Replies

1. 
   Hudson Valley Carpenter | Jun 23, 2008 08:06am | #1

   From what I've seen in Los Angeles, it's similar to owning a tow truck.  You have to be on call 24/7 in order to be a full service locksmith. 

   When AAA calls you to open someone's car at 3AM, you've got to haul out and do it...or lose that part of your income.  

   I think I'd check out formal locksmith schools, to get a better idea about how much schooling is required to become proficient at opening all kinds of locked doors. 

1. 
   Sphere | Jun 23, 2008 02:57pm | #3

   3/8ths drill and bits, a slide hammer. Whats to learn? (G)

    Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

   "We strive for conversion,we get lost in conversation, and wallow in consternation. "Me.

1. 
   rasconc | Jun 23, 2008 04:24pm | #5

   That's when you need that coupon for the bail bondsman.(;-)

2. 
   DanT | Jun 23, 2008 11:49am | #2

   I was a locksmith in a prison for a couple of years.  You need to be mechanical in terms of aptitude but other than that it is pretty simple. 

   We had a fairly closed system with maybe 10 different styles of locks and such.  I did very little auto stuff or safes.  But as said above it seems to be a 24/7 deal and is an area where the money made is often emergency work or getting in with large factories and the like. 

   Since you can now get door locks re-keyed at a lot of home centers and hardware stores it took some of the day to day consumer business out of the locksmiths stream of income. Probably ought to figure a lettered van also.  DanT

1. 
   rasconc | Jun 23, 2008 04:21pm | #4

   I am not looking to do this as a main thing.  I do small to moderate home remodeling and repair.  Our Lowes will like key purchased locks for free and my main lumber yard will also (although not as rapidly).  Local True Value will for $5/lock. 

   I am not going to live or die by this end of the service in any case. I usually end up just getting new Kwikset or clone complete sets for clients.  It is the times when they cannot find a key that ends up being the need.  But that is pretty infrequent.

   My main customer is now in assisted living and her storefronts I used to end up replacing locks on are leased to a Credit Union and art galery/coffee shop.  They take care of their own.  I did the locks for the credit union but they have a security co that handles the follow-on stuff. 

   I do a good bit for several churches, mine for free and a couple of others at pretty much reduced rate.  I try to maintain some key control at ours but end up rekeying/replacing every once and a while.

   We are pretty much rural and I think the county is only about 35k.  The $769 did not seem to be over the top.  The key duplicator looked fair for the money. 

   Thanks all for input.

1. 
   mrfixitusa | Jun 23, 2008 04:41pm | #6

   I think large school districts employ full-time locksmithsI looked into this years ago but don't remember all the details

2. 
   mrfixitusa | Jun 23, 2008 04:45pm | #7

   I would like to hear about your job working in a prison (maybe in a different thread in the future(I applied for a job to be a substitute teacher in a maximum security prison and I spent several hours there during my job interview as they walked me around the facilityI saw the various classrooms, computer labs, vo-tech departments, etcAfter a couple of hours I told the guy I was not interested in the jobI said to the guy who interviewed me "I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life"He said "I felt the same way 28 years ago when I started and I just got used to it"I apologize for the thread drift