PART 1 We really try to help! But sometimes ...     I was questioning a customer, trying to determine if it was a right-handed or a left-handed door:     "When you go to put the key in the lock which side of the door is the lock on?" I asked.     "The outside," he said! You'd have thought I would have known that, wouldn't you?     After having worked for over twenty years as a locksmith, I've learned that just as important as servicing the locks is educating the customer as to what services are available. Things that seem obvious to the professional are sometimes unknown to the public. Who thinks about locks -- until something goes wrong or the need arises? Let's start at the beginning: KEY FACT No. 1 -- Combination Changes:     Lost keys or losing a roommate? Did you know you don't have to buy a new lock? By changing the "pin tumblers" in the lock we can provide you with a new key and the old one won't work anymore.     Too many keys? Did you know that locks of the same manufacturer can be "keyed alike"? By pinning locks to the same combination all locks will work with the same key.     This is different from "master keying" where one key will work all the locks but individual keys will work only certain locks and not others. A great convenience in a landlord / tenant situation. The owner has one key that will open all locks but the tenant keys will work only their apartment.     When I talk about keying I'm referring to the size of the pin tumblers in the lock as compared to the depth of the cuts on the key. When the key with the proper combination of cuts is put into the lock with that same combination of pins, everything lines up allowing you to turn the plug in the cylinder thereby retracting the bolt or latch.     You can see where over time the key and/or pins wear down to the point where you have to play with the key to get it to finally click just right to open the lock. This is not only an inconvenience but can be downright dangerous. You might need to get in that door in a hurry some night.     Again, no reason to buy a new lock when more often than not a combination change is all that's needed.     These services are available both in shop and on site. Just give Cole Hardware® a call. Yours for better Locksmithing, Skip the Locksmith, Cole Fox Hardware®, 415/777-4400 See more Hardware Hotline Key Facts articles: part 1   Combination Changes part 2   Types of Locks part 3   Keys by Code part 4   Auxiliary Locks part 5   Easy Door Lock part 6   Odds & Ends Skip, our in-house locksmith at Cole Fox Hardware®, comes to us with over twenty years experience in the trade. Originally from New York City, he came to San Francisco in 1969. He has worked as a locksmith since 1975, for most of that time at the Key Factory, a shop (now closed) servicing primarily the Sunset, Richmond and Marina districts of San Francisco. We are pleased to have him as one of our staff. - Hardware Hotline  June, 2000