Taking apart Best cores

[theTastyCat]

Hi all - I just got a bunch of Best cores, two of which have keys.



Most of them are (I think!) G keyways, and two are either BA or F, best I can tell.



My limited understanding of these locks is that they've got two shear lines, one for the control key and one for normal operation. I'd love to disassemble a few of these to a. see how they work and b. learn them one pin at a time via DB's outstanding method.

First, not having any sort of specialized tools, am I able to disassemble one of these cores? I suppose since I have a bunch I could sacrifice one or two if it would destroy the lock in the process, but I'm really hoping I can do the DB exercise. Also, can I disassemble the ones without keys as long as I can pick them?

Many thanks.

[Evan]

First, not having any sort of specialized tools, am I able to disassemble one of these cores? I suppose since I have a bunch I could sacrifice one or two if it would destroy the lock in the process, but I'm really hoping I can do the DB exercise. Also, can I disassemble the ones without keys as long as I can pick them?

@theTastyCat:

While you can take those cores apart as if they were normal cylinders, you can not do so while they are still keyed... The tolerances are much too tight to shim...

To re-key a Best style SFIC core with individually capped barrels you would use a smooth ejector pin in the tiny holes on the bottom of the core and carefully force out the pin stacks...

I am sure you could find a nail that would fit into the ejector pin hole, just make sure that whatever you use is smooth and won't create a burr in the barrel or it could cause the core to bind...

You have a large variety of cores there in the picture, some 6-pin some 7-pin... You could be right on with your guesses at the keyways, another possibility would be H...

~~ Evan

[theTastyCat]

Thanks for the reply, Evan - I'm sorry to say that I'm a bit more noob than you may have given me credit for!

What do you mean that I can't rekey (I assume that's the same as take apart, remove the pins, etc.) while the lock is still keyed?

Many thanks.

[Evan]

Thanks for the reply, Evan - I'm sorry to say that I'm a bit more noob than you may have given me credit for!

What do you mean that I can't rekey (I assume that's the same as take apart, remove the pins, etc.) while the lock is still keyed?

Many thanks.

Meaning you can not disassemble the core by removing the c-clip on the back of the plug and take it apart while the core still has pin stacks in the barrels (pin chambers)... The tolerances are WAY too tight on an SFIC to be able to shim it like you would a normal cylinder for which you didn't have key for yet still wanted to dismantle...

Like I said, once you eject all of the pin stacks you would be able to disassemble the core into its component parts: the plug, control sleeve and shell after you remove the c-clip at the back...

~~ Evan

[theTastyCat]

Great, that makes a lot of sense. So basically I either have to pop out the pin stacks or get hecka lucky and manage to get one of these open - just plain makes sense.

By the way, I do have control keys for these. I compared the control key (the same one for the two locks which have keys) to the operating keys and only two pins, numbers one and four, were different, but they were different in opposite directions, and dramatically so (what was low is high and vice versa.) By the way admins, if this is in any way sensitive, feel free to remove or move to the advanced forums.

I tried picking a few of them for a few minutes just now - wow. I could hardly get any pins to bind SPPing, so I had to resort to a bit of jiggling/raking, which resulted in several pins snapping down when I released tension after trying unsuccessfully to finish the job with a small hook.

So HOW ON EARTH do you pick these? Thanks to Evan I'm going to try to do DB's "training wheels" pin-addition method, but this two-shear-line thing has me a little spooked. How would you possibly know which shear line to use? If it is consistently the first and fourth pins (which could very well not be, since my research spans all of two six-pin locks of a common keyway and control key), you could guess and raise one to the first and the other to the second, and if not reverse it, but I'm guessing it's not that simple. There was a thread about making an alternate tension tool that was thicker - I didn't really get what they were saying, but maybe after I poke around in them tomorrow I'll understand more.

Wow - much harder than my spooled Schlage deadbolt!

Many thanks.

[vov35]

http://www.crypto.com/photos/misc/sfic/
Reading this should help you understand them a bit better.

[theTastyCat]

Extremely helpful - thanks Vov. Looks like I'm ordering a new tension tool!

[theTastyCat]

So I'm looking at the Peterson tools. Since my keyways are probably G and F, I need the one tension tool that's specific to those keyways, but I've been looking at their $49 kit, which includes three different tension tools to span all the SFIC keyways as well as two picks. Is this kit worth it?



I've got the 14-piece Southord kit, and I like it, but these two picks are supposedly designed for SFIC. I've only got use for the one tension wrench at the moment, but I would like to eventually expand my SFIC collection, so it might be smarter to have all the wrenches.

As always, any feedback is appreciated.

[vov35]

they're just long slimline picks, nothing special. Most of that cost is the tensioners.

[theTastyCat]

Yeah, I kinda figured. If all you had were the 14-piece Southord, would you go for it?

[vov35]

I'd probably just get the wrench you need, and a nice small set of slim picks for about the same jewgolds.

[theTastyCat]

Alright, order placed.

So is it possible to pick a Best core to the operating line or just to the control line?

[vov35]

it's possible, just more difficult, I think applying tension ccw will help avoid picking to the control line.

[Evan]

Alright, order placed.

So is it possible to pick a Best core to the operating line or just to the control line?

To pick to the operating shear line all you would need to do is use a normal tension wrench and apply tension to the plug...

To pick to the control shear line you would use one of those specially grooved tension wrenches and get it engaged in the ejector pin holes at the bottom of the keyway and apply the tension to the control sleeve and lug rather than the plug...

~~ Evan

[cookiemonster]

I just purchased the set of slimline picks and the three wrenches. I am still having trouble picking an SFIC core to either line.. I realize there might be a few security pins I'm struggling with, but do you have any suggestions? I'm working with a BEST sfic also..