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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Last Answer on June 11, 2024

Best Rated

Josh,
Two questions for you.
1. 1.What is the most important activity you do in your business?
2. 2.Do you have any pain associated with this activity?
I personally appreciate what you bring to the table lol. I've locked my self out more than once.

Asked by Jack over 9 years ago

1. The most important activity... That's a very vague question. Important in regard to what? Important to my boss, important to the customer, or important to myself? Boss: making the customer happy. Customer: pinning their locks properly and cutting their keys correctly so they can secure and open their business or home. Me: getting from point a to point B safely.

My fingers get cramped & start to hurt after long hours of pinning locks & stamping keys. Luckily that's a small part of what I do. Installing & repairing hardware is also a large part.

HI i was wondering what other key blank will work with a wk2 key cause I'm looking to buy a Star Wars key blank..

Asked by Starwars1 about 8 years ago

You could try a KW1, which is Kwikset.

Is it normal practice to drill a lock without trying to bump it or pick it?

Asked by Jake about 9 years ago

99% of the time, no definitely not. The only time I would ever drill a lock before trying to pick it is if it is high security and I know there is no way I'm going to get that thing picked. If you had somebody come out to your house to unlock it, and you have regular residential locks, I am sorry for you. You hired someone very unprofessional.

I live in a multi tenant house. My key lets me into the side door (a common entry point for all tenants) and my door. I asked my landlord: doesn't that mean the other tenants can get into my apartment with their side door keys? He says no. Is he lying

Asked by anonymous tenant over 8 years ago

Haha no he is not lying. It’s called “masterkeying a lock”. Entire office buildings are masterkeyed so a Bldg Mgr can carry 1 key & get in every door, but every door can also have its own individual key that doesn’t work anything but that 1 door.

I want to install a new deadbolt. The one I have now is one of those "jimmy-proof" models that latches externally to the frame of the door. The door is metal, there is no cutout now. Is this a hard job to convert to a new deadbolt thru-the-frame?

Asked by Mark almost 9 years ago

Its not an easy job! You're better off installing a cylindrical deadbolt ABOVE your surface-mounted deadbolt. Still not easy if you're not used to doing it, and takes a lot of specialty tools- 2-1/8" hole saw, chisels, 1" paddle bit or hole saw, etc. If you care about the cosmetics of your door, you might be better off hiring a locksmith do it a proper job.

Will a Kwikset Kevo smart lock work with herculite glass doors?

Asked by Courtney over 9 years ago

Definitely not.

I want to change deadbolt w/a pounded in latch, so rather get same lock/know how to alter another lock to fit. Can't find Dexter twokeyed db even at Shlage site. Is the critical thing the tailpiece? Dexter's is flat with a thin ridge down the middle.

Asked by shieldvulf almost 9 years ago

It really depends on how old your lock is. I believe the new Dexter locks are designed different than the old ones. You're probably better off just getting a new deadbolt. Look for something that specifies "drive-in" latch, or "6-way" latch. Most don't come 1 specific way, they come with adapters so you can change it from square faced to a drive-in latch.