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Locksmith Intern

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LockManipulator

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:47 am

Locksmith Intern

I went to a flea market today at a locksmith stand and asked if there are any locks with security pins and he didn't have any. We started talking and I mentioned interest in being a locksmith and he said he would be able to teach me and I might be an intern or work for him. Now, the question I have is, when I am learning do I get paid? Because all I know is picking right now so I would have to learn everything else. If i get paid, how much? And if I don't get paid, when should I start charging?
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LockManipulator

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:48 am

Re: Locksmith Intern

oops, i think I posted in the wrong section. Can an admin please bump this to the right one, "proffessional locksmith" section i think?
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Riyame

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:56 am

Re: Locksmith Intern

It all depends. Some will pay you a bit, something some call apprentice rates but normally only the bigger locksmiths or stores can afford this. Most solo/hobbyist work out of their own house locksmiths might not be able to pay you for of your time.

This is something that you will need to discuss with him when it comes to it. Will you be with him all day, or an hour here or there to lean this and that? This will also affect if you get paid or not.
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mdc5150

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:57 am

Re: Locksmith Intern

The next time you talk to him ask him. Ask him is he is going to pay you for your work or if it is an unpaid apprenticeship. If it is an unpaid apprenticeship ask him when you make the transition from unpaid to paid.

Also ask about if he expects you to provide your own tools or if he provides them. If you can afford to be an apprentice without pay, and he is willing to show you then by all means do it.

I got started almost a year ago to the day in a shop that needed someone to do lockouts during the day. They had a locksmith but he had a daytime gig at a casino across the river. Immediately I started asking about learning locksmithing and took on as much as they would show me. A month later I was on the road doing simple re-key jobs and lock replacements. As time went on I was seeking out as much knowledge as I could in places like this and other places. All of this time I was having to seek that knowledge out myself. I was working for a 71 year old cranky old woman whose husband was in Oklahoma because he is a mason and was the lodge master or whatever they call it and she came out here to take the shop over that they had sold but they guy defaulted. I learned a lot of stuff in the back of my van talking on the phone to my boss who was in Oklahoma. So if I can learn what I've learned in a year by phone, forum and youtube imagine what you could learn from a competent locksmith who is right there with you.
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LockManipulator

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:21 pm

Re: Locksmith Intern

I"ll be talking with him again soon since he said he'll bring some locks that are security pinned and i'll ask the questions then. But he did say some things that threw me off. He said the only locks with security pins are the ones that cost like $80. I know that's not true since i just bought a medeco biaxial for $32. He also said that security pins can't be picked. Not just by him, but can't be picked. He said he was pretty good at picking too but apprantly never picked security pins. Umm, what? I know locksmiths don't pick as much since there are other methods but is this what he really thinks because he doesn't pick much or is this just bs that locksmiths tell people?
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mister sour

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:25 pm

Re: Locksmith Intern

Daggers wrote:I"ll be talking with him again soon since he said he'll bring some locks that are security pinned and i'll ask the questions then. But he did say some things that threw me off. He said the only locks with security pins are the ones that cost like $80. I know that's not true since i just bought a medeco biaxial for $32. He also said that security pins can't be picked. Not just by him, but can't be picked. He said he was pretty good at picking too but apprantly never picked security pins. Umm, what? I know locksmiths don't pick as much since there are other methods but is this what he really thinks because he doesn't pick much or is this just bs that locksmiths tell people?

Locksmitha can be deceptive.When a customer comes in to buy a new lock, they assure them the lock is secure. Obviously security pins can be picked. Just look at our vids.
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Riyame

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:32 pm

Re: Locksmith Intern

Its not that he is intentionally lying, he might just not know. Several of the cheaper locks are throwing in security pins now just so they can say their locks are pick resistant. If you had to buy that Medeco at retail price, you would have had to pay around $80 for it. And lots of locksmiths today think that Medeco is unpickable because they were doing it when Medeco was introduced and they didn't have the internet and a world of pickers to show that it could be done.
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mdc5150

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:51 pm

Re: Locksmith Intern

Locksmiths and picking are a bit like cops and shooting. People expect that locksmiths are really good at picking because it is their job. But in reality locksmiths are in business to make money, and they can either take the time to pick a lock in the field for an hour and risk failure or they can put on a drill bit and be in, in 30 seconds. So some locksmiths get lazy or complacent and don't take the time to keep up on picking. Just like cops are some of the worst shots in the world because they don't take the time to practice and train. They get lazy and complacent and might go to the range once a month and fire off 50 rounds.

My boss has been trying to retire for a decade now and does not want to learn, he leaves the lockouts to me for the most part if he can't get it with a pick gun he wants nothing to do with it. I don't blame him he's over 70 and can barely walk. But I know a few other locksmiths around here and one of the better ones still thinks that an American padlock is not realistic to pick. Why? Because he has not taken the time to learn anything but the pick gun.
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LocksmithArmy

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:00 pm

Re: Locksmith Intern

Daggers wrote:He said the only locks with security pins are the ones that cost like $80.


Defiant... $10 Home Depot deadbolt... has mushroom pins...
Master 140... $5-8 pos padlock... has a mushroom pin...

a new medeco (hardware and all) would be $80 or more... buying just the cylinder or buying second had saves money...

just cause a lock has security pins does not make it a high security lock, or worth $80... just caues a lock is high security... does not mean it has security pins... (although you have a better shot of finding security pins in hi sec locks)
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LockManipulator

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:49 pm

Re: Locksmith Intern

i resisted telling him that he's was wrong and that I can get a master padlock with security pins in it for less than $10. That seemed the best choice since he might be a future employer lol
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LocksmithArmy

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Post Sat Jan 21, 2012 2:08 pm

Re: Locksmith Intern

hahaha good choice ;)
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