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I once had to rescue a lady trapped in public toilets and a student stuck in a small cupboard at a hall of residence – his friends thought it would be funny to lock him in a cupboard and couldn ’ t get him out .
Dislikes : I have to admit , customers can be a challenge ! I have met some strange people , who call me on a Bank Holiday or Sunday for a non-urgent booking that ’ s not an emergency – why would someone do that ? There ’ s not much else I dislike .
Tell us about your work with safes
People find themselves needing access to a safe because things break , keys snap , they lose or forget the combination code , keys are stolen , electronic locks fail and internal bolt mechanisms break – all of which prevent the safe from opening . I receive a lot of dodgy calls and have to ‘ delve in deep ’ and ask a lot of questions to verify ownership . It ’ s always dodgy when someone says : “ Can you open this safe and lock it back up again .”
I ’ ll never forget opening my first vault , it was a Hobbs door in an ex-bank building . A new business had moved in and someone accidentally closed the vault door and span the dial . It was a four-wheel Chubb combination lock that had not been reset to the factory default combination and no one knew the code . I had to manipulate the lock carefully to find out the correct code out of the possible one hundred million possibilities . After just over an hour of interrogation I had it unlocked and was able to swing the huge door open . I think I had a permanent smile for several weeks after that job .
I am mostly self-taught . I taught myself by buying tools and locks and figuring out how the locks respond to the tools and therefore how they can be defeated . My business is now 50 / 50 percent general locksmithing and safe work . Safes are a declining market because of the increase in electronic transactions and businesses taking less cash . My expertise is still required though , less demand for services often means less available specialists .
My advice to new locksmiths When becoming a locksmith , you can either buy a franchise , or spend money on the tools and stock and crack on with it . I decided to teach myself how to do things and I work purely on my own on a mobile basis ; I personally didn ’ t want the hassle of premises and managing staff . When you go into business ‘ you ’ re the boss ’ so you can form your business around your own personal circumstances and what you want to achieve – whether to make a living wage or build an empire .
The locksmithing market is very tough and saturated . It can be difficult to make money and takes four to five years to get established and make a steady income / profit . It ’ s certainly not easy money , there is a lot of outlay in stock , tools , insurance and marketing . When you work for yourself , you need to be experienced in everything so you ’ re not turning away work .
More about Paladin
Paladin locksmiths offer a comprehensive 24-hour locksmith and safe engineer service . Established in 2011 , they are an independent , familyrun , local locksmith company based in Skelmersdale , Lancashire , providing a competitively priced reliable service . As a Master Locksmiths Association approved company , they are qualified , regularly inspected , and vetted to ensure that their standards are second to none .
Mark has an active role in the locksmith world . He is the Secretary and Treasurer of the Master Locksmiths Association Northern Region . Mark organises training and social events for other locksmiths and writes articles for trade publications . He enjoys going to locksmith exhibitions and training events , where he can keep his skills and knowledge up to date .
Outside of work , Mark tries to keep fit by running . You will often see him plodding around Skelmersdale as a member of the Skelmersdale Boundary Harriers running club . He regularly runs and volunteers on Saturdays at either Tawd Valley parkrun or Ormksirk parkrun events . He also attends several running groups at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk during the week .
www . paladinlocksmiths . co . uk www . paladinsafeservices . co . uk Telephone : 01695 733394 / 07939 993201 Email : mark @ paladinlocksmiths . co . uk
MAY 2024
9 locksmithjournal . co . uk