Locksmith home studies.

[DennisK]

Hello everyone. I am interested in taking a home/online course,as there is no university near me that offers a locksmith course.I was wondering if anyone here could recommend a course such as this. There seem to be many to chose from,but having NO experience with any of them I hope someone here does. TIA

[ARF-GEF]

Good luck with the studies
I think this is more of a hands on thing, but you can find many good books about lock which could help a bit. But this job is learned on the ground with practice I think.

[MBI]

SOPL

[DennisK]

SOPL

They offer home study?

[dmasters]

Foley-Belsaw is THE home-study locksmith course. You pay per "skill pack" which includes course literature and tools. By the time you are done you'll have picks, pick gun, impressioning files, key machine, rekeying tools, key blanks, etc.
Nothing beats apprenticeship and OJT, but chances are the lockie that's training you took the FB course back in the 70's-80's when it was "hot". Best of luck to you.

http://www.foley-belsaw.com/pdf/LS_Program_Guide.pdf

[DennisK]

Foley-Belsaw is THE home-study locksmith course. You pay per "skill pack" which includes course literature and tools. By the time you are done you'll have picks, pick gun, impressioning files, key machine, rekeying tools, key blanks, etc.
Nothing beats apprenticeship and OJT, but chances are the lockie that's training you took the FB course back in the 70's-80's when it was "hot". Best of luck to you.

http://www.foley-belsaw.com/pdf/LS_Program_Guide.pdf

I'll check that out.Thanks.

[Don]

SOPL

http://www.sopl.us/training.html

[DennisK]

Good luck with the studies
I think this is more of a hands on thing, but you can find many good books about lock which could help a bit. But this job is learned on the ground with practice I think.

I agree.However,with no one to teach me,I guess it'll be home studies for me.

[keymaster1053]

Foley Belsaw is how I learned back in the late 80's right out of high school, and now I've been a locksmith for over 27 years. it is a good starting point. obviously nobody can teach you everything there is to know, but experience lets you learn more along the way.
Jim.

[DennisK]

Thanks everyone. I think I have a better handle on this subject now.

[MBI]

SOPL

They offer home study?

Yes, online videos and such. Check Don's link above.

FB has a good groundwork, but they haven't updated the course in many years. SOPL has some more current stuff.

I imagine you already realize that no certificate on it's own, no matter who it's from, is going to get you a job. But the various courses will help you learn the groundwork.

SOPL has a lot of free stuff if you choose that route. If you choose FB I'd suggest buying the course manuals used off ebay or something otherwise it'll cost you several hundred bucks.

[ARF-GEF]

I think the big question is are they really good at training you?
Not just if they give you up to date knowledge, but also, do they give in depth and useable knowledge. Practically oriented as well?
Still having doubts how effective such things can be, I really think most things have to be learned hands on with practice. One needs the manual dexterity for many things and no vid is gona give that.
Plus there is a lot of small little tips and tricks to effectively service locks, at least here many euro profile locks have their little trick how to dis-and reassemble them, not sure how it is in the US.
I would recommend maing friends with local lockies and building yourself up from there as well so that your knowledge won't get "theory-heavy"

Another question to consider are they worth their price?
I don't know, I never took them, I'm just playing the devil's advocate here
Did anyone took any of them and if yes what's the experience? Also will they go back for more courses?
Look around and research the topic well DennsiK before you commit, I heard they are rather pricey.

[MBI]

ARF-GEF, you make some excellent points for anyone to consider before paying for this kind of training. There is only just so much you can learn by watching, a lot you have to learn by doing.

One of the reasons I recommend SOPL over other courses however, is that their course material is available for FREE online to anyone who wants to learn from them. There is only a charge if you want to become a member and get the certification testing and other benefits. But if you just want the knowledge itself, that won't cost you a dime beyond what you're paying for your internet connection at home.

[ARF-GEF]

Wow, that sounds great!
If you are (also) looking for books I can definitely recommend "High Security Mechanical Locks, An encyclopedic reference"- by Graham Pulford.
But that free course sounds really good. Definitely worth a look IMO.

[DIY Dave]

I took the Foley Belsaw Course and it was a good starting point. Most of the information in it can be found online, but it is helpful having it all together in books. Some of the material is so obvious it's stupid, like Identifying blanks from each other when they look nothing alike and have the ilco number stamped on them. Also you should check out Bill Phillips "The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing" and Kokomo's "Locksmithing 101" videos on youtube.