required a restricted key because they had hired a cleaner and wanted to keep control of the keys. Our locksmith kept the existing lock and changed the outside cylinder to a Mul-t-lock restricted key cylinder which came with 2 keys and a registration card. The customer required en extra key for the cleaner which our locksmith was a able to cut on his van.

Restricted key locks can be a great solution when control of keys is important. Once a lock is fitted with a restricted key cylinder only the card holder is authorised to get duplicate keys.

If you are looking for a locksmith in Camden please call us on 07779 798689 or 0800 0520774

Locksmith London