Locksmithing is such an exciting topic, and more so because of its history. The profession of locksmithing actually began in order to create locks, and not to break them like we observe today. Locks were considered to be a mark of the truly rich, and having ornate locks on their doors was a kind of a prestige booster.
In this article, we will take you back into the history of the locksmiths; and to do that, we need to go first to the glory days of the Egyptian civilization, where locksmiths were in absolute vogue.
The Egyptian days
The oldest known lock has been found in the ruins of Emperor Sargon II’s palace in Khorsabad, which today is in modern Iraq. The make was undoubtedly Egyptian, and the lock is dated to about 4000 years ago. So that is proof enough that locksmithing is not something new to the world; and to tell you another surprising thing, the technology used in those locks is the same pin and tumbler technology we use in our locks of today. Now, that does not mean that the technology used by locksmiths has not undergone any development; what it means is that the early locksmiths got it right the first time! There have been other discoveries in the area too, and many of the finds prove the same thing – that probably the ancient Egyptians were fathers of the locksmithing industry.
Early Days
After the ancient period, locksmiths were pretty much an integral part of society, and they continue to do so even today. Until recently, the bulk of locksmiths work involved delicately filing and crafting locks and keys. If you have an old lock at home with a big metal key (like one shown in the picture here), you can take it for granted that it was painstakingly hand made by a locksmith someplace! And when people lost the keys, it was an even more delicate and time consuming process to get a key shape out of the lock in order to make a duplicate. Most of the modern day locksmiths would not even know how to do that – but that is not required any more, is it?
At the turn of the earlier century, the filing process went on to machines, and metal crafting also followed suit. However, till very recent times, the making of safes and strong boxes was done only by hand, so that the duplication aspect almost becomes impossible. Even today, the most complicated strong boxes around the world have a hand made element in making them to make them doubly secure.
Modern Days
Like we mentioned earlier, most of the early locksmith’s work was to delicately craft locks and keys. However, most of that work is done by machines today, and there are more interesting and exciting avenues that have opened up for locksmiths.
If you think that locksmiths only break open locks for which keys are nowhere to be found, or to pry open automobile doors which have become auto locked, think again. With electronic locking systems ruling the roost, modern locksmiths are fully equipped to make and install these locking systems. That makes them real high tech, doesn’t it? There’s more – companies like arc locksmiths specialize in assessing a new business for the amount of security they need. Since most of the business houses now also have an added layer of security in terms of electronic key tag systems, that is another thing the modern locksmith needs to incorporate along with the rest of the security system.
Modern day locksmiths are also experts in the adding of security layers to homes. So if you are planning on getting an electronic system in addition to the high quality door locks on your doors, it would make sense to contact a locksmith first, and then get him to install the right system for you.
These are exciting times for locksmiths, and the future is pretty bright! Today’s locksmiths are actually security engineers who are capable of designing, deploying and auditing a security system at home, office, and industry!
Try calling arc locksmiths on 0161-256-2551
