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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330 Questions

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Last Answer on June 11, 2024

Best Rated

How can I remove the core from a 1933 spare tire lock?

Asked by Jloe over 8 years ago

Take it to a locksmith. Being that old, you might be lucky it even comes out at all!

I have a key it says taylor on it and 137 On one side c3 On other what it go to

Asked by Jordy over 9 years ago

Could've lots of things. Motorcycle, safe, tool box, hard to say. It's a widely used key.

I have a hidden vertical rod storefront door with a loose key cylinder so I need to remove the exit device to tighten the key cylinder. Can I do this without removing the door or does the door need to be laying flat?

Asked by Skwgee@gmail.com over 9 years ago

I've never worked on a door that required me to take the door down to take out or work on a cylinder, so no, you probably shouldn't have to do that. Now if the bottom concealed latch/bolt needs work, sometimes you do have to take the door down, sometimes not.

I have an older model strong box, The key lock cylinder was opened with a hammer and screwdriver. Is it possible that a lock can be adapted tothis use?

Asked by Den over 9 years ago

I'm not familiar with strong box. A google search brought up quite a variety of different things. I would say see if you can order one from the manufacturer, otherwise if it is a fairly simple design, I'm sure a cylinder could be modified to work.

I lost the key to my 1999eclipse. Can I take one of the door locks out and take it to a locksmith and have a key made? Is that possible? Greg

Asked by Greg L. about 8 years ago

If you don’t have chip in your key, which I don’t believe you do, you should be able to. Passenger side would be your best bet for a few reasons. If a car manufacturer puts a code on a lock, it’ll be the passenger door lock (not all do). If you damage anything while taking it out, it won’t effect your every day use since you rarely open your passenger door.

I found a key with YM-25 on one side and National Lock Company on the other. Can you tell me what it is for?

Asked by Jus over 8 years ago

Nope unfortunately not. National makes locks that go into so many different things, many of which share key blanks. Could be a file cabinet, cam lock, tractor, who knows!

How do you know that the client who calls you out owns the house/car you're unlocking? What is the procedure if a client doesn't have money/ID with them at the time to prove then and there? And should police be called if I think I've been ripped off?

Asked by S.Lee about 9 years ago

1- it's impossible to truly know who the owner is. The best we can do is take as much information as we can just in case things go south. So we get a drivers license, plate, year, make & model, location, time, name, address, & phone number. If it's a home, the drivers license or a piece of mail has to have the address on it. 2- if you don't have money, we don't do the service. If you don't have ID, we prob wouldn't do the service unless it was a special circumstance. 3- to my knowledge, there aren't any laws i know of that saw you can't over-charge people. But in many states it's illegal to operate as a locksmith without a permit or license. A lot of these guys are contractors & do not have one. I tell people all the time that everyone should have the name & phone number of a reputable locksmith in their phone. It's your job to research the company you're hiring. There are a LOT of crooked companies out there, & the only thing that can stop them is smart & knowledgeable customers. Leave reviews on Yelp & Google, report them to BBB. Ask for a quote before they do the work. If you don't like it, call someone else. You should never feel pressured or threatened.