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Hola from Mexico City

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GringoLocksmith

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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:12 am

Location: Gringolandia

Post Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:15 pm

Hola from Mexico City

Hi,

I'm an American guy living in Mexico City and apprenticing as a locksmith. Ultimately I will move back to the States to ply my trade.

There's a totally different valuation of time here, and I assume that American locksmiths would never waste their time on half the stuff they do here, but I'm not sure. They'll spend an hour fixing a $5 lock. It's great that I'm learning the intricacies of the locks so that I really understand how they function, but I think that at some point I need to start focusing my attention on developing the skills that will be useful in my career as a locksmith living in a wealthier country. Any tips?

David
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Oldfast

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OldddffAASSTT the Spin Master Extraordinaire and American Lock Slayer
OldddffAASSTT the Spin Master Extraordinaire and American Lock Slayer

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Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:16 am

Location: Michigan

Post Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:54 pm

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Hello David... a big welcome to you. I'm Mike.

I'm only a hobbiest, but there's some wonderfully talented locksmiths here I'm sure you'll find very helpful.
Interesting to hear the emphasis placed on repair instead of replacement there in Mexico. I think that's neat.
Just from listening to some of the professionals here, I'd imagine you're right though. Time is money, and you
must not only be proficient, but good at what you do in order to make it as a locksmith. I'm glad you found
this forum. I think you'll find this to be a valuable resource for you.

I look foward to seeing more of you around the forum.
" Enjoy the journey AS MUCH as the destination."
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mdc5150

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Post Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:27 pm

Re: Hola from Mexico City

David welcome to the forum. This place is what got me through my first year and a half. I've had no one teaching me until recently so I had to learn it all on my own so to speak. This forum of people here have really truly been my teachers. They are generous with information and some here if they do not know the answer will search the depths to find it not only to be helpful but because they find the question interesting themselves.

As for how you are learning there is always an advantage to being "born in a briar patch". You will learn skills there repairing locks that most would trash in a heart beat. But some day those skills will prove to put you above the parts changers when there is nothing else available. So again welcome and I hope you enjoy it here.
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GringoLocksmith

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Posts: 250

Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:12 am

Location: Gringolandia

Post Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:50 am

Re: Hola from Mexico City

A couple things I'm wondering about are the usefulness of InstaCode and of master keys. We don't use these in our shop. Instead we spend a lot of time taking locks apart, hand-filing keys, and banging on the locks to get the keys right. Is InstaCode considered an essential part of any locksmith's toolkit?
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mdc5150

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Post Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:25 am

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Instacode is a fantastic resource. I personally would be lost without it or something very close to it. Something you may want to consider since you probably are not making a ton of money is Blackhawk Codes Online. You can pay on a subscription basis and get all the same information. As for master keys, I can't imagine master keying a lock without an accurate code cutting machine.
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GringoLocksmith

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Posts: 250

Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:12 am

Location: Gringolandia

Post Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:33 am

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Yeah, it's pretty impressive how quickly they cut a key with a little file, even when out on a job. There's one guy who doesn't even have to take the lock apart. He can just feel the pins with his pick and figure out what the key needs to look like.
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jeffmoss26

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Post Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:55 am

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Welcome aboard! This place is a great resource, and I am sure you are learning a lot working in the field!
femurat: They're called restricted for a reason...
Innerpicked: The more keys you carry, the more important you look
GWiens2001: Great video! Learned a lot about what fun can be had with a forklift and a chainsaw.
pmaxey83: but i first have to submit the proper forms for a new hobby to my wife
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magician59

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Post Thu Aug 30, 2012 10:01 am

Re: Hola from Mexico City

GringoLocksmith wrote:Yeah, it's pretty impressive how quickly they cut a key with a little file, even when out on a job. There's one guy who doesn't even have to take the lock apart. He can just feel the pins with his pick and figure out what the key needs to look like.

Three things that are essential for successful locksmithing here are picking and manipulating locks; impressioning keys; and sight-reading wafer locks (for generating keys). Any other skills you can learn that can speed up the process of key generation will be valuable, and set you apart of the competition.
Nemo Malus Felix
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10ringo10

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Post Thu Aug 30, 2012 10:33 am

Re: Hola from Mexico City

welcome gringo from ringo plenty of good chaps on here...enjoy
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GringoLocksmith

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Posts: 250

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Location: Gringolandia

Post Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:55 pm

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Thanks, mdchurchill, for the tip on Blackhawk. Does anyone else have any input on the comparative value of InstaCode alternatives? Or is this something that has been debated ad nauseum on other threads?
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piotr

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Location: Victoria, Australia

Post Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:10 am

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Hi David, welcome to forum and greetings from Australia.

I think frugality is a virtue we have largely lost in the West and we produce too much waste. It sounds to me that you are in an environment that will teach you not only frugality but many valuable fundamental skills that will feed into your ability as a lock picker and impressioner.
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Maxlox

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Location: California

Post Fri Aug 31, 2012 2:42 pm

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Welcome to the site David,
i would really like to hear about how you ended up in Mexico City but maybe thats more suited for a pm. Anyway you can learn a lot here check out Kokomo's video series its loaded with a lot of good info.
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GringoLocksmith

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Posts: 250

Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:12 am

Location: Gringolandia

Post Sat Sep 01, 2012 7:54 pm

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Today a guy brought in an old padlock that he'd lost the key to. He wanted one cut for it right away, but we were all busy, so the boss traded him for a lock of equal age and quality that did have a key, plus 30 pesos (~$2.25). Later in the day another apprentice opened it up and made a key. I wonder how an American locksmith would have handled this.
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Riyame

Keeper of the Bests / Supreme Overlord of Small Format Interchangeable Picking Nightmares

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Location: Canada

Post Sat Sep 01, 2012 8:08 pm

Re: Hola from Mexico City

GringoLocksmith wrote:Today a guy brought in an old padlock that he'd lost the key to. He wanted one cut for it right away, but we were all busy, so the boss traded him for a lock of equal age and quality that did have a key, plus 30 pesos (~$2.25). Later in the day another apprentice opened it up and made a key. I wonder how an American locksmith would have handled this.


Sold him a masterlock.. :lol:
PhoneMan: I always knew I'd say something stupid and it would be someone's sig
macgng: i am an equal opportunity pervert
macgng: aww fuck thats goin in someone sig :-(

If life gives you melons, you might be dyslexic.
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GringoLocksmith

Active Member

Posts: 250

Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:12 am

Location: Gringolandia

Post Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:45 pm

Re: Hola from Mexico City

Today in the shop my boss handed me this busted padlock. The locking bar was worn out so I had to sculpt a new one from a larger piece of brass, form a spring from some spare wire I found, then make a key for it. Five hours later, I had a working padlock, and a solid understanding of how it functions.

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