Five more random Locksmith Tips | Locksmith Blog

Wow!

Had loads of positive feedback regarding the last post i made earlier in the month sharing five random locksmith tips.

So by popular demand i shall follow with a further five tips to improve your locksmithing experience, just the little things that can improve an awkward job, speed things up a little and make life easier for us.

1/ Inserting the Yale tailpiece

When changing a nightlatch cylinder it is often difficult to re-insert the tailpiece of the rim cylinder into the slot in the back of the nightlatch, particularly on the small backsets.
I find that filing the corners slightly off the tailpiece will guide it home much smoother without trying to poke it in place with a wire.

2/ Picking Eclipse/Walsall lever locks

These new grey cheapo BS lever locks have a serious flaw. My mate, a locksmith in Stoke, noticed only the frontmost lever in the pack is capable of engaging the antipick notch due to the ridiculous design of the bolt. An easy pick knowing that once the back four are set all you need to do is lift that front lever in.

3/  Yale MPL grub screws

Lost the grub screw from that old yale mech? Cut down a normal euro retaining screw and remove the head.  Saw a small notch into the end and file tidy before inserting with a flat blade screwdriver.

4/  Save good curtainwheels

Hang on to unworn curtainwheels from old locks. These come in handy when repairing welded gate locks. Nine times out of ten I have found the problem is a worn curtainwheel and replacing the innards saves you serious time and more importantly the customers money.

5/ Latched PVC door - No letterbox

Split spindles can have a customer locked out even though the door is as good as open. When there is no letterbox handy to use a letterbox tool I use a flat steel bar and pry open the latch area.
The PVC has more than enough flex to remain undamaged and the door will simply pop open unscathed. Childsplay, just try make it look more technical than it really is.

Hope these few nuggetts are of help to you.

Rick - Ricks Locksmiths

Locksmiths Letterbox Tool | Locksmith Blog

Sidewinder lock tool

opening a thumbturn cylinder

There have been a few new locksmith  tools pop up in the last couple of months, however the tool that I feel deserves a special feature on my Locksmith Blog is the Sidewinder, developed by Outside In lock tools, a small tool manufacturer owned by Simon Barber, a local locksmith in Ipswich.

The sidewinder is basically an add on for the souber letterbox tool that can be fixed to the end and used to manipulate thumbturns, bunches of keys and nightlatches with knobs.

The way in which this tool delivers a direct turning force to the target is the secret to its success and after my first few uses was left smiling with satisfaction at the ease in which it helped me gain entry.

This tool is a MUST HAVE for any warrant locksmith and in fact all locksmiths! Im not quite sure how i ever managed without one.

And it doesn't stop there folks!

Simon has also developed a further attachment which when combined with the Sidewinder can also defeat letterbox guards which are now commonplace on local housing properties.

Testimonials:

Rick - Walsall Locksmiths
The new sidewinder attachment is a fantastic tool and already saving me a fortune in carbide drills.
Possibly the greatest tool since the snapper bar.

Mike -
Combined with the rattler tool this is superior to any other letterbox tool to date. Payed for itself in a single job.