Editing Lock and key (section)

== Locksmithing ==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2017}}
[[File:Mendel I 072 v.jpg|thumb|upright|Locksmith, 1451]]
[[Locksmithing]] is a traditional trade, and in most countries requires completion of an [[apprenticeship]]. The level of formal education required varies from country to country, from no qualifications required at all in the UK,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.locksmiths.co.uk/faq/locksmith-qualifications/|title=What qualifications do I need to be a locksmith?|website=Master Locksmiths Association|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-05-23|archive-date=2019-05-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523171243/https://www.locksmiths.co.uk/faq/locksmith-qualifications/|url-status=live}}</ref> to a simple training certificate awarded by an employer, to a full [[diploma]] from an [[engineering]] [[college]]. Locksmiths may be commercial (working out of a storefront), mobile (working out of a vehicle), institutional, or investigational (forensic locksmiths). They may specialize in one aspect of the skill, such as an automotive lock specialist, a master key system specialist or a safe technician. Many also act as security consultants, but not all security consultants have the skills and knowledge of a locksmith.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

Historically, locksmiths constructed or repaired an entire lock, including its constituent parts. The rise of cheap mass production has made this less common; the vast majority of locks are repaired through like-for-like replacements, high-security safes and strongboxes being the most common exception. Many locksmiths also work on any existing door hardware, including door closers, hinges, electric strikes, and frame repairs, or service [[electronic lock]]s by making keys for transponder-equipped vehicles and implementing access control systems.

Although the fitting and replacement of keys remains an important part of locksmithing, modern locksmiths are primarily involved in the installation of high quality lock-sets and the design, implementation, and management of keying and key control systems. Locksmiths are frequently required to determine the level of risk to an individual or institution and then recommend and implement appropriate combinations of equipment and policies to create a "security layer" that exceeds the reasonable gain of an intruder.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

===Key duplication===
{{main|Key duplication}}
[[File:Copia llave video.ogv|thumb|Video showing the process of cutting a key]]

Traditional '''key cutting''' is the primary method of key duplication. It is a [[subtractive manufacturing|subtractive process]] named after the metalworking process of [[metalworking#Cutting processes|cutting]], where a flat ''blank'' key is ground down to form the same shape as the ''template'' (original) key. The process roughly follows these stages:
# The original key is fitted into a [[vise]] in a machine, with a blank attached to a parallel vise which is mechanically linked.
# The original key is moved along a guide in a movement which follows the key's shape, while the blank is moved in the same pattern against a cutting wheel by the mechanical linkage between the vices.
# After cutting, the new key is [[burr (metal)|deburred]] by scrubbing it with a metal brush to remove particles of metal which could be dangerously sharp and foul locks.

Modern key cutting replaces the mechanical key following aspect with a process in which the original key is scanned electronically, processed by software, stored, then used to guide a cutting wheel when a key is produced. The capability to store electronic copies of the key's shape allows for key shapes to be stored for key cutting by any party that has access to the key image.

Different key cutting machines are more or less automated, using different milling or grinding equipment, and follow the design of early 20th century key duplicators.

Key duplication is available in many retail [[hardware stores]] and as a service of the specialized locksmith, though the correct key blank may not be available. More recently, online services for duplicating keys have become available.
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