My father-in-law was retired master locksmith and it’s always intrigue me. He’s long gone so I can’t pick his brain. I’m getting ready to hang up a 33 year law-enforcement career and looking for retirement gigs. I’ve taken a couple of hobby locksmith classes and it’s always been fun. Is this something you go to a trade school for or an apprenticeship usually ? Reasonably what is the salary for a locksmith on a yearly basis? Salary isn’t really of utmost importance as this would be mostly to fill my time here and there in retirement. I’m only in my mid 50’s so I’d still like something to do. Just poking around and curious

Paging a1abcd.

I mean a1bbq.

Er, a1abdj.

Yeah, a1abdj to the locksmithing courtesy phone.


Kidding aside, you might shoot an email to a1abdj, who is the forum's resident locksmithing guru: https://sigforum.com/eve/perso...e=profile&u=29760072

Like most specialties, seems like a lot of details inside. In recent years I got extra keys for a used car I bought, more than ‘cutting a key’ to keep the electronics happy. I also had an old safe opened up, lock ‘read’ to get the combination. That was another involved process.

How about an armored car delivery job, in a low crime area? Seems you could slide right into that with your background.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
How about an armored car delivery job, in a low crime area? Seems you could slide right into that with your background.

Armored car/cash in transit guard isn't a cushy retirement gig.

It's manual labor, lugging and loading/unloading sacks of cash and coins. Like any other deliveryman, just with a gun. Long workdays too.

And it tends to pay pretty poorly as well. Around $18/hour in my neck of the woods.

Heck, food/beverage/alcohol deliverymen get paid more (and have better benefits) than armored car guys, at least around here.

Not a locksmith, but a lock manufacturer who spends a lot of time with locksmiths. Suggest you spend some time on ALOA's website: https://www.aloa.org/

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Like most specialties, seems like a lot of details inside. In recent years I got extra keys for a used car I bought, more than ‘cutting a key’ to keep the electronics happy. I also had an old safe opened up, lock ‘read’ to get the combination. That was another involved process.

How about an armored car delivery job, in a low crime area? Seems you could slide right into that with your background.

To tell you the truth, I want zero to do with law-enforcement. I’ve been doing this for well over 30 years and I can’t wait to get out. I’ve spent the last 16 or so years as a primary firearms instructor for the largest federal law-enforcement agency in existence and the last thing I wanna do is touch guns anymore. I’m looking for something totally different than what I’ve done. Just putting some feelers out there.

Congrats on nearing the end of a long career!
Whatever you do after you hang up the duty belt, HAVE FUN! Enjoy the days! You’ve earned it!

There are locksmith groups on Reddit, or at least there were. I think the one I was in went members only or something because they were tired of questions from non locksmiths. Seems like most all the locksmiths I ran into online were arrogant self important pricks. Most of the locksmiths I ran into in person were the same. Point being, the may not tell you what you want to know.

I was working as a "locksmith" at the time, but as an institutional locksmith. Which is akin to being an auto mechanic who only knows how to work on 2007 Honda Accords.

A lot of locksmiths now work out of vans rather than brick-and-mortar.

I needed one in Florida and could only find ones that worked out of vans.

The van was a fully equipped shop on wheels.

I needed two handle locks rekeyed.

They are paying employees around $20-$30 an hours and charging around $100 and up for a service call.

Locksmiths are like many other professions in that there are multiple sub-specialties.

I only deal with safes, vault doors, and related items. Some locksmiths only do commercial door work, some only do automotive, some only do access control, some only do institutional, etc.

If you can find one thing that you do well and enjoy, you'll likely make more money and with less stress.

Feel free to reach out if I can help point you in any particular direction for assistance.