MORE TO LOCKSMITHING THAN JUST MAKING KEYS

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Dennis Lorch says most people really don't understand what being locksmith is all about.

"I think the general public thinks all we do is make keys and let people in their cars," said Lorch, a locksmith of 15 years. "But we do much more than that; anytime people have a problem with a lock or a key, the place they should go is to a locksmith."

While Lorch makes his share of keys and unlocks car doors, he quickly pointed out that locksmiths do a great deal of commercial work, design lock systems for new homes, and are now getting into alarm systems and card-key locks.

And, before long, voice actuation and fingerprint locks will become more popular as the trend toward keyless locks continues.

"We service just about any kind of lock, and, if it can't be repaired, we try to help people replace it with something acceptable," said Lorch, owner of D'Lorch Locksmith Shop on Independence.

In the residential area, besides letting people into their homes when keys are lost or locks fail, he often works with new-home builders. "There are a lot of styles of locks, and often people want something out of the ordinary," explained Lorch. "And a lot of people want to make sure all locks in the house are keyed with the same lock."

Many people want locks that are keyless and have push-button combinations.

Commercial work includes doing master-key systems for motels or setting up a master-key system for all buildings of a new business. Locksmiths are often called to the scene when a business is purchased or changes employees or managers, and the owners want to re-key their locks so old ones don't work. Locksmiths can also make restricted keys for businesses that want key control to prevent duplicates from being made.

Lorch also sells and repairs both fireproof and burglary-proof safes. He can open safes when combinations are lost or can change the combinations.

Like many locksmiths, Lorch has a service truck so he can do just about any lock job in the field. Several times a week Lorch is called out on emergency runs to unlock homes or vehicles. Often, opening someone's house is not a pleasant experience because of the cost involved.

"It is one of those things the public doesn't like about locksmiths," said Lorch. "People say, ~~~`I screwed up, and so this guy is going to charge me $30 to let me in my house.'"

People who lock their keys in a car or lose their keys are usually more understanding, said Lorch. "People usually feel stupid," he said.

Lorch said he tries to assure people that mistakes happen and cheer them up as much as possible. And he offers to make a set of extra car keys free to help people avoid future problems.

Unlocking cars is not a service Lorch depends on for money. "We would rather sell people a duplicate key than have them lose their only key," he said.

For many cars, if people lose the only key, the cost of making new keys runs about $35. But now some car ignitions are equipped with computer chips, and making new keys can cost as much as $150.

Lorch said locksmiths are in "a changing profession," and keeping up with changes in technology is an ongoing process.

Besides the computer chips on car locks, there is a trend toward card-key locks and proximity keys with computer chips that will unlock doors if the card is placed in the vicinity of the lock.

"With this we are getting into low-voltage wiring and a whole new field of expertise," said Lorch. "It is really another field, but we are getting more and more into that direction as the prices of these locks come down."

Larger corporations are using voice and fingerprint locks, and Lorch sees that as a coming trend in the industry.

Locksmiths are also devoting more effort to installing fire, burglary, and medical protection alarms for homes and businesses, Lorch said.

Lorch said his job doesn't have any major drawbacks. The best part is "the idea of being able to get into something that's locked," he said. "That is the most fun about the job."

That kind of skill has led several states to require locksmiths to be certified and registered; there are no such guidelines in Missouri.

This year, Lorch said he is trying to put more emphasis on the retail end of his business. "We are trying to educate the public a little more that we do more than make keys and let people in their houses and cars," he explained. "We retail all varieties of locks, and ,if somebody needs a lock for a particular use, hopefully they can come here and find what they need to get."

He said people have a tendency to go to a large department store when looking for locks, thinking prices are cheaper. But, he said, prices are competitive and there is usually a better variety at a locksmith's shop.