You may have missed the recent announcement that Anthropic has an AI that can find vulnerabilities in software systems and exploit them. Humans have failed to discover these exploits, despite numerous audits, for over 20+ years. It turns out humans are really bad at writing secure software code. Now, maybe you heard about this and … Read more
The UL label has an identification number (numbers and letters) that is unique to the manufacturer. The UL website can be searched to find the name of the manufacturer of the product. Here are the steps, in logical order. Copy down the number from the label. 1. Go to https://productiq.ulprospector.com/en (Searching using the “abridged site” … Read more
Suppose your client sends you a picture of a key and you want to use the picture to make an original. With some locks with only 5 or 6 depths, Kwikset for example, you can just sight read the key and be very accurate. But when a lock has 10 depths, such as Schlage, the … Read more
In these before and after pictures, you see a safe dial that has been refinished to make the numbers and lines more visible. The secret is “lacquer stick”.
This is a useful kit to keep handy for automotive work. It is especially useful for repairing Chrysler FOBIKS. There are enough parts to repair 100 contacts. For example, on a 3 button FOBIK, you would replace all 3 leaving you with 97. Available from LocksetBlocks.com/domes/
Videx/Cyberlock introduced this lock system originally in about 2000. It was unique in access control at that time because the data and locking plan was stored in the KEY instead of in the LOCK. So, when the key reads the ID number of a lock, it checks to be sure the keyholder is allowed to … Read more
Locksmiths, lock manufacturers, and publications must agree on common terminology and definitions used in our industry. To that end, a volunteer group was formed in 1982 to work on this project. To date, approximately 1650 terms have been defined.Knowledge of many of those terms will be important to locksmiths studying for any of the PRP … Read more
At the risk of stating the obvious, you CAN use a KW1 Lishi on a Weiser lock. The depths are different (twice as many on Weiser), and the spacing is slightly off, but it works. It’s convenient when you have to remove the key cylinder for rekeying, and you don’t have a working key to turn it … Read more
When I ran my locksmith business, I never felt the need to match prices with hardware stores. Whenever someone stopped into my shop looking for a padlock, I’d start by asking them if they would like it to match their home or office key. That’s the kind of service you can only get at a … Read more