Hello All,
Thought I’d take the opportunity to introduce myself.
I am an institutional locksmith (as my profession), and also an artist blacksmith (currently an all-consuming hobby). I have recently decided to combine those two interests, and am starting to restore old locks by using traditional blacksmithing techniques to reproduce parts when necessary. I am also studying and gaining the necessary experience to eventually become accredited as a conservator specializing in industrial technology.
My interest in old ( pre-industrial revolution) locks really started when I read an article about a ’Masterpiece Lock" that was produced by a group of blacksmiths for one of our associations conferences. It truly was a thing of beauty - and I was hooked. After a bit of research into hand forged locks, I found some videos and articles about a shop in Cuenca Ecuador where such things are still made, in the same manner as they have been for centuries. Well, at that point I decided I have to do it myself.
I’m not quite at the point of wanting to tackle a start-to-finish lock build myself. But have begun doing some restoration work.
Don’t worry, I’m not destroying any museum pieces …. so far it’s mostly been old rusty garage sale finds.
Anyways, that’s all about me in a nutshell. I’m looking forward to doing a lot of reading and learning here, and will hopefully have something useful to contribute too.
Cheers,
Brew
