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Posted in Locksmith on Nov 07
There’s nothing quite as unnerving as arriving home from holiday, and finding you’ve either lost your key or the front door lock refuses to budge. This unfortunately boils down to a lack of care or just stupidity. I can say that, because I’ve been guilty of these oversights myself when I was younger.
 Lost Keys – The solution is as simple as people’s failure follow it is incredulous. Leave a spare set of keys with a good friend you trust, so they can visit your home from time to time too. That way, you may never need to Find a Locksmith at such an inconvenient hour.
Jammed Locks – It’s a funny old thing, isn’t it? We update our ant-virus databases and we even sometimes mow our garden lawns. Yet we leave our essential door and window locks to take care of themselves completely, when all you need to do is the following:
• Lubricate all your exterior door locks with a puff of graphite powder (not oil because that will attract the dirt and dust). Lock and unlock them several times to work the lubricant in. If the lock is exposed to the elements and seldom used, consider taping over the outside keyhole with a piece of weatherproof tape to keep the moisture out.
•  The advice of every London Locksmith and all others lock repairers too is to take action as soon as a lock starts giving trouble. If you can open the door or window you could change the lock yourself. At the least you could possibly avoid paying overtime rates.
• Inspect your keys monthly for signs of damage, and never, ever use worn ones. That’s because a broken piece of key can be impossible to remove, necessitating an expensive repair.
Whatever else you do please do not overlook the need to maintain your locks. Did we mention you can get Locksmith Quotes on Mr-Skill too? You’ll find the rates more than competitive and our service exemplary. Isn’t that good to know. Remember that in times of trouble we’re here for you.
Tags: break, broken, budge, care, change, damage, door, element, find a locksmith, friend, graphite, inspect, jam, key, lock, locksmith quotes, london locksmith, lose, lost, lubricate, maintain, moisture, oil, powder, rate, remove, replace, solution, spare, stuck, tape, weather, window, work
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Posted in Locksmith on May 26
Locksmithing is an ancient art that goes back to earliest days when a locking device was often a wooden bar slotted inside a bedroom door. These days of course the art of  locking has become a science in many regards, and the days of using a metal pick are largely history.
There are a number of reasons for this. One is the increasing cleverness of thieves for whom the average mechanical lock is a cake walk. Another is our increasing obsession with electronics and high technology, which sometimes leads us to spend more than we ought.
There are several reasons why you might need to Find a Locksmith on Mr-Skill, and often urgently too.
o Losing a key is something that we all do from time to time, and naturally at the most inconvenient moments. The scariest is when we drop one into a drain in the street – out of reach but there for everyone to see. When this happens there is no time to Get Locksmith Quotes. We need our key retrieved, or a new one supplied urgently.
o Another common reason is when a lock suddenly fails to operate. This could be owing to a mechanical one jamming up, or an irritating piece of electronics suddenly failing.  We stand outside our front door, or our office or our car feeling helpless and hopelessly aggrieved. Many a Locksmith in London has been called out at two in the morning, fixed the problem and then had his overtime rate challenged. I cry foul – the labourer is worthy of their hire, just like the good book says.
o Finally there are the irritating moments when a key breaks off in a lock, and we realize that we should have done something about it as we watched it weakening. If you have a key halfway cracked through or that keeps on bending, my advice as a locksmith is – fix it now.
I say thank heavens for good locksmiths even though I try to be one myself. We may be overlooked at Christmastide, but we like to think we do our jobs well. Remember us when you need us.
Tags: call out, callout, car, crisis, device, electronic, emergency, fail, find a locksmith, fix, home, jam, key, lock, locksmith, locksmith london, locksmith quotes, lose, mechanical, new, office, pick, repair, replace, retrieve, urgent
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Posted in Locksmith on Nov 24
First impressions count, and that certainly applies to your home whether you are receiving visitors or selling on. People always judge by what they see first, and an unattractive gateway to your house may create impressions that would horrify you if you knew. Play it safe – spend a few pounds and splash out on a new door lock and handle. If you are not confident to replace the lock yourself, then find a locksmith at Mr-Skill instead.
 o Decide on the style of lock and handle that you want. Is it to be formal, modern or just plain funky? It should match your personality or else friends and family might tell you that it looked odd.
o What level of security do you require? These days, press button locks are popular because there are no keys to copy. You could even buy a lock that recognizes your fingerprint. Be careful, sophistication costs a lot of money.
o Is it dark outside your front door and do you fumble with the key when you return late at night? Save trouble and fit an illuminated lock. Locksmiths in London often recommend this in apartment buildings where service lights sometimes remain out of order for days.
o Fortunately, most door fittings are interchangeable and this makes changing them relatively easy. It can be a good idea to replace an old lock and handle with a similarly sized one. If this is not possible, avoid inadvertently damaging an expensive front door and get locksmith quotes on our main website instead.
You will be astounded at the difference that a new door lock and handle can make to the appearance of your home. For extra effect, why not redecorate the door, or at least wash it down?
Tags: dark, digital, door, door lock, find a locksmith, funky, handle, illuminate, key, light, lock, locksmith quotes, locksmiths london, modern, new, press button, push button, security, style, traditional
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Posted in Locksmith on Aug 20
 If you are a regular air traveller, one of the issues that often causes problems at the airport is the security of your luggage. Whereas a selection of suitable, secure luggage locks is available from your local locksmiths in London, due to increased anti-terrorist precautions at airports, baggage screeners have the permission to open your suitcase if they wish to inspect your luggage. This sometimes requires that locks are cut from your luggage, effectively leaving your possessions unsecure for the rest of your journey.
 As this has become a very big problem in the States – due to the high volume of air travellers – the Transportation Security Administration (TSA – part of the Department of Homeland Security) has allowed the introduction of dual-lock security systems on passengers´ luggage which can be accessed by baggage screeners and then re-locked for the safety of passengers´ belongings. These locks carry the TSA symbol – reminiscent of an Olympic torch – and are recognised by baggage screeners who can open the lock with a special security key, inspect and re-lock the luggage. Thus your locked bag and belongings arrive safe and secure.
The TSA-approved locks come in a variety of shapes and designs, from left to right below-
Traditional padlock style
TSA-approved baggage strap
Union Jack combination lock
Combination lock with cable fixing
All of these items and over 100 other designs are available from your local locksmith in London. If you would like to find a locksmith in London stocking TSA-approved locks, quickly put a request in the “Post-a-Job” section above and one of local locksmiths in London will get back in touch.
Tags: combination lock, keys, locks, locksmith, Locksmith & Security Systems, luggage, padlock, protection, secuity, Transportation Security Administration, TSA-approved locks
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Posted in Locksmith on Aug 05
 Have you ever arrived at your front door or office and spent ages fumbling through your bunch of keys to find the right one to let you in? Well, you need never have to worry about that again with a new vogue in creative keys which has recently sprung to life.
Gone are those multi-coloured plastic key covers which, although they did get a little more inventive, still required you to remember which colour related to which door. Now it is possible to have keys made for all your locks in different designs so you can go straight to the key you want.
We have posted a few designs below that may be of interest to you. It is not a service that a local locksmith can provide at your home, so will involve visiting a few locksmiths until you find one able to provide this service. Alternatively, use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page (with a link back to this article, to find a local tradesman in your area who can contact you and save the legwork.
Tags: creative keys, keys, locks, locksmith, Post a Job, tradesman
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