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History of Locksmiths |
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History of Locksmithing... |
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| Historically, locksmiths actually made the entire lock, working for hours hand cutting |
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| screws and doing much file-work. Today, the rise of cheap mass production |
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| means that this is no longer true, and, though a few expert locksmiths are also |
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| engineers and capable of sophisticated repairs and renovation work, the vast |
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| majority of locks are repaired by swapping of parts or like-for-like replacement, or |
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| upgraded to modern mass-production items. Until more recently, safes and |
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| strongboxes were the exception to this, and to this day large vaults are custom |
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| designed and built at great cost, as the cost of this is lower than the very limited |
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| scope for mass production would allow, and the risk of a copy being obtained and |
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| defeated as practice is removed. |
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| Although fitting of keys to replace lost keys to automobiles and homes and the |
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| changing of keys for homes and businesses to maintain security are still an |
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| important part of locksmithing, locksmiths today are primarily involved in the |
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| installation of higher quality lock-sets and the design, implementation and |
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| management of keying and key control systems. Most locksmiths also do electronic |
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| lock servicing, such as making keys for transponder-equipped vehicles and the |
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| implementation and application of access control systems protecting individuals |
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| and assets for many large institutions. |
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| In terms of physical security, a locksmith's work frequently involves making a |
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| determination of the level of risk to an individual or institution and then |
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| recommending and implementing appropriate combinations of equipment and |
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| policies to create "security layers" which exceed the reasonable gain to an intruder |
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| or attacker. The more different security layers are implemented, the more the |
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| requirement for additional skills and knowledge and tools to defeat them all. But |
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| because each layer comes at an expense to the customer, the application of |
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| appropriate levels without exceeding reasonable costs to the customer is often very |
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| important and requires a skilled and knowledgeable locksmith to determine. |
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| Locksmiths may be commercial (working out of a storefront), mobile (working out of |
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| a vehicle), institutional (employed by an institution) or investigational (forensic |
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| locksmiths) or may specialize in one aspect of the skill, such as an automotive lock |
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| specialist, a master key system specialist or a safe technician. Many are also |
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| security consultants, but not every security consultant has the skills and knowledge |
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| of a locksmith. Locksmiths are frequently certified in specific skill areas or to a level |
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| of skill within the trade. This is separate from certificates of completion of training |
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| courses. In determining skill levels, certifications from manufacturers or locksmith |
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| associations are usually more valid criteria than certificates of completion. Some |
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| locksmiths decide to call themselves "Master Locksmiths" whether they are fully |
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| trained or not, and some training certificates appear quite authoritative. |
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| The majority of locksmiths also work on any existing door hardware, not just locking |
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| mechanisms. This includes door closers, door hinges, electric strikes, frame |
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| repairs and other door hardware. |
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