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KEEPING LOST SKILLS ALIVE : CHARITY TRAINING WEEKEND
We caught up with Mark Santi of Certified Locksmiths and Security , who recently hosted and helped organise a long weekend locksmith training event for charity . The purpose of the event was to train everyone in the traditional ‘ lost skills ’ of locksmithing . Mark told us how they all got ‘ back to basics ’ in more ways than one .
A big shout out to all involved
The training was held at the YMCA in Reading and was in aid of Swings & Smiles , a charity committed to improving the lives of disabled children and their families . A total of £ 150 was raised for the charity .
A big shout out to everyone who was involved in the organising and running the training event , and to everyone who attended , and thank you to those who gave their time , skills and money :
• Steve Underwood of Abbeygate Locksmiths
• Mark Grainger of ALS Lock Tools
• Farid Jiwa of Keyprint
• John Drake of Elite Safe and Vault
• Stuart Game of Eight Ball Engineering
Getting Back to Basics
Everyone got ‘ back to basics ’ not just in terms of learning but also living , camping out in tents and vans around a campfire . It was great fun ! Training was delivered on silver soldering used for extending keys , repairing two in one picks , bolts and levers and much more . Silver soldering is a great way of connecting two metal parts and is very strong , it ’ s a technique that jewellers use .
These traditional techniques are an important part of locksmithing especially when older locks need to be recommissioned , this type of work requires a unique set of skills . Unfortunately , these skills are disappearing in the trade , but are the real skills of locksmithing , not just simple jobs like changing a euro cylinder .
The training delivered by Steve Underwood enabled the guys attending to be able to repair traditional locks , keys and twoin-one picks . The skills passed down are vital when working on listed buildings ( for example The National Trust and other heritage sites ). We will always need experts in these traditional skills to help preserve our precious heritage ; let ’ s keep these skills alive .
Jon Drake also supported by sharing his knowledge to help the guys understand what is needed to scope , and drill manipulate group 2 combination locks and standard 7 lever safe locks .
ALS Lock Tools demonstrated Lishi picks - a tool primarily used for opening car door locks - and the new range of cylinder Lishi picks , which are proving popular and are encouraging a renewed interest in single pin picking .
Farid from Keyprint , who has been supplying locksmiths for 44 years , demonstrated a range of pick guns and their range of dedicated dimple picks , vehicle picks and decoders . They are hosting an open day in Edinburgh on the 14th September this year where locksmiths can attend training seminars ranging from dimple lock picking and opening uPVC doors , to opening cars and cloning keys . They offer refreshments too and it ’ s free to attend .
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JULY 2024
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