ping-o, although it’s not a short story, sorry.
Consider getting an agreement with the AAA group. They get lots of auto lock calls.
This is just a thought...but call a dozen locksmiths within a 25 mile radius of where you’ll be operating from and ask them how business has been lately. It might be worth getting into!
Matter of fact, now you have me thinking about learning it again.
When I was a teen I worked in a wholesale warehouse that provided locksmith supplies to the area locksmiths. The items in stock included key blanks, jimmys, and other assorted tools. I guess you just have to learn the tricks of the trade and have the right tools.
In CA at least there are pretty strict licensing requirements, background check, the whole deal.
I remember as a kid ALL the comic books seemed to have an ad in the back for learning the trade of being a locksmith. Haven’t seen a comic book in years, so I have no idea if they still do it or not.
I recall the ads about the bent cigarettes and the guy who was always getting sand kicked in his face!
I agree with the other post, call around, see what it takes to get one.
As for your broken key, seems like as long as the shaft of the key was still in the lock you could have operated the lock by using something sticky to grab the part of the key that was still in there. Shows how much I know about such things.
Locksmithing by itself is not a way to earn a living. That’s why locksmithing is usually part of a hardware store nowdays. You can make more money doing emergency calls to rich people and charging them up the wazoo, but you can’t do that in the sticks in nebraska. THey won’t put up with the cost. THat’s why there’s no locksmiths around.
If you are really curious, start by educating yourself about the classic YALE and SCHLAGE door keys(and locks) THese are extremely common and pretty simple. 5 tumblers on only one side, as I recall.
Things will get much more complex in the boonies, as those folks tend to have alot of antique stuff. You will run into locks that you wouldn’t normally see in a city.
When you start getting into cars and trucks, the keys get even more complex and varied.
I really think you are dead in the water from the get go since small town folks don’t usually even bother with keys at all. They don’t lock their houses up. They leave the keys in their cars. Lots of them even leave a key in the trunk lock of their cars all the time.
Don’t leave us hanging!! What happened?! Did you have to hotfoot it for 17 miles???
Prepare to be disturbed at how easily locks are picked.
Hey I think this is a great idea Frank!
I live in Nothern Colorado Springs and to have the all the locks keyed on the same key and and a new lock put in recently cost me over $100. And it took a couple of days.
A locksmith drove up from downtown CS almost half an hour away.
I was hoping this was a thread about Ann Coulter’s comments on Keith Olbermann. He claims to be a Cornell University grad, but he actually attended Cornell Agricultural College. Ann compared this to a guy who sells Yale padlocks claiming to graduate from Yale University. Olbie was outraged at this, and it was hilarious.
You can learn locksmithing through ICS courses.
No advise but if you had a screwdriver with you, you probably could have gotten the ignition to turn. We drove a car for years this way because of a broken key in the ignition. Fortunately it was an older model that had a different key to unlock it!
sounds like a great idea for a little extra income.
There is some inventory required and some investment.
But the demand is good for heavy equipment. All the time contractors are losing or breaking keys.
Being the only locksmith in a given area has advantages.
If people can’t pay, barter your services.