Last night, just prior to the start of Game 5 of the World Series, a call came in to make keys to an older model Ford F-150. The owner explained how the other locksmith had worked on it 4 hours and left, adding that he would come back the next day, pull the steering wheel and/or drill out the ignition switch. I was told the other fellow had gone through his entire box of “trial keys” without any luck.
Well, at least he got the part about “luck” right; geeze Louise, and he called himself a locksmith. I had the customer hold my flashlight, a chance for him to pretend he was the sun shining on my knee while I prepared a key blank; all the while getting more information about what the other fellow had attempted to do. Apparently the guy mistakenly thought it was a “Ten cut” wafer style lock; never figured out it was an old fashioned pin tumbler lock, which is why his “trying to feel the lock” with “specialty tools” didn’t work either.
It was dark, not in my favor, all the same I’d done hundreds, perhaps thousands without exaggerating, of “impression” jobs like this one over the past thirty plus years. Even with my magnifying headset I was having trouble seeing the impression marks as I adjusted its position to catch the light beam.
Well, at least he got the part about “luck” right; geeze Louise, and he called himself a locksmith. I had the customer hold my flashlight, a chance for him to pretend he was the sun shining on my knee while I prepared a key blank; all the while getting more information about what the other fellow had attempted to do. Apparently the guy mistakenly thought it was a “Ten cut” wafer style lock; never figured out it was an old fashioned pin tumbler lock, which is why his “trying to feel the lock” with “specialty tools” didn’t work either.
It was dark, not in my favor, all the same I’d done hundreds, perhaps thousands without exaggerating, of “impression” jobs like this one over the past thirty plus years. Even with my magnifying headset I was having trouble seeing the impression marks as I adjusted its position to catch the light beam.
I went back to my truck for a fancy little gizmo I picked up at one of the trade shows several years back; like a hand held microscope. It snaps onto the end of a small flashlight and puts the light right on the key blade with powerful magnification; Zowie or Vundabar, it worked and I could see the marks with a little extra effort.
Within a few minutes I had a working pair of keys and a very happy customer telling me, “I never saw nobody ever make a key like that before.” It’s a pretty good bet the other locksmith never did either; breathing out slowly and shaking my head, and he called himself a locksmith.
Within a few minutes I had a working pair of keys and a very happy customer telling me, “I never saw nobody ever make a key like that before.” It’s a pretty good bet the other locksmith never did either; breathing out slowly and shaking my head, and he called himself a locksmith.
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