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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329 Questions

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Last Answer on June 11, 2024

Best Rated

Can I sent you a picture of a lock that I'm trying to find the correct key for?

Asked by Javan over 9 years ago

Sure. I'm on Twitter: ATXJoshL

If you were building a basic cabinet out of steel that needed to be locked, would you use cam-lock, padlock, or neither and why?

Asked by ChaseCreation over 10 years ago

It all depends what you are locking up, who you are locking out, & where this cabinet is. If you want it to look nice & you're keeping out non-aggressive people, definitely a cam lock. If it's in your garage and you want it to be harder to open requiring obvious damage, go with a padlock & hasp. 

Josh l just asked the question About a locked door opening. It was not a sliding door a regular push button door.it was the door to my storage unit.
Puah button on the inside, key entry on the outside.
It was windy outside.could it have blown open?

Asked by kim about 10 years ago

Yes very possible. Could be 1 of 2 problems. 1- the lock needs repairing or replacing. The latch (springy part that pops out of the edge of the door) maybe sometimes not pop out all the way. 2- the latch may not line up properly with the strike on the jamb. It may not be falling into the hole every time. Weather, building shift, poor installation, & stretched out hinges can all effect that.

A locksmith installed a deadbolt on our older door. It's REALLY hard for me to open it, and there's a spot the door needs to be at (not pulled closed entirely nor pushed back) to turn the key. I can't even open it myself. Should he fix this for free?

Asked by AD over 9 years ago

Hard to say without seeing the door. If he didn't tell you while he was there that it would be difficult to operate for whatever reason, then yes he should fix it. Generally, a deadbolt should never be that hard to operate. It sounds to me like the bolt isn't lined up with the strike hole.

Good news Josh, it was the lip thing.I closed the door locked it and maintenance gave it a push and then it clicked.wasnt lined up properly
They promptly replaced it.thanks for your help I appreciate it

Asked by kim about 10 years ago

You're welcome! Glad I could help.

Hi im 16 and for a while now ive been picking locks at home just for fun but im wanting to take it further like an apprentiship but i know theyll wanna do a police check n ive had a bit of cop trouple in the past no convictions tho what should i do?

Asked by Daniel over 9 years ago

Depends on what state you live in. Some you can't even be a locksmith until you're 21. Some don't have any restrictions, no licensing. Some do background checks, fingerprints etc. Find out what the laws are in your state, & if you're of age, check with some shops & see what they'll do.

thanks for your answer! Unfortunately, we found that the lock doesn't even fit in the door :( the holes are too close together. we will have to get a different lock.

Asked by rachel about 11 years ago

Sounds like you're using a combination lever handle. Maybe get a combo deadbolt instead? Schlage makes the best residential combo deadbolts on the market in my opinion.