Although we sometimes think of locksmiths as simply a key-cutter on the high street, the trade has an incredibly long history. As far back as things have been conceived as valuable, people have sought to keep them out of the hands of thieves and unscrupulous visitors. This goes for people’s homes, possessions, and families. The oldest lock currently known is over 4000 years old, and was Egyptian. The first lock using a key arrived around 700 BC. Fascinatingly, it used the same type of pin tumbler system we still use in our modern locks to these days. In those days and for many centuries locksmiths would have to make the entire lock and base a key around it. It was a fantastically intricate trade, and many locksmiths pitted themselves against each other to see who could make the most impenetrable lock. This, the pursuit of the impe ariens snowblower netrable lock, a good snowblower locksmith will tell you, is a never-ending one. A lock is made to be opened, and can only hold out a thief for a period of time. Locks are really there to slow down the thief, hopefully to the point of him deciding it’s not worth the trouble and moving on to another victim. Of course the point of the lock and key system is to continue to make entry into the box, room or house simple for the true owner, so he doesn’t have to jump through too many steps to access his belongings. The modern locksmith is a changed trade; they may not work with such intricate locks but they do work with a wider range of locks. Locks of many different types have emerged ? locks for cars, electronic locks, voice-activated locks, computer-controlled locked, time-sensitive locks, all of these have their own methods of entry.
