Locksmith

Locksmith

Josh-the-Locksmith

25 Years Experience

Austin, TX

Male, 46

I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.

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330 Questions

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Last Answer on June 11, 2024

Best Rated

Tried to get into a Camry with a Big Easy lockout kit and hit the unlock button several times and even pulled the handle wide open and still didn't work. Is there a special anti theft mechanism?

Asked by shane over 10 years ago

I haven't opened 1 in quite a while, & you also didn't say which year the car was, but I know there's a few cars that automatically relock after you unlock it if you're not using a key or remote. In those cases, I use an under-the-window tool & flip the manual unlock button, & in a split second pull the outside handle before it relocks. It takes practice to get the speed, but I got to wear I could do it the first try.

If you were building a basic cabinet out of steel that needed to be locked, would you use cam-lock, padlock, or neither and why?

Asked by ChaseCreation about 11 years ago

It all depends what you are locking up, who you are locking out, & where this cabinet is. If you want it to look nice & you're keeping out non-aggressive people, definitely a cam lock. If it's in your garage and you want it to be harder to open requiring obvious damage, go with a padlock & hasp. 

QUESTION:new Schlag hi sec deadbolt barrel is loose-being pryed out?why i ask? I Had a locksmith installed hi-sec scalage.I have a Stalker who can hack & Paid my locksmith to copy the 1 signature card key i had made & EX broke in moms & stole a lot-

Asked by thestepfordwife over 10 years ago

It's difficult to give you any advice the way you're describing it. It's illegal for a locksmith to cut a high security key for someone who isn't listed as an authorized person, so unless it's a very shady locksmith, that's probably not a possibility. Most likely they got in another way. If you don't see some serious pry marks on your door or deadbolt, then they probably didn't get in that way. Your deadbolt may just need to be tightened. It sounds like you need to have a locksmith come out & give you some options. It's awfully difficult for me to give you advice without seeing what you're talking about in this case.

Josh l just asked the question About a locked door opening. It was not a sliding door a regular push button door.it was the door to my storage unit.
Puah button on the inside, key entry on the outside.
It was windy outside.could it have blown open?

Asked by kim almost 11 years ago

Yes very possible. Could be 1 of 2 problems. 1- the lock needs repairing or replacing. The latch (springy part that pops out of the edge of the door) maybe sometimes not pop out all the way. 2- the latch may not line up properly with the strike on the jamb. It may not be falling into the hole every time. Weather, building shift, poor installation, & stretched out hinges can all effect that.

I am trying to replace an exterior door knob for aesthetic reasons only. When i removed the door knob and tried removing the latch assembly it wont come out. I can push it in but it will only come out to a certain point then it gets stuck. Help

Asked by Bobby over 9 years ago

Can you send me a picture of it on twitter? @ATXJOSHL Since I don't know what brand it is, I have no idea what you're dealing with.

A locksmith installed a deadbolt on our older door. It's REALLY hard for me to open it, and there's a spot the door needs to be at (not pulled closed entirely nor pushed back) to turn the key. I can't even open it myself. Should he fix this for free?

Asked by AD about 10 years ago

Hard to say without seeing the door. If he didn't tell you while he was there that it would be difficult to operate for whatever reason, then yes he should fix it. Generally, a deadbolt should never be that hard to operate. It sounds to me like the bolt isn't lined up with the strike hole.

Good news Josh, it was the lip thing.I closed the door locked it and maintenance gave it a push and then it clicked.wasnt lined up properly
They promptly replaced it.thanks for your help I appreciate it

Asked by kim almost 11 years ago

You're welcome! Glad I could help.